Abstract:Objective To explore the efficacy, safety, and impact on negative emotions of different doses of isotretinoin combined with supramolecular salicylic acid in the treatment of moderate to severe acne.Methods A total of 93 patients with moderate to severe acne who were treated at the Dermatology Departments of Wuxi Fifth Hospital Affiliated to Jiangnan University and Wuxi Rehabilitation Hospital from August 2019 to August 2023 were selected. Patients were randomly assigned to three groups: the control group, the combined A group, and the combined B group, with 31 patients in each group. The control group received 30% supramolecular salicylic acid treatment only. The combined A group received 0.2 mg/(kg·d) of low-dose isotretinoin in addition to the control treatment. The combined B group received 0.5 mg/(kg·d) of standard-dose isotretinoin in addition to the control treatment. All treatments lasted 8 weeks. Clinical efficacy, number of skin lesions before and after treatment at 1, 4, and 8 weeks, skin physiological indicators before and after treatment using the VISIA digital skin analyzer, and psychological status using the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were compared among the three groups. Adverse reactions were also recorded.Results Significant differences were observed in the number of skin lesions at different time points (F = 2,539.401, P = 0.000). The number of lesions in the combined A and B groups was significantly lower than in the control group (F = 50.171, P = 0.000). There were also significant differences in the trend of changes in lesion numbers among the groups (F = 4.986, P = 0.000). The total effective rate was higher in the combined A and B groups compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The combined A and B groups showed greater improvements in skin physiological indicators (redness, pigmentation, spots, pores, texture) compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The combined A group had better psychological status scores (GSES, positive and negative emotion scores) before and after treatment compared to the control and combined B groups (P < 0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions was lower in the combined A and control groups compared to the combined B group (P < 0.05).Conclusion Low-dose isotretinoin combined with supramolecular salicylic acid improves the treatment outcomes for moderate to severe acne and reduces negative emotions in patients.