Treatment of acne vulgaris by biofeedback relaxation and cognitive imagery.

A multielement intervention involving biofeedback-assisted relaxation and cognitive imagery treatment of acne vulgaris was investigated in this study with 30 patients receiving medical dermatological treatment. Patients were matched on age, sex, and pre-treatment acne severity and randomly assigned to groups. Treatment consisted of 12 sessions over six weeks and resulted in a significant reduction in acne severity as compared to the attention-comparison and medical control groups. Treatment group patients continuing home practice until follow-up maintained their gains, whereas those who discontinued failed to maintain gains.