Topical Antibiotic
Efficacy
55%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Note: Should never be used on its own and for a maximum of 3 months.
Topical Antibiotic
Acne.org’s Real World Take
One of the less effective treatments out there. It should never be used on its own or for longer than 3 months and may lead to resistant strains of bacteria. It may provide a slight improvement in mild acne in some people.
Topical Antibiotic
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this medication. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one.
Used Clindamycin? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
August 5, 2014
Made my acne the worst it has ever been
My dermatologist prescribed Clindamycin lotion for my upper back and shoulders to be applied twice daily. I continued this regimen for 3 weeks before giving up on it. Had it simply done nothing, I would have been patient and waited longer to see if there would be results. However, my initially mild acne became increasingly worse every.single.day. The acne increased in number of pustules, frequency with which new pustules emerged, and the location of the pustules. They are now covering my ENTIRE back and sides, my shoulders spreading to half of my upper arms, the front and back of my neck, and even a few on my stomach. They are small, and mostly on the surface, yet still painful because there are so many. Some are a bit bigger and deeper in the skin than what was usual for my acne. It has been five days since I stopped using the Clindamycin lotion. The acne, unfortunately, has not yet receded. I started using an over-the-counter lotion with salicylic acid, which I used to use regularly. I'm going to try shower gel with salicylic acid as well (another product I used to use regularly). I am hoping that the damage from this product can be undone. Although my experience with Clindamycin was awful, that is not to say that the product is awful. It will depend on your skin and your acne needs. However, it is helpful to know that this kind of negative effect CAN happen and if it happens to you, you might want to consider talking to your prescribing doctor about stopping the medication sooner rather than later.
August 17, 2013
didn't work at all
Cons:
expensive
not effective to everyone
slowly effective
i was using the liquid solution and applied it twice a day for more than a month along with erasul cleanser (sulfur soap). i would say i have just wasted my money with this product coz there was absolutely NO IMPROVEMENT AT ALL!!! true it is that you will need a lot of damn patience but man! its been hell of a month!!! my derm just told me to switch to erythromycin which i think is pretty much the same thing with it. so yeah overall it never cleared up my acne and it even made it worse. but it doesnt mean that it wont work for you just because it didnt work for my skin. just give it a try if by all means youre frustrated. the decision is yours after all.
September 23, 2012
Pros:
Light weight gel
Cons:
Alcohol smell
Slightly sticky
Made me break out worse
I have been using clindamycin gel for several weeks as prescribed by my doctor. She also prescribed tretinion 1%. . I used the clindamycin by itself for two weeks, as I was afraid the tretinion would make my acne worse at the onset and I had an important event to attend. So I decided to start the clindamycin by itself and then start the tretinion after my event. After two weeks of using ONLY clindamycin, my face has never looked worse. My face broke out worse than it ever has and I was very oily. I thought that using an antibiotic would clear my face, or at least do no harm but I was wrong. My acne is now inflamed, red, and sore. I will go back to my benzol peroxide treatment. Clindamycin did not work for me.
February 26, 2012
Pros:
none
Cons:
everthing
horrible produt
September 7, 2011
Pros:
nothing.
Cons:
made it SO much worse
My acne wasn't very bad. My doctor put me on this and my acne went horrific. It was the worst it's ever been. The doctor said it was because of this medicine. I now have old red marks all over the bottom half of my face because of it.
August 30, 2011
Product used: Evoclin (Clindamycin (1%) Foam)
Pros:
Acne didn't seem as bad as before when i first started using the product.
Foam absorbs fast.
Cons:
After the first use the product burned my skin. ALOT. You know that feeling when you accidentally scratch a sunburn? Well, applying Evoclin foam felt like doing that to your face, except 10x worse.
After two days of usage my skin became bright RED (hard to cover up with makeup) and riduculously, painfully, emberasingly DRY. My face is peeling.
I would much rather have a few zits than be a red peely ugly mess.
Soo not worth the pain & uncomfortableness. Makes your skin DRY and TIGHT. Way worse than having acne. Not for sensetive skin. I warn you; do not use this product!!!!
It will tear up and ruin your face!
June 3, 2011
Pros:
cant think of any
Cons:
wasted my time, left my acne
Im thirteen with baaaad acne (in my perspective). Ive tryed it all Proactive, Acne Free,Murad, Burts Bees, Mary Kay, Neutrogena, Akne-Mycin, Ziana, over-the counter-pills,Minocycline, even Penicillin.This did nothing for my face, just like the others....guess should just add this to the list.
May 23, 2011
Pros:
- was clearing up larger spots on back and fading smaller spots
Cons:
- induced severe diarrhea and some vomiting even with only prescribed dosage used (thin layer applied once per day)
I'm 15, had this prescribed by dermatologist (dalacin-t liquid solution) and used this product for 4 days and was seeing a pleasant improvement in my back acne. This morning I woke up with severe diarrhea and I vomited twice - induced by clindamycin. I guess it works for some people but be careful because the side effects aren't fun and I have to discontinue use of this product after only 4 days after spending 35$ on it :( Plus I feel like crap and it has ruined my long weekend in addition to the fact that I can't contact my doctor for 2 days due to the holiday. fml
May 6, 2011
Pros:
- None
Cons:
- Made acne slightly worse
- Made my face itch after applying
My doctor prescribed this to me before going to pill form antibiotics. Unfortunately, this didn't make my acne go away. I tried it alone, and tried it while using Benzoyl Peroxide, which is supposed to make it more effective. I'd say it increased my mild acne to moderate acne.
January 28, 2011
Pros:
Helped control breakouts
Cons:
I developed pseudo membraneous colitis
I used this product for about a year and ended up with pseudo membraneous colitis, which is a known side effect. In the end, I lost fifteen pounds in a matter of about two month and thought I was dying because I constantly felt ill. I went through a few doctors before the diagnosis was made and it was a generally horrid experience. After I stopped using it, all of the symptoms went away after a short period.
Pros:
gets rid of the itchiness
anti bacterial
easy to apply