From the Vault: Randomized trial finds repairing balm with panthenol and madecassoside performs equivalently to topical antibiotic ointment
We wanted to pull this article from the JDD Vault – it’s a must-read article for clinicians who treat actinic keratoses. In a multicenter, intra individual randomized controlled trial, 60 participants each had cryotherapy treated lesions on both arms and received either a topical antibiotic ointment or a nonprescription repairing balm containing panthenol, madecassoside, and metal salts. Physician assessments of erythema, oozing and crusting, time to lesion healing, and patient satisfaction showed no clinically meaningful differences between groups. By day 21 all participants reported lesion improvement and no product related adverse events were reported.
These results suggest a nonantibiotic repairing balm may offer an effective alternative to routine topical antibiotic prophylaxis after liquid nitrogen treatment of actinic keratoses.
Read the full JDD article for trial protocol, outcome measures, and product details to inform wound care choices in practice.
J Drugs Dermatol. 2025;24(5):507-515. doi:10.36849/JDD.8746R1
Blog write-up assisted by AI
