Acne: typical pitfalls in treatment

How to compare the severity of acne with the adequacy of therapy

2022-01-06

Acne vulgaris is one of the most common diagnoses, the name of a skin disease that any ordinary person can recognize and from which about 80% of the population suffers (or has suffered) to one degree or another. However, this does not add clarity - rather, on the contrary.

Olena Moiseyeva, dermatovenerologist of the highest category, cosmetologist, chief physician of the aesthetic medicine clinic "Ankor" (Ukraine)

The fact that the problem is visible to the naked eye is both a plus and a minus. The plus is that you can see it in time and start treating it in time, the minus is that the obviousness of the problem creates the illusion of simplicity and ease of treatment, which is not the case at all.

As a result, I, as a cosmetologist, often face such polar situations as the lack of recognition of really effective ways to solve the problem, at the same time as a frivolous attitude towards serious treatment: "So what, it helped my girlfriend, and I'll drink the same...".

This all prompted me to summarize my experience and try to systematize the typical deviations in one direction or another regarding acne and its treatment.

So, let's start with the global.

Treatment with retinoids

All over the world (where evidence-based medicine prevails), retinoids, or active derivatives of vitamin A, are considered the gold standard for acne treatment. Depending on the severity and prevalence of the disease, they are prescribed locally (externally in the form of gels, topical retinoid creams) or systemically (in the form of tablets for internal administration). These are fairly well-studied remedies with certain limitations and possible side effects.

Full version of the access article in Ukrainian