Tentative New Terminology: Initial Comedonal Phase Preceding Acute Inflammatory Phase of Acne Vulgaris—Importance of Early Treatment

Abstract

We report a case of a 12-year-old female with closed and open comedo without inflammatory lesions at the first visit. She had been treated with topical adapalene once daily, and closed and open comedo subsided without inflammatory lesions one month after the treatment without any side effects induced by adapalen. The recurrence of comedo had not been observed afterwards. In the Japanese Dermatological Association (JDA) guidelines for the treatment of acne vulgaris, comedonal phase has not been stated. Then we propose the tentative new terminology of a comedonal phase and emphasize its importance in the early initial treatment for comedo to prevent the development of the acute inflammatory phase such as red papules and pustules and formation of acne scars.