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Anne W. Lucky, MD

Arch Dermatol. 2004;140:423-424.

Objective  To quantitatively document the presence and extent of a late luteal (premenstrual) acne flare in adult women.

Design  Case series.

Setting  Subjects were recruited from a general community dermatology practice and by advertising.

Subjects  Adult women 18 to 44 years old with normal periods who were receiving no treatment for their acne.

Main Outcome Measures  Acne lesion counts were surveyed over the follicular and luteal phases of 2 full menstrual cycles.

Results  Most (63%) of these women showed a 25% premenstrual increase in the number of inflammatory acne lesions.

Conclusion  This is the first quantitative documentation of the presence and degree of premenstrual acne flares in adult women.

From Dermatology Research Associates, Cincinnati, Ohio. The author has no relevant financial interest in this article.