How to manage acne in a 14-year-old girl?

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Thank you for your query.

I have seen your query and I can understand your concern. I examined the picture (attachments removed to protect the patient’s identity) that you had shared. Acne vulgaris is a common skin problem in adolescents and in adulthood it involves pilosebaceous follicles or oil glands and is therefore seen to involve areas where oil glands are dense like the face, chest, back, and upper arms which are the common sites of involvement and this acne can persist up to 25-28 years of age.

I suggest she follows the below-mentioned steps:

1. She has to follow certain dietary restrictions like not eating oily, spicy foods, junk foods, milk products, and nonvegetarian foods and she must drink lots of water which will keep her skin hydrated.

2. She should start taking the tablet Azithromycin 500 mg once daily for three consecutive days in a week for three weeks. Along with this, I suggest she take a capsule of Isotretinoin 20 mg once daily and apply Benzoyl peroxide 2.5 % gel on the pimples twice daily for six weeks.

3. Before starting with the oral medication, kindly get the tests done such as liver function tests and lipid profile. If these are normal, then she can start with capsule Isotretinoin after consulting your general physician or nearby dermatologist because Isotretinoin requires regular follow-up and it is a teratogenic drug. Please revert after six weeks as acne is a chronic disease and will take time to resolve.

4. Use Niacinamide (Face care) face wash twice daily.

I hope my advice will be helpful. Feel free to ask if you have any further queries.

Thank you.