Abstract
Oral isotretinoin, or 13-cis retinoic acid, has been the gold-standard therapy for acne during the last 30 years. It possesses many properties and may influence skin cellular process by modifying gene expression. Oral isotretinoin represents a great opportunity in the field of dermatology, although it is not bound by cytoplasmic retinoic acid binding proteins and has a weak affinity for retinoid nuclear receptors. Teratogenicity is its main limitation. Despite its common side effects, many off-label uses have been reported. The most promising off-label indications are: seborrhea, seborrheic dermatitis, severe rosacea, non-melanoma skin cancer chemoprevention for at-risk patients, and advanced photoaging with multiple actinic keratoses.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
Ediléia Bagatin has acted as a speaker and consultant to Roche, Roc, Galderma, Stiefel and Intendis, and as an investigator for Allergan, Lanzhou, Ibsen and Merz/Biolab. The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
Reviewers writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.