Section Dermatology Trends and Opinion of Isotretinoin Use for Acne Treatment by Dermatologists in Western Area of Saudi Arabia: A Cross- Sectional Survey Amal A Kokandi Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. International Archives of BioMedical and Clinical Research | July–Sept 2017| Vol 3| Issue 3 10 Original Article ABSTRACT__________________________________________________________ Background: Acne is a common disease. Variety of treatment methods are available. Oral isotretinoin is an effective treatment but has some precautions. Methods: In this study, the attitude of dermatologists in western area of Saudi Arabia toward isotretinoin and their practice are being studied through online questionnaire survey. Results: More than half of responding dermatologists used the dose of 0.5mg per kg per day. Variable dosing, length of therapy, and laboratory investigations were reported. All responding dermatologists did laboratory investigations before commencing therapy and most did it as well after one month. Most of responding dermatologists thought it was safe to perform laser hair removal during or shortly (1-2 months) post isotretinoin therapy, but laser resurfacing was not thought to be safe to do while on therapy. The most common side effects encountered with oral isotretinoin were skin and lip dryness and chelitis. All dermatologists counselled females for teratogenicity and pregnancy prevention. There were variable responses to depression, blood donation abstinence and irritable bowel syndrome. Conclusions: In conclusion, isotretinoin is an effective therapy for acne. There is a controversy among physicians on the dose, length of therapy and laboratory follow up. Controversies for depression, irritable bowel syndrome still exist. Key words: Isotretinoin; dermatologists Received: 01.07.17 | Accepted:07.07.17 Corresponding Author Dr. Amal A Kokandi, Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Copyright: © the author(s) and publisher. IABCR is an official publication of Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine & Sciences, registered in 2001 under Indian Trusts Act, 1882. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited INTRODUCTION_____________________ Acne is a chronic disease affecting majority of adolescents. Depending on its severity and other factors different modalities of treatment are being used. Isotretnoin is the most effective oral therapy for acne treatment. [1] Since its FDA approval on 1982, Isotretinoin is becoming widely prescribed to treat acne. With the wide availability and more knowledge of side effects, dermatologists nowadays use isotretinoin more widely and with varying doses to tailor for their patient’s needs. Earlier guidelines were published to guide the usage of this medication. [2] Few changes were made to these guidelines later such as European Evidence-based (S3) Guidelines for the Treatment of Acne. [3] Teratogenicity is a major issue. Additionally, biochemical monitoring is needed (namely lipids and liver enzymes). Although there are some recent publications warranting a less cautious approach and less frequent assessment, [4] still this medication must be given and monitored by dermatologists. Several other issues such as the optimum dosage, length of therapy, laser treatment with the use of isotretinoin are still debatable. A previous questionnaire study to practicing dermatologists in USA showed variation in the prescription pattern. [5] In this study, the attitude of dermatologists in western area of Saudi Arabia toward isotretinoin and their practice are being studied. METHODS__________________________ Access this article online Website: www.iabcr.org Quick Response code DOI: 10.21276/iabcr.2017.3.3.4 How to cite this article: Kokandi AA. Trends and Opinion of Isotretinoin use for Acne Treatment by Dermatologists in Western Area of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey. Int Arch BioMed Clin Res. 2017;3(3):10-15.DOI:10.21276/iabcr.2017.3.3.4 Source of Support: Nil, Conflict of Interest: None