The effectiveness of combined prebiotic and postbiotic moisturiser as an adjuvant therapy in improving maskne

Personal protective equipment (PPE) has become the new social norm as part of COVID-19 protection since the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, but it has had an impact on the skin barrier, particularly the face. Maskne refers to acne eruptions around the facemask area. The combination of friction, repeated pressure, sweat, or stress on the skin from wearing the mask results in acne or exacerbates pre-existing acne. This study aimed to analyse the effectiveness of a combined prebiotic and postbiotic moisturiser (CPPM) as an adjuvant therapy for improving maskne. This was a double-blind randomised control trial with systematic random sampling of 1:1 to receive either CPPM or placebo moisturisers. From December 2022 to May 2023, patients diagnosed with maskne at the Dermatology Clinic, Hospital Al-Sultan Abdullah, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia were studied. Subjects were assessed at baseline, week 2 and 4 after the application of moisturisers, using modified global acne grading system (mGAGS) and Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) score. A total of 150 patients completed the study. Using the mGAGS score, compared to baseline, the mean score reduction was statistically significant at week 4 [5.33 (±4.06) vs 1.13 (±4.33); p< 0.001] in the CPPM arm compared to the placebo arm. In terms of CADI score, compared to baseline, there was also a significant reduction in mean score at week 4 [2.23 (±2.53) vs 0.55 (±2.59); p< 0.001] in the CPPM arm compared to the placebo arm. This study found that using CPPM as an adjuvant moisturiser improved maskne significantly.