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Acne Treatment Articles

In-depth reviews of the treatments people actually weigh up — isotretinoin, the pill, spironolactone, benzoyl peroxide and diet — covering what they do, what they cost you in side effects, and every claim traced to the study it came from.

Articles

Cited sources

Prescription medication11 min read · 12 sources

Isotretinoin for Acne: How It Works, and What It Costs You

Isotretinoin clears acne that nothing else clears. It is also the only acne drug with a pregnancy prevention programme attached to it. Here is what the published evidence says about both halves of that sentence.

Hormonal treatment11 min read · 7 sources

Birth Control Pills for Acne: What Works, and What It Costs

Combined oral contraceptives are among the best-evidenced acne treatments there are. They also carry a set of risks that vary enormously depending on which progestin is in the packet — which is the part most articles skip.

Hormonal treatment10 min read · 8 sources

Spironolactone for Acne: The Evidence Finally Caught Up

For three decades spironolactone was the acne drug dermatologists swore by and could not point to a trial for. The SAFA trial changed that in 2023 — and its most useful finding is about timing, not effectiveness.

Over the counter10 min read · 6 sources

Benzoyl Peroxide vs Antibiotics: Why the Cheap One Usually Wins

In a randomised trial, a supermarket-priced gel performed as well as two oral antibiotics for mild to moderate acne. Twenty years later most people still get the antibiotic first — and the resistance bill for that is now measurable.

Diet & lifestyle10 min read · 7 sources

Diet and Acne: What the Evidence Supports, and What It Doesn't

For decades dermatology said diet had nothing to do with acne. That was wrong, but the correction has been oversold in the other direction. Here is what the actual studies found, and how much confidence each one earns.

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