treatment of acne depends on the stage and severity of the condition.
very good results can be obtained if you are under regular treatment- the duration of the treatment lasting from 6-9 months.
the problem of relapse occurs because most of the times either the medicines are not applied properly or not applied for the needed duration or the treatment is stopped midway or irregular.
topical retinoids application at night for six to nine months is needed for good results as that is the time needed for microcomedones population to reduce to low level

please visit the nearest dermat who will decide the stage and chalk out a management plan for you.
also one thing you need to strictly follow is that you need to continue the medicines for atleast 6-9 months if you want to get rid of acne for quite a long long duration.

regards
Dr amit

hello,hope you have not been picking up on any of the lesions as that will lead to deep scars and pigmentation.you need to follow a routine of cleansing, sunscreen , creams daily.cleanse your face with cetaphil cleansing lotion for acne prone skin thrice daily.sunscreen needs to be used daily , neutrogena would be a good choice.only if you have active lesions, then you need to apply these creams :-clindamycin gel on the active acne lesions in the morning and Retin A 0.025% cream at night on the entire face.Retin A needs to be applied only at night, start with coming it for 2 hours and then gradually increase the time interval to keep it overnight.now coming to the scarring:- your skin is scarring because that is the natural history of how acne progresses and then resolves.this is how it resolves.you need not worry as there is treatment for it. but if you stop applying the creams on active lesions, they will leave behind deeper scars.you can do either of these procedures.this will ensure treatment of the scars permanently.1. subcision is a method used to treat deep rolling scars left behind by acne.the process involves separating the skin tissue in the affected area from the deeper scar tissue. This allows the blood to pool under the affected area, eventually causing the deep rolling scar to level off with the rest of the skin area.its done with the help of special needles inserted in the skin under topical or local anaesthesia.2. DERMAROLLER is used for treating Acne Scars, its an instrument with small sharp microneedles which act on acne scars.if your dermatologist does these procedures, he can do them for you.they cause transient redness for a day and then you can go back to work, you could get it done on the weekend. its an office procedure which takes around 30 minutes.3. pixel laser which will clear the scars in 4-6 sittings. done with the help of a laser machine.it will take a while but surely everything will clear up.