Nack In Kim

Treatment-Seeking Behaviors and Related Epidemiological Features in Korean Acne Patients

Little is known about the treatment-seeking behaviors of acne patients, especially Asian acne patients. This study was performed to obtain detailed information about the treatment-seeking behaviors in Korean acne patients. Patients who visited the dermatology departments at 17 university hospitals completed a self-administered questionnaire. Most patients obtained information about acne from doctors or the Internet. The most important criteria for selecting a treatment method or choosing a particular clinic were effectiveness and accessibility. Patients used traditional medicine, visited beauty clinics, drank more water, and used over-the-counter topical agents more frequently than they sought doctors during the worsening period. The degree of satisfaction in treatment was found to depend on the total cost of treatment, number of places visited, site affected by acne, and emotional stress. Those who had experienced a side effect tended to have been treated for longer, to have paid more for treatment, and to have an associated skin disease. Treatments prescribed by dermatology clinics had the lowest aggravating rate, although improvement rates for family medicine clinics were also fairly high. This is the first study to investigate in detail the demographic features and characteristics of the treatment-seeking behaviors of acne patients in Asia.

A multicenter epidemiological study of acne vulgaris in Korea

Background  Acne is a common skin disorder that affects both adolescents and adults. However, few epidemiological studies on this condition have been conducted in Asia.

A double-blind randomized controlled comparison of APDDR-0901, a novel cosmeceutical formulation, and 0.1% adapalene gel in the treatment of mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris

Topical retinoids have been widely used in the treatment of acne. They comprise several products used as prescription drugs as well as cosmeceuticals. Of these products, retinol has better tolerability compared with prescription retinoids such as tretinoin, but it is only used in cosmeceuticals due to its low biologic activity. A combination formulation could be an effective alternative to address the problem of decreased therapeutic activity. Recently, hexamidine diisethionate is known to have antibacterial activity, and rose extract has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory activity. In this study, we compared the efficacy and safety of the combination product APDDR-0901 (0.03% retinol, 0.7% rose extract, and 0.05% hexamidine diisethionate) vs 0.1% adapalene gel for the treatment of mild-to-moderate acne. This 12-week, multicenter, double-blinded study included 97 patients with mild-to-moderate acne. Efficacy was evaluated using 4 discrete variables: lesion count, acne grade, physician-assessed global improvement, and patient self-assessment. We also assessed safety profiles, including cutaneous irritation. Both APDDR-0901 and adapalene showed significant improvements without significant differences. Otherwise, the APDDR-0901 group showed better safety profiles, particularly in the first 2 weeks. In conclusion, APDDR-0901 could be an effective and safe alternative in the treatment of mild-to-moderate acne.

Analysis of Korean acne patients according to age groups based on two multicenter studies

Along with increasing public concerns on acne and its complications, increasing treatment options seem to lead more acne patients to clinics globally, including Korea. The aim of the present study was to investigate the number and distribution of acne patients according to age group by analyzing number and age of outpatients from several general hospitals in Korea. Two retrospective multicenter studies including 14 general hospitals for a maximum of 10 years were conducted by medical chart review of acne patients. During the last 10 years, total acne patients have increased by 60% in number and patients under the age of 19 years have doubled. Adult acne patients (aged >18 years) accounted for the biggest portion in total acne patients at over 80%. Although upper grade of elementary school patients (aged 10–12 years) accounted for the biggest portion among the childhood acne patients, children under 10 years have also increased rapidly by 73% during the last 10 years. Childhood acne patients (aged <13 years) accounted for 11% of total acne patients. We found that acne patients were increasing consistently and the portion of those aged under 19 years is getting bigger. Additionally, childhood acne patients have increased remarkably.