THE ACNE SCOREBOARD

How many "zit" creams don't cure but are actually acneigenic? How many promising acne preparations have been rejected because of inability to evaluate accurately their therapeutic potential? How many times has a patient insisted that his acne was worse when simply counting his lesions would have revealed a decrease in the number on that visit? How then should the bane of adolescence be evaluated? Many decades ago, clinicians were satisfied to glance at the patient's face and assure him that his face was on the mend. Neither the patient nor the observer really knew the state of the disease, by the testimonial approach, but then, no really therapeutically useful medicaments were available for treating acne.' As superficial radiation and antibacterials appeared at the therapeutic arena, the dermatologist needed a better method for measuring response.2