Overview of Dapsone User Reviews

This section contains all of the individual user reviews and antibiotic susceptibilty rankings for DAPSONE (Aczone).

If you have used Dapsone as a treatment for acne vulgaris, please share your experience and opinions.

Type of Treatment: Rx Medication – Antibiotic (Oral) - Sulfonamide Family

How It Works: Dapsone is an antibiotic. Antibiotics can improve acne symptoms by limiting the growth of bacteria that contribute to Acne Vulgaris.

When is this medication used? Dapsone is rarely used as a treatment for acne.  Dapsone is generally combined with additional medications for the treatment of moderate to severe acne vulgaris (Acne Types: 3-4).  Dapsone is almost never used alone as a monotherapy.

Frequency of Dapsone Resistant P. acnes Bacteria: Rare. (What does this mean?)

Official Name: Dapsone
Popular Brand Names: Aczone.
Related Medications: Co-trimoxazole, sulfamethoxazole, sulfacetamide, sulfadiazine, mafenide.

Important Note: The information provided on this site is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any diseases. The Science of Acne strongly encourages you to consult a qualified medical professional before making any treatment decisions. For the complete disclaimer, click here.

Overall (Composite) Ranking for Dapsone

The COMPOSITE ranking is calculated from a combination of all of the individual rankings for this medication (EFFECTIVENESS, ADVERSE EFFECTS and ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY).

This ranking is scored on a scale of 1 (WORST) to 5 (BEST).

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Effectiveness Ranking for Dapsone

Dapsone is a medication that is occasionally used to treat acne vulgaris.  It was a popular treatment for moderate to severe acne (Acne Types: 3-4) before the development of oral isotretinoin therapy.  A topical version of dapsone (Aczone) was recently introduced to the market, and it appears to be a fairly effective anti-acne treatment.

Dapsone appears to be moderately effective for treating acne vulgaris.  Topical dapsone is commonly is combined with a complimentary treatment.

The EFFECTIVENESS ranking is based on patient reports of how effective this medication was at improving their acne symptoms.

This ranking is scored on a scale of 1 (NOT EFFECTIVE) to 5 (VERY EFFECTIVE).

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Adverse Effects Ranking for Dapsone

The ADVERSE EFFECTS ranking is based on patient reports about the adverse effects and side effects that they experienced with this medication.

This ranking is scored on a scale of 1 (NO SIDE EFFECTS) to 5 (SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS).

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Antibiotic Susceptibility Ranking for Dapsone

The ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY ranking is based on scientific research reports about the antibiotic sensitivity of Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), which is a bacterium that is a primary cause of acne symptoms. Our antibiotic susceptibility data is generated from the combined results of over 50 independent scientific studies. For more information about which antibiotics are most effective against P. acnes bacteria, visit the Antibiotic Susceptibility of Propionibacterium acnes page.

Frequency of Dapsone Resistant P. acnes Bacteria: Rare. (What does this mean?)

This ranking is scored on a scale of 1 (NOT SUSCEPTIBLE) to 5 (VERY SUSCEPTIBLE).

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User Recommendations for Dapsone

The USER RECOMMENDATIONS chart indicates how many reviewers recommended this medication as a treatment for Acne Vulgaris. These recommendations are only from The Science of Acne users. For additional reviews of this medication from outside sources, refer to the section below.

There are four options available for this ranking:

YES (definitely recommended)
MAYBE (conditionally recommended)
NO (not recommended)
DON’T KNOW (no opinion)

Outside Reviews of Dapsone

The following is a list of links to pages that review or discuss the use of this medication. Note: Some of these reviews are not specific to the use of this medication in the treatment of Acne Vulgaris.

Additional Patient Reviews of Dapsone: Acne.org, WebMD, Drugs.com, DailyStrength.org, RXList.com, RateADrug.com.

Dapsone Background

Dapsone (Aczone) is a medication that was the primary treatment for severe acne vulgaris before the development of isotretinoin.  Currently, dapsone is commonly used in the multi-drug treatment of inflammatory skin conditions, such as Leprosy (a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae bacteria).

Dapsone is available in both oral forms and as a topical cream.  Dapsone belongs to a class of drugs known as sulfones and has a similar mechanism of action as other sulfa drugs (eg. co-trimoxazole).  Dapsone kills bacteria by inhibiting the bacteria’s ability to synthesize folic acid, and B-vitamin that is an essential nutrient.

Dapsone is also a potent anti-inflammatory agent that inhibits the activation of white blood cells called neutrophils.  Dapsone prevents the formation of the reactive oxygen molecules (free radicals) that are produced by neutrophils and released into the site of infection.  It does this by inhibiting an enzyme called myeloperoxidase, which is essential to the production of these free radicals.

Recently dapsone has become more popular because of the decreasing effectiveness of traditional oral antibiotics in the treatment of acne and the unwillingness of patients and doctors to consider isotretinoin therapy.

Additional Names for Dapsone: Avlosulfon, DADPS, Dapsoderm, Dapson, Dapsona, Dapsonum, DDS, Diaminodiphenylsulfone, Diphenason, Diaphenylsulfon, Diaphénylsulfone, Lectisol, Protogen and Sulfona.

Important Note: The information provided on this site is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any diseases. The Science of Acne strongly encourages you to consult a qualified medical professional before making any treatment decisions. For the complete disclaimer, click here.

Cost and Availability of Dapsone

If possible, dapsone should be obtained through consultation of a qualified medical professional.  Many doctors and dermatoloigsts are are not familiar with this medication.  As a result, it is not commonly used for the treatment of acne, although that may be changing.  Dapsone tends to be moderately expensive when compared to other commonly used antibiotics. Oral dapsone is available in both brand name and generic forms.  Topical dapsone is currently available in brand name formulation only.  Because there is no generic form of topical dapsone available, the cost of this medication tends to be much higher than other topical antibiotics.

Important Note: The information provided above is not intended as a recommendation or endorsement. The Science of Acne encourages you to adhere to all applicable legal regulations in your jurisdiction. Before ordering pharmaceutical medications online, please read our overview: A Guide to Buying Prescription Medications on the Internet.

Related Articles from The Science of Acne

In Depth: Dapsone (Aczone) and Acne
Overview: Avoiding Negative Drug Interactions
A Guide to Buying Prescription Medications on the Internet
Overview: Prescription Medications Used in Acne Treatment
In Depth: Antibiotic Susceptibility of Propionibacterium acnes

References and Sources

Books

PDR Staff Writers. 2011. 2011 Physicians’ Desk Reference
Gallagher. 2011. Antibiotics Simplified, Second Edition
Habif. 2009. Clinical Dermatology
Goodheart. 2006. Acne For Dummies
Bartlett. 2012. Johns Hopkins Antibiotics Guide 2012 (Johns Hopkins Medicine)

Online Resources

Dapsone @ PubMed Health – The National Institute of Health (US) offers basic comprehensive information about most common medications.
Dapsone @ Wikipedia – Wikipedia is an excellent resource for learning about how medications work.
Dapsone Physician’s Insert- The physician’s insert for a medication contains nearly all of the relevant information, including indications, dosage information and background data.

Scientific Research Articles

Draelos, et al. 2007. Two randomized studies demonstrate the efficacy and safety of dapsone gel, 5% for the treatment of acne vulgaris.
Lucky, et al. 2007. Dapsone gel 5% for the treatment of acne vulgaris : Safety and efficacy of long-term (1 year) treatment.
Prendiville, et al. 2006. A comparison of dapsone with 13-cis retinoic acid in the treatment of nodular cystic acne.
Ross, et al. 1961. The Treatment of Acne Vulgaris with Dapsone.
Thiboutot, et al. 2007. Pharmacokinetics of Dapsone Gel, 5% for the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris.
Raimer, et al. 2008. Efficacy and Safety of Dapsone Gel 5% for the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris in Adolescents.
Stotland, et al. 2009. Dapsone 5% Gel: A Review of its Efficacy and Safety in the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris.
Scheinfeld, et al. 2009. Aczone, a topical gel formulation of the antibacterial, anti-inflammatory dapsone for the treatment of acne.
Fleischer, et al. 2010. Dapsone gel 5% in combination with adapalene gel 0.1%, benzoyl peroxide gel 4% or moisturizer for the treatment of acne vulgaris: a 12-week, randomized, double-blind study.
Mendiratta, et al. 2006. Successful management of acne fulminans with combination of minocycline and dapsone.
Agrawal, et al. 2005. Dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome : A clinico-epidemiological review.
Leyden, et al. 2009. Clinical Considerations in the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris and Other Inflammatory Skin Disorders: a Status Report.