At the first product theater at the 16th Annual Fall Dermatology Conference, Risha Bellomo, PA-C, MPAS shared her knowledge and experience in the treatment of patients with acne vulgaris. She highlighted that acne remains under treated and can cause significant physical and psychological morbidity.
Risha discussed that there is a higher proportion of acne vulgaris in females than males and that it can affect both adolescent and adult women. In fact, in the adult female, acne can have a negative psychological, social and emotional impact on their lives.
Ms. Bellomo presented Altreno Lotion as the first and only tretinoin acne treatment in a moisturizing lotion. She reminded the audience that tretinoin is a vitamin A metabolite that regulates epithelial cell growth and differentiation by binding to and activating nuclear retinoic acid receptors.
The lotion formulation goals are to minimize irritation, moisturize and hydrate and maximize efficacy. In addition, it was shown that Altreno Lotion showed significantly greater improvement in acne quality of life domains (i.e. self-perception, emotional well-being, social roll, and acne symptoms).
Ms. Bellomo discussed a unique prescribing model for Altreno Lotion – cash pay. The main reasons for utilizing this model is to avoid insurance claims, no need for prior authorizations, no call backs to your office, predictable price for patients, and patients can get the medication at the pharmacy or mailed to their home.
One final clinical pearl to consider when prescribing Altreno Lotion is that it contains fish proteins. This means patients who are allergic to fish may develop hives or itching if they use the product.