Leading Dermatologists Review Prescription Acne Medications

Leading dermatologists review the use of prescription acne medications for the treatment of acne.

Topical retinoids, such as Differin™, Epiduo ™, Retin A Micro™, Tazorac ™, and tretinoin, are effective for the treatment of both comedonal acne and inflammatory acne. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) published Acne Management Guidelines in 2007 that stated, "topical retinoids are important in acne treatment".

"Most patients with acne will benefit from a topical retinoid. It is one of the few medications we prescribe topically that helps to prevent new pimples from forming”, said Jeffrey Ellis M.D, a dermatologist in private practice in Plainview New York. "Retinoids do not help patients overnight, but in the long run they can make acne much better. It is important for patients to continue using the medication -- even if they don't think it is helping.” he added.

Marta Rendon, M.D., a dermatologist in private practice in Boca Raton, Florida, stated, “retinoids play a crucial role in the management of acne”. "If a patient has comedonal acne alone, we will prescribe a topical retinoid as the main therapy and maybe add benzoyl peroxide. If a patient has inflammatory acne (with redness and pustules), we still start with a retinoid and add either a topical or oral antibiotic as needed.”

The clinical perspective of these leading dermatologists and other skin care experts are made available through Vivacare’s From Your Doctor patient education service. Vivacare publishes the expert opinion of practicing dermatologists to provide patients with practical and trusted health information.

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Vivacare is a patient education company based in Berkeley, California that supports the physician-patient relationship by helping medical professionals share practical health information with their patients, leading to improved clinical care and patient satisfaction. Over 2,000 dermatologists use Vivacare to deliver health information regarding acne and other skin conditions to their patients.