A clinical perspective:

Acne Vulgaris is a common and chronic disorder of pilosebaceous unit.It affects around  85% of adolescents and adults.Based on the severity it can be graded from 1-4, GRADE 1 being comedones with occasional pustules and  grade 4 being cystic acne with wide spread scarring

Treatment options:

Topical therapy:

This is the first line of therapy in mild to moderate acne

• Retinoids like Tretinoin,Adapalene ,Tazoretene
• Antibiotics
• Benzoyl peroxide
• Others like salicylic acid,azelic acid, niacinamide etc

Systemic Therapy:

Moderate to severe acne not responding to topical therapy alone

• Antibiotics like  erythromycin,tetracycline group
• Oral retinoids
• Hormonal treatment may be needed in young girls with PCOS

Optical treatment:

• With lasers and light sources like green light reduces the sebaceous gland activity and P.acne concentration.

Others:

• Comedone extraction for comedonal acne
• Intra lesional steroid injection for cystic acne
• Chemical peels with hydroxy acids like glycolic acid and salicylic acid

Routine skin care:

• Patients with acne or acne prone skin should use mild foam face wash which helps to affectively cleanse the skin and remove surface dirt and debris
• Use a moisturiser with SPF 30 for skin barrier protection and repair .

Conclusion:

👉Usually a combination of topical and systemic therapy may be required. Main goal of acne treatment is to control and treat existing acne lesions and prevent scarring.