Hello. Thank you for writing to us at healthcaremagic.
You have a dual concern of acne and pigmentation/scaring.
Oily skin and acne are related. Oily skin is due to overactive and bigger sebaceous glands.
Oily skin or seborrhea is because of hyperactive sebaceous glands and in those who have it the problem is particularly more on the central T-zone area which has the highest concentration of oil glands.
If I was the treating doctor I would suggest you to take a low dose of an Oral retinoid e.g
Isotretinoin, once daily for a month or so.
Isotretinoin is sebostatic i.e reduces sebum secretion. It reduces the size of sebaceous glands by almost 90% in a month and is very effective in oily sin conditions.
For oily skin, you may also use a
salicylic acid based face wash. Salicylic acid removes excess oil and also inhibits sebum production.
Acne is frequently complicated by pigmentation also known as post-Inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH)/ acne scaring.
Pigmentation (PIH) is more common in skin of color and is nothing but a non-specific reaction to any inflammatory insult of skin, inflammatory acne being one of the cause.
For acne, I would suggest a combination of oral and topical antiacne treatment.
Oral antibiotics like doxycycline, minocycline and azithromycin are useful for treatment of inflammatory acne lesions i.e acne that is red, painful and pustular.
Topical antiacne treatment is part of the overall treatment of acne and includes either
benzoyl peroxide gel Or clindamycin gel for day time application and either topical adapalene gel or azaleic acid for night time application.
Adapalene as well as Azaleic acid belong to a class of topical retinoids and are an essential part in the treatment of acne.
Since your concern is pigmentation apart from acne, therefore, I would prefer azaleic acid instead of adapalene at night. Azaleic acid is comedolytic, antiinflammatory as well as lightens
post acne hyperpigmentation resulting from acne.
Rather than trying OTC products I suggest you to visit a
dermatologist in your region for a complete assessment of the severity of your skin problems and appropriate treatment.
You may also opt for a few sessions of chemical peeling from your treating dermatologist.
Salicylic acid peel is quite good for acne as well as oily skin whereas
glycolic acid peel works well for pigmentation/ marks.
Regards