How to remove acne and acne spots?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have a heavy acne problem all of a sudden. I have been following a face wash routine with Cetaphil and then keep washing my face with water and applying sunscreen. Then in the evening, I wash my face with water and apply aloe vera, and at night I wash my face and apply benzoyl peroxide spot treatment and retinol. I want to include AHA (alpha-hydroxy acids), BHA (beta-hydroxy acid), and vitamin C in my skin routine. Please suggest a method to remove the spot and acne.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Acne in women can occur due to underlying hormonal imbalances. I always rule out the hormonal imbalance in female patients with acne as most doctors treat acne and do not address the underlying issue, which is why acne keeps recurring. So do you get your periods regularly? Are you gaining weight recently? Do you have thyroid disease or does anyone in the family have it?

Now acne may occur without underlying cause also. So if you have painful pimples, I would like to start you on a short course of antiacne antibiotics to control this initial flare and prevent scarring, and then oral and topical medications to keep acne under control and prevent a recurrence. Now Cetaphil (a gentle cleanser) is good for the skin, and you can continue with that, or I can suggest a different facewash if your skin is oily. You can use D' Acne face wash as it is a salicylic and glycolic acid-based face wash. For black spots, also we need to start treatment. Please share a photo of the face so I can better assess the grade of acne and pigmentation and suggest appropriate treatment.

I hope this helps you.

Thank you.