Acne

For mild to moderate acne, topical medications are often satisfactory for controlling acne. Please remember there is no “cure” for acne. A good skin care regimen is the foundation for clear skin. 

Dr. Lin developed an affordable line of skin care products specifically for his acne patients. Cleaning the skin with the Daily Foaming Cleanser is a great starting point. Adding the Acne Spot Treatment for patients with just occasional break outs is usually sufficient.

 For patients with moderate acne, adding the Acne Treatment Lotion once a day can often control the breakouts. Sometimes, adding prescription products like retinoids (adapalene, tretinoin, tazarotene), clindamycin, dapsone, and topical minocycline may be indicated.

For moderate to severe acne, oral antibiotics such as Doxycycline, Minocycline, Bactrim, or Cephalexin may be indicated. In women with hormonal acne, spironolactone may be helpful.

For severe or scarring acne, isotretinoin is the gold standard treatment. It is the only medication that can be close to “curative” for acne. About 70-90% of patients completing a 5-6 month course of isotretinoin don’t get significant acne afterwards

In addition to these medications, adjuvant in-office treatments can improve acne and acne scarring. Treatments like chemical peels and extractions can keep the skin exfoliated and unclogged. Microneedling, Intense Pulsed Light (IPL), fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) resurfacing, and plasma rich platelets (PRP) can improve the color and texture of the skin.

For severe acne scarring, procedures such as punch excision, subscission, fillers, sculptra, TCA cross, microneedling, Renuvion, and laser resurfacing can be highly effective.