South Korea: The study assessing the safety and efficacy of 0.5% silymarin-loaded antioxidant serum (SAS) for treating mild-to-moderate acne found that SAS improves the clinical severity of acne and related skin biophysical parameters. The findings appeared in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology on Oct 06, 2022.
Acne is a skin condition that plugs hair follicles with oil and dead skin cells. It causes blackheads, whiteheads, or pimples. Acne is most frequent among teenagers, though people of all ages may be affected by it. Although effective acne treatments are available, acne can be persistent. There is a slow healing process of bumps and pimples, and when one begins to vanish, the other comes up. Acne can cause emotional distress and scar the skin. The earlier the treatment is initiated, the lower the risk of such problems will be.

Silymarin is the milk thistle's active ingredient, which shows antioxidant properties by scavenging free radicals and has potential comedolytic properties. Jihee Kim, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues aimed to examine the safety and efficacy of 0.5% silymarin-loaded antioxidant serum used for treating mild-to-moderate acne.
For this purpose, the researchers conducted a prospective, open-label pilot study. 22 Korean acne patients who applied the 0.5% SAS on the whole face twice daily while continuing the current anti-acne medications were enrolled. The following parameters were assessed: individual lesion counts, grade of acne severity, skin erythema, sebum output levels, and melanin pigmentation.
The study led to the following findings:
After a 4-week application, the modified Global Acne Grading Score (mGAGS), Global Evaluation Acne (GEA) scale, and the acne lesion counts were significantly decreased.
Sebum secretion, erythema, and skin pigmentation were also reduced during the study period, yet only the melanin pigmentation index reached statistical significance.
Subgroup analysis showed that the patients who took the low-dose oral isotretinoin during the study period showed more noticeable improvements in skin sebum output and melanin pigmentation.
No adverse event was associated with using the 0.5% SAS.
"The 0.5% silymarin-containing antioxidant formulation improved clinical severity of acne and related skin biophysical parameters," the researchers wrote in their study.
About Silymarin
Silymarin belongs to a medication class called hepatoprotective medicines, implying that they protect the liver. They are obtained from milk thistle seeds (Silybum marianum) and are used to treat chronic (long-standing) liver diseases. Silymarin accelerates the clearance of alcohol from the blood and, therefore, helps treat fatty liver due to alcoholism.
Reference:
Kim J, Lee YN, Lee J, Lee SG, Kim H, Choi YS, Draelos ZD, Kim J. The efficacy and safety of silymarin containing antioxidant serum as an adjuvant treatment of mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris: A prospective, open-label pilot study. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2022 Oct 06. doi: 10.1111/jocd.15439. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36204969.