Teledermatology vs. Face-to-Face Visits in the Follow-Up of Patients With Acne

Randomized Open-Label Trial Comparing Teledermatology vs. Face-to-Face Consultation in the Follow-Up of Patients With Mild-to-Moderate Acne

Acne vulgaris is a common cutaneous inflammatory condition of sebaceous follicles that can profoundly affect patients' quality of life, especially at a young age. In this context the use of teledermatology can potentially reduce the healthcare costs associated to traditional consultations as well as the costs related to travel and loss of school/working time for the patient, with a clear benefit for the whole community. Since 2016, the Department of Dermatology at Inselspital Hospital in Bern has a portal and a smartphone app for online advice service.

Hereby the investigators propose to explicitly investigate the efficacy of this system in reducing healthcare costs as compared to traditional face-to-face consultations, in a cohort of patients with mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Given written informed consent
• Mild-to-moderate acne as assessed by IGA scale
• Willingness and ability to adhere the study protocol

Exclusion Criteria:

• Need for systemic therapy for acne with Isotretinoin
• Inability to use the teledermatology system