Lip mesotherapy with dexpanthenol in the treatment of isotretinoin-induced cheilitis.

Abstract

Cheilitis is the most common mucocutaneous side effect of isotretinoin (ISO). Dexpanthenol (DXP) increases fibroblast proliferation and re-epithelialization in wound healing. We aimed to investigate the effect of DXP-mesotherapy in ISO-induced cheilitis in this study. This study was conducted on patients who had been using ISO (0.5-1mg/kg/day) for at least 2months. Twenty-five patients who administered DXP-mesotherapy (mesotherapy group) and 33 patients without the procedure (control group, only ointment) participated in this study. All patients were prescribed only hamamelis virginiana distillate in ointment form as a lip balm. The efficacy of the treatment was interpreted by the change in lip balm use frequency, quality of life, and Isotretinoin Cheilitis Grading Scale (ICGS). There was a statistically significant decrease in all ICGS-subgroups scores in the mesotherapy group after 1month compared with the baseline (p=<0.001), although in the controls, erythema, crust, and fissure scores significantly increased (p=0.001, p=0.002).While there was no difference between the groups in terms of ICGS total scores at baseline, there was a significant difference after 1month in favor of the mesotherapy group (p<0.001). In the mesotherapy group, lip balms were needed significantly less frequently and there was a significant improvement in quality of life compared with both the control group and at baseline after 1month (both; p<0.001). On the other hand, the control patients suffered more from cheilitis and dryness than at baseline (p<0.001). Dexpanthenol-mesotherapy seems to be a safe, and so effective method in management of ISO-related cheilitis.