Acne.org Products
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
May 26, 2010
Product used: Evoclin (Clindamycin (1%) Foam)
Cons:
Not a miracle drug...like every other medication it takes time to see results.
I see a lot of folks complaining about symptoms that are totally avoidable. For instance, if it is drying cut down on usage. Use a light oil free moisturizer after you apply it. As with any antibiotics it is always best to take some sort of probiotic to protect your GI. See, the antibiotics kill good and bad bacteria in your gi....thus causing stomach problems like loose stools. If you take a probiotic it gives you back the good bactieria to protect against bad bacteria. I have very mild acne, with most of it being comedomes, my skin is 60% dry 40% oily. This does not dry my skin out and I use differin with it. I also ease into any new tx to give my skin time to adjust. Personally, I like this product. Will continue to use till my face decides other wise.
October 20, 2014
3/5
I have mild, inflamed acne between my eyebrows, which consist of three to four acne cysts. I use this with retin a, and antibiotics for my acne. The first week, all my cysts were completely gone and the bumpy complexion I had was now smooth. Your dermatologist would likely say you wouldn't see results immediately, but trust me, you really do. About 2 weeks in, the Retin A caused me to breakout, so I put some of this stuff on but all of a sudden it stopped working. Not sure why, but maybe now it will take time to see results. I'll update my situation in 3 weeks or so.
June 28, 2013
Semi useful for a short period of time.
Pros:
Clears somewhat
Cons:
Drying
Antibiotic resistance
Clears acne somewhat until your skin gets resistant to the antibiotic. Not a long term solution.. and not a product that you should use alone and expect to get completely clear.
February 16, 2013
Pros:
Instantly worked
Didn't dry my skin
Faded a lot of my acne scars
Inexpensive
Cons:
None so far!!!
I have mild acne just on my chin and forehead area and it's always been my main concern, expecsially my acne scars. So my doctor prescribed me this and it had no cost. After the first use you could see the difference. I usually have a problem with dry skin with EVERYTHING I use but this didn't seem to dry out my skin that bad. I would deffinetly recommend this
January 25, 2013
Pros:
The gel does not dry out skin.
Works amazingly well starting day 1.
Does not smell.
Cons:
Can be expensive.
I've been using this for about a week now, and it's already made huge improvements with my jaw/mouth/chin/nose acne. I wish I would have started using this years ago to prevent the scarring my acne caused. I have a prescription drug deductible before I can use my co-pay, so my first tube cost me $95. I'm super conservative when it comes to topicals so I've been using it once a day before bed. I am very anti-drug, especially when it comes to antibiotics, but the benefits are definitely worth it.
August 30, 2012
Pros:
-Not oily/greasy
-Reduces Swelling
-Mine has no scent
-Extremely fast acting
-Relatively cheap if you don't have insurance
Cons:
-Had a moderate flare up when I used a lotion with it
I've been dealing with moderate to severe acne since I was 13 (22 now). I've gone through every over the counter (Natural/Sialic Acid/Benzoyl Peroxide/ect.) and treatment plan (Proactiv/Skin ID) and nothing seemed to work. If fact, the expensive treatment plans made my face WORSE over time. Finally last week I was fed up and went to see a dermatologist. She prescribed me Clindamycin Phosphate Gel 1%, Tretin-X and Minocycline. So far I've only been able to get the Clindamycin, I'm waiting on the others. But as of a 6 day regiment of Oxy 10% Benzoyl Peroxide wash, waiting 15 mins, and a thin application of Clindamycin morning and night, I've noticed a HUGE difference. Even on day one I noticed the swelling was down of all the acne on my face within 30 mins. As I said, I've only been on this regiment for 6 days and my acne isn't completely gone, but it's far less sever, and I've got a lot more treatment ahead. The only negative side effect I noticed was on day four I used a small amount of Aveeno Ultra-Calming Moisturizer and I had a mild flare up. It was gone by the morning though and unnoticeable after my morning wash. All-in-all I'd recommend anyone to ask their derm for this product. It's super effective and fast acting. The only thing I can argue is I have read about some people saying they used this treatment for a year+ and I can say, without a doubt, that's a bad idea. This product is a topical antibiotic and is not intended for prolonged use. So make sure you have a good treatment plan lined up with your derm to effectively fight off acne.
July 25, 2012
Pros:
gets rid of acne
makes large lesions smaller within a day
works really well!
Cons:
strong smell (like alcohol)
may sting
I've been using this along with retin-a and i feel that it works great, i could do without the strong alcohol smell but once you get past that it works magic!
July 18, 2012
Pros:
Keeps cysts and pimples from forming
kills bacteria on skin
tightens pores
If using it in the topical solution form you can put it on under your makeup after you let it dry.
Cons:
If also tryed the lotion form that didn't seem to work for me as well. It has a creamy texture. I prefer the alcohol based solution.
It has a mediciney type of smell, but having no eruptions makes that downside minimal.
I've been using this product since my teens and now I'm my early 40's. It's the only thing that has worked for me. I had moderate acne in my teens: I.e. pustles, pimples and cysts. When I stopped using this product, the pimples and cysts would reappear doing my menstrual cycle. When restarting use of this product those problems were kept at bay.
April 13, 2012
Pros:
Gets rid of acne
Non-irritating
I originally took clindamycin as a pill but switched over to a topical product after it gave me severe nausea. I had taken it for about a month before I stopped, and by then my acne was pretty moderate. Mine is not a gel, its more of a sponge-liquid type, and I use it whenever I get a mild breakout. It works great to get the acne gone without irritating my sensitive skin. I'd probably try the pill first - you probably wont get a nauseated as I did, but it sure does clear up your acne real fast. However you take this product, its great
January 26, 2009
Pros:
Oil-free, matte finish, rosy cheeks after application
Cons:
You need patience with this product to see dramatic results
My dermatologist prescribed me Clindamycin Phosphate topical lotion (1%) after I complained about whiteheads/pimples around my mouth/chin area. I've been using this for about a month now, and I must say that I haven't had a single breakout since (knock on wood) :) The only slight problem is that I have some minimal scarring from past pimples and some red spots, but with time, I hope this lotion will do its job! I am very satisfied and love the fact that I use it twice a day without any drying! I apply it in the morning under my sunscreen, and it's not oily at all!
Pros:
Very light texture, does not leave a film on your face. Not too drying, very cheap if you have insurance and get generic. Works slowly but effectively.