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Topicals: The Gold Standard

Good old benzoyl peroxide is still a cornerstone of acne treatment–it acts to directly kill P.acnes (the bacteria that causes acne). So are topical antibiotics, but Dr.Scheiger noted that erythromycin, an antibiotic once used freely both orally and topically for acne treatment, isn’t being used anymore because of bacterial resistance. His new fave is the combo benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin topical treatments (available by prescription only).

Benzoyl peroxide gets a bad rap sometimes because of its potential to dry out skin, but Dr.Schweiger says only about 5% of patients have issues. He recommends using a gentle moisturizer like Cetaphil or CeraVe before and after you apply your topical med to prevent overdrying.