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 21, 2017
Clindamycin & BP.
26 year old female. I have been using this lotion along with the BP from the Acne.org Regimen for a little over a week. **My derm. suggested that I use both products together, equal parts so the skin doesn't get used to the Clindamycin. She explained that over time the skin can get used to the lotion and it won't be as effective. I also found that since I was already used to using the BP every morning, addition the Clindamycin wasn't as harsh as other people have mentioned. I was also prescribed Doxycycline 100mg to take twice a day. I was on Accutane for 9 months 9 years ago which proved AMAZING results. Naturally, my acne came back and it was horrible. I started on the Regimen and was following the instructions to a tea which helped control my acne 80%. I also realized that my diet had a HUGE impact on my cystic acne. I went back to the dermatologist two weeks ago because my acne was so bad I wouldn't rest my face on the pillow because the pimples would pop and it would HURT. My regimen now is as follows: wash with the cleanser from the regimen, apply equal amounts on the BP and the Clindamycin (twice a day), moisturize with Cetaphil (for acne prone skin and SPF30). At night I moisturize with the lotion from "THE REGIMEN". So far, I have had no issues with this regimen and actually my acne is way better to the point that I can rest my face down without it hurting and it's only been 1.5 weeks. I will come back and give an update after a month.
June 3, 2016
Still new but not feeling it
My doctor prescribed this to me to use in the morning for my bacne. At the time my back was doing ok. It's only been three days and my back has honestly gotten worse. I'm supposed to use this in conjunction with Minocycline and a benzoyl peroxide wash and that I should give it at least 8 weeks to see results. I'm really hoping that this is a "its gonna get worse before it gets better" situation cause cystic pimples along the bra strap during summer are the biggest pain. Literally. :/
April 30, 2016
Good but not great
Was on it for 9 months along with doxycycline and had somewhat clear skin for 4 months in-between.Works pretty well for cystic acne.
February 5, 2016
Its okay
I used this for a couple of months and it took forever to work and it made my skin extremely oily, even when I used moisturizer. I think its works but not for me, and didn't make a difference in the redness or swelling of my acne.
May 28, 2015
problem pimples only
works well but completely destroys the skin around the pimple, only use for on the problem pimple
July 10, 2015
Exactly, dark mark has now appeared of the exact same shape of how i applied my clindamycin and nicotinamide gel.
February 18, 2015
Eh its okay
Ive used this medication in the past with another medication called Retin-A. My doctor prescribed it to me and I used it in the morning. I got this medication in a lotion form so it moisturized my face for me. But my face looked so dang oily thats what i hated about using it. It did help fight the bacteria on my face. My acne got cleared within 2 weeks mainly because of the Retin-a. Ive tried using this medication by itself doesnt work for me.
November 30, 2014
Dries pimples a lot faster, however dries out skin
Used clindamycin solution for about 2 weeks. I noticed that it dries out active pimples a lot faster than if you were to leave them alone, but it also makes your skin really dry because of the alcohol content.
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.
January 29, 2014
Decent
Cons:
Initially drying
Makes pimples last longer
This is very drying the first month or so if you haven't used any sort of topical cream or BP product. My acne hasn't improved completely but I've only been on it a little over a month. I'd say it's 40% improved. I did experience an initial breakout. Pretty embarrassing but what can you do. I've noticed it isn't great on active acne..it seems to make pimples last longer for some reason. Most of my pimples eventually come to a head but the past month, most of them don't. It's like painful for 2 days and I keep expecting it to come to a head so I can pop it but it just slowly shrinks..it seems to take a week or more to go away. So I've been trying to only put it on areas I'm not currently breaking out.
September 27, 2013
Definatly worth it
Pros:
Works very quickly
Reduces size and reddness
No stinging
Cons:
Dry sour skin some
Needs exfoliating
Gets worse before it gets better
I started using it because I had not severe acne, but a lot of it. Unlike what is recommended I have dry skin so it was a little harder to stay hydrated. But it defiantly started to reduce redness, size, and the amount VERY quickly. It was strafe because I was used to feeling stinging or burning and it almost felt strange for it to work so well and not burn! One thing I didn't like was it did get worse before it got better, and I had to do a lot of exfoliating to remove dead skin. But u might not have that who knows:)
Pros:
Works eventually
Easy application