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

    1.    Retinoids like Tretinoin,Adapalene ,Tazoretene
    2.    Antibiotics 
    3.    Benzoyl peroxide
    4.    Others like salicylic acid,azelic acid, niacinamide etc

Systemic Therapy
Moderate to severe acne not responding to topical therapy alone
1 Antibiotics like  erythromycin,tetracycline group 
2 Oral retinoids
3 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.