Scientific Journal of Dermatology and Venereology

Lower Facial Skin Hydration is Associated with Greater Acne Vulgaris Severity in Indonesian University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

2026-07-30T02:51:59+00:00

Background: Acne vulgaris is increasingly recognized as a skin-barrier disease, yet data linking facial hydration to graded severity in tropical Asian young adults are scarce.

Objective: To determine the association between facial skin hydration and acne vulgaris severity in Indonesian university students.

Methods: In this cross-sectional analytic study, 33 students aged 17–25 years with acne vulgaris were enrolled by purposive sampling at a Surabaya dermatology clinic. Facial stratum corneum hydration was measured by capacitance and classed as dry (<35%), normal (35–50%) or moist (>50%); severity was graded by the Lehmann/Indonesian Acne Expert Meeting criteria. Associations were tested with chi-square, odds ratios, Spearman correlation, multivariable logistic regression and receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) analysis.

Results: Participants were predominantly female (69.7%); 54.5% had dry skin and 60.6% had moderate acne, with no severe cases. Lower hydration was significantly associated with greater severity (χ²=9.641, p=0.008; Cramér's V=0.541). Dry skin conferred ten-fold higher odds of moderate acne (OR=10.00, 95% CI 1.94–51.54), and each 10% reduction in moisture independently raised the odds (adjusted OR=3.87, 95% CI 1.39–10.72, p=0.009). Facial moisture discriminated moderate acne well (AUC=0.792; Spearman ρ=−0.536, p=0.001).

Conclusion: Lower facial hydration is independently associated with more severe acne, supporting barrier-directed, non-comedogenic moisturization as an adjunct in acne care for Fitzpatrick III–V skin.

Sexual Orientation and HIV Coinfection Among Serofast Syphilis Patients: A Retrospective Analysis in Surakarta, Indonesia

2026-07-30T03:20:42+00:00

Background: Syphilis and its serofast state — persistent low-level non-treponemal reactivity after adequate therapy — complicate the assessment of cure, particularly where HIV coinfection is common, and Indonesian data are scarce.

Objective: To profile serofast syphilis patients and compare the determinants of HIV coinfection.

Methods: Retrospective analytic review of electronic medical records of all serofast syphilis patients attending RSUD Dr. Moewardi, Surakarta (January 2020–April 2026). Proportions are reported with 95% confidence intervals (CI); HIV-positive and HIV-negative groups were compared by Fisher exact and chi-square tests with odds ratios (OR) and Cramér's V, multivariable logistic regression and receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) analysis.

Results: Of 46 patients, 91.3% were male, 45.7% aged 20–30 years, 39.1% had late latent syphilis, and 80.4% were HIV-coinfected (95% CI 66.8–89.3). Men who have sex with men accounted for 73.9% and strongly predicted HIV coinfection (OR 17.73, 95% CI 3.26–96.34; p<0.001; adjusted OR 41.56; AUC 0.838). Other characteristics were similar, and estimates were imprecise given the small comparison group.

Conclusion: Serofast syphilis in this setting reflects a young, male, MSM, HIV-coinfected population; sexual orientation best distinguishes coinfection, supporting integrated HIV monitoring rather than reflexive re-treatment.

Sunscreen Formulation Type and Melasma Severity: A Cross-Sectional mMASI-Based Study in Indonesian Women

2026-07-30T03:51:14+00:00

Background: Melasma is a common acquired hyperpigmentation predominating in women of Fitzpatrick phototype III–V, in whom ultraviolet and visible light are central drivers. Because organic (chemical) filters attenuate visible light poorly relative to inorganic (physical) filters, sunscreen formulation type may influence severity, yet real-world Indonesian evidence is limited.

Objective: To determine the association between sunscreen type and melasma severity.

Methods: In this STROBE-compliant analytic cross-sectional study, 30 consecutive adult women with clinically diagnosed melasma were enrolled at RSUD Dr. Soegiri Lamongan, East Java (October 2023–January 2024), in collaboration with Universitas Muhammadiyah Surabaya and Universitas Brawijaya. Severity was graded with the modified Melasma Area and Severity Index (mMASI, 0–24) after Wood-lamp subtyping and Fitzpatrick phototyping. Associations were tested with chi-square, contingency coefficient, Cramér's V, odds ratios, and exploratory logistic and ROC analyses.

Results: Moderate–severe melasma affected 70.0% (95% CI 52.1–83.3); physical sunscreen was most frequent (63.3%). Sunscreen type was significantly associated with mMASI severity (χ² = 14.24, df = 4, p = 0.007; C = 0.567; Cramér's V = 0.487), physical users showing the lowest mean mMASI (9.9 ± 3.8). Reapplication was independently protective (adjusted OR 6.48, 95% CI 1.19–35.2, p = 0.031; composite AUC 0.79, 95% CI 0.62–0.95).

Conclusion: Physical, visible-light-blocking sunscreens and consistent reapplication are associated with milder melasma, supporting broad-spectrum inorganic photoprotection as a first-line, low-cost intervention for Indonesian women.

Efficacy and Safety of Topical Tretinoin Monotherapy versus Vehicle in the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials

2026-07-31T02:36:45+00:00

Background: Topical tretinoin is a guideline-endorsed first-line comedolytic retinoid for acne vulgaris, yet the magnitude of its benefit over vehicle across formulations, its expression in absolute terms, and its performance in paediatric skin have not been isolated in a focused pairwise synthesis.

Objective: To estimate the effect of topical tretinoin monotherapy versus vehicle on investigator-rated treatment success in facial acne vulgaris.

Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library were searched from database inception, and ClinicalTrials.gov and regulatory product labels were interrogated to recover event-level data. Randomised, double-blind, vehicle-controlled trials (or vehicle-controlled arms) of topical tretinoin monotherapy in facial acne were eligible. The primary outcome was treatment success at approximately 12 weeks. Two reviewers independently screened, extracted data and applied the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool. Risk ratios (RRs) were pooled with a DerSimonian–Laird random-effects model; heterogeneity used I² and a prediction interval.

Results: Nine trial datasets (4,429 participants; 2,537 tretinoin, 1,892 vehicle) were pooled. Tretinoin significantly increased treatment success (RR 1.83, 95% CI 1.48–2.27; p < 0.001), with moderate heterogeneity (I² 36.7%) and a prediction interval (1.11–3.04) that excluded the null. The absolute success rate rose from 10.4% with vehicle to 18.4% with tretinoin (number needed to treat approximately 12). The estimate was stable in leave-one-out (RR 1.75–1.95) and combined-programme (RR 1.80) analyses and did not differ across formulations (p = 0.17). Cutaneous adverse events were mild, transient and application-site limited.

Conclusion: Topical tretinoin monotherapy roughly doubled the relative likelihood, and raised the absolute likelihood by about 8 percentage points, of treatment success versus vehicle, with predictable, self-limiting local tolerability that extended to preadolescent skin, supporting its first-line and maintenance positioning.