Profile of free fatty acid in patients with acne vulgaris

Abstract

Introduction: Acne vulgaris is an inflammatory disorder that affects the pilocebaceous gland with high prevalence among young adults. Studies have suggested that FFA may influence acne vulgaris. However, the pathogenesis of acne is not yet fully known. Objective: To analyze the correlation between free fatty acid and acne vulgaris severity level. Methods: Forty-three female high school students with mild, moderate, and severe acne were included in this study. Free fatty acid level, represented by palmitic acid level, was measured using gas chromatography and PCR examination was conducted to detect Propionibacterium acnes. Mann-Whitney test was used to analyze the median palmitic level difference between groups with different acne vulgaris severity. A p-value <0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Fourteen patients (32.6%) had mild acne vulgaris, while 14 and 15 patients had moderate and severe acne vulgaris, respectively. The severe and moderate acne group showed significantly higher palmitic acid level compared to the mild acne group (p<0.05). The level of palmitic acid was not associated with the presence of P. acnes. Conclusions: Increased palmitic acid level was found to be associated with acne severity. Thus, FFA levels may be used as a marker to determine acne vulgaris severity

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