Acne.org Products
Hi all, My derm prescribed me: AM: Clindamycin gel and 2.5% BP, PM: Clindamycin gel and Tretinoin, and Minocycline 2x a day. I have moderate acne (nowhere near severe)
I'm very hesitant to take the antibiotics, and wouldn't I be fine without using them? I'm scared of all the side effects, and I keep hearing that acne will just come back after discontinuing the antibiotics.
Do people generally have success without the use of antibiotics, while using topicals?
Also, I'm worried using all these aggressive products at once will just mess up my face in the long run. Do dermatologists usually prescribe these many topicals at once?
Hi Trufflebubbles,
The American Academy of Dermatologists has just released new guidelines that state that concomitant oral and topical therapies are favoured. Read for yourself at https://www.aad.org/media/news-releases/acne-guidelines
So your derm is pretty much up to date with what is being recommended. People get results from using topicals only so you could try that but you would likely see better results using both the topicals and antibiotic. Best to discuss your concerns with your derm when you next can speak.
You're welcome andIt's OK to be cautious! The listed side effects can be scary reading but know that most of them are very rare occurrences and they are being super cautious about how the medicine is represented by putting them all down for people to read. Best wishes for your second opinion derm and whatever treatment you choose to pursue 🙂