ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Dermatology
The Effect of Broccoli Stem Extract Cream (Brassica oleracea L.) on Macular Scars Post-Acne
Provisionally accepted
- 1Rumah Sakit Prof Dr Chairuddin P Lubis Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia
- 2Universitas Sumatera Utara Program Studi Ilmu Kesehatan Kulit dan Kelamin, Medan, Indonesia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Introduction: Post-acne macular scars often cause skin discoloration, affecting appearance and self-confidence. To address this issue, various topical therapies have been developed. Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.) is widely cultivated in North Sumatra. Broccoli stem, typically discarded as a byproduct, represents a sustainable resource that can be repurposed for skincare applications. Broccoli stem extract contains bioactive constituents, including sulforaphane and flavonoids, which exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. These properties suggest its potential role in improving post-acne macular scars. Objectives: To analyse the effects of 6% broccoli stem extract cream (Brassica oleracea L.) on post-acne macular scars. Methods: This quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study included 30 male and female subjects aged ≥18 years with post-acne macular scars, selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Baseline data, melanin index, and erythema index were assessed before and after applying 6% broccoli stem extract cream for 8 weeks. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for data analysis, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Most subjects were women in the late adolescent age group (18–25 years). Statistically significant reductions (p<0.001) were observed in both the melanin index and erythema index after 8 weeks. Clinical improvement was evident, and no adverse effects were reported, highlighting the cream's safety for sensitive post-inflammatory skin. All subjects (100%) reported satisfaction with the cream. 2 Conclusion: The use of 6% broccoli stem extract cream effectively improved pigmentation and reduced melanin and erythema indices in post-acne macular scars. Its good tolerability and high patient satisfaction support its potential as a natural, safe alternative to conventional topical therapies.
Keywords: Macular scar, Acne Vulgaris, broccoli stem extract, Herbal Treatment, Brassica oleracea l.
Received: 06 Aug 2025; Accepted: 07 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Syahputri, Putra and Jusuf. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Imam Budi Putra, imam_65@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.