Azelaic acid gel may be effective in treating dark skinned people with mild to moderate acne. It may also be helpful in reducing moderate to severe post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, a small open label study of 20 patients has shown.  

Hyperpigmentation is an unwelcome side effect of acne as the inflammatory reaction causes darkening and discoloration of the skin. Hyperpigmentation can also be caused by skin irritation so gentle skin treatments are required. It is more common and more visible in ethnic groups with dark skin.   

The study of 20 acne patients found the azelaic acid gel - applied twice daily after cleansing - reduced the number and severity of all acne lesions.

The treatment was well tolerated and there were few side effects from treatment with the gel such as skin dryness, redness and peeling.  

There was a visible improvement in skin condition after four months of treatment.  All patients showed at least some level of improvement in hyperpigmentation while almost a third of patients achieved total clearance of their hyperpigmentation.  

Weaknesses  of the study was that  the number of patients studied was small and that there were no control patients to compare.  

The US study concluded that 15 per cent azelaic acid gel is a safe and effective treatment for hyperpigmentation and acne in dark skinned patients.  

The study is soon to be published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.