Efficacy of Unani formulation in acne vulgaris: An open-labeled single-arm clinical trial

Abstract

Abstract Background: Acne vulgaris is a prevalent dermatological disorder, predominantly affecting adolescents. The prevalence hits its peak during the middle-to-late teenaged period with more than 85% of adolescents affected. Objectives: The present study was designed to investigate the effect of Unani formulation in the management of acne vulgaris. Materials and Methods: An open-labeled single-arm clinical study was carried out on 30 patients of acne vulgaris. The test drug formulation contains Murdarsang (lead oxide), Bura armani (Borax), and Roghan gul (Rose oil). Patients were advised to use it in the form of paste for 28 days. The patients were followed for 2 weeks after treatment to assess the residual effect. The subjective parameters (erythema, dryness, peeling, burning, and itching) and objective parameters: Global Evaluation of Acne Scale (GEA) and Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) questionnaire were noted every week during the trial. The data were analyzed statistically to assess the effect of the intervention. Results: After 4 weeks of treatment, there was a statistically significant reduction in all subjective parameters (P < 0.001). A significant reduction was also seen in the GEA scale and CADI (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The present findings suggest that the trial drug is effective in the treatment of acne vulgaris. Moreover, studies on different treatment durations are required to finetune these observations.