Suggest Treatment For Acne And Scars On Face

Brief Answer:
Oral antibiotics, topicals like clindamycin, nadifloxacin and adapalene gel

Detailed Answer:
Hello. Thank you for writing to us

I have gone through our query and I understand that your are concerned about acne and dark spots/ hyperpigmentation.

Acne is quite common at your age and I can understand the mental anxiety that accompanies acne.

You seem to have inflammatory acne i.e acne that is red and papular, pustular Or nodular. Though it is quite tempting to squeeze out acne contents, it is not at all advisable because squeezing might instead push an acne lesion deeper, make it more inflammatory and thus prolonging its course. Squeezing can also leave behind dark spots and permanent acne scaring.

If I was the treating doctor I would start you on an Oral antibiotic. One of the antiacne antibiotic e.g Doxycycline or Minocycline tablet, twice daily. Oral antibiotics are faster acting as compared to topical treatment alone and together with topical treatment takes good control of inflammatory acne. Oral antiacne antibiotics can be continued for 4-12 weeks depending on the severity of acne and response to treatment.

In addition, you may use one of the topical antiacne gel e.g clindamycin 1% gel Or nadifloxacin 1% gel Or benzoyl peroxide 2.5% gel as a spot treatment over active acne during day time, once or twice daily, after cleansing your skin.

At night, I usually suggest my patients of acne to use adapalene 0.1% gel over the whole of acne prone area. Adapalene is anti-inflammatory and comedolytic i.e it helps resolves existing acne as well as prevent new acne formation. On account of its comedolytic properties adapalene gel is also ideally suited for maintenance treatment in acne. Adapalene also helps lighten the spots left over by previous acne.

Wash your face no more than twice or thrice daily with a gentle cleanser e.g cetaphil cleansing lotion. Avoid soaps on face.

This is how I would broadly manage a patient of moderate grade of inflammatory acne.

If you can upload an Image of the severity of your acne condition I would be able to guide you better. You may upload an Image either at "Reports Section" Or You may also mail me an Image at YYYY@YYYY with the subject line of this mail as Attn:Dr. Kakkar.

Regards

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Brief Answer:
Only Adapalene is to be applied over the whole of Acne prone area at night

Detailed Answer:
Hi.

Adapalene 0.1% gel is to be applied at night over the whole of acne prone area whereas during day tome you may use either clindamycin 1% gel or nadifloxacin 1% gel Or benzoyl peroxide 2.5% gel only over active acne/ pimples

Regards

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Brief Answer:
A kojic acid cream would also help dark spots in addition to adapalene

Detailed Answer:
Hi.

Agreed.
For dark spots of acne I would like to add a skin lightening/ depigmenting agent i.e kojic acid 2% cream once daily at night. Since you would also be using adapalene at night, therefore you may apply kojic acid cream overnight after applying adapalene for 2-3 hours and then washing it off.
I advice you to also take proper antiacne treatment as suggested in my previous reply i.e Oral doxycycline Or Minocycline and topical antiacne preparations, because unless you do so, you will keep getting new acne lesions which will keep forming new spots.
Adapalene is primarily an antiacne topical preparation but it would also help lighten/ fade dark spots resulting from acne. In addition to adapalene, you would be using either clindamycin or nadifloxacin during day time only for active acne, not for dark spots.

Regards

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