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Referral to specialist care
Urgently refer people with acne fulminans on the same day to the on-call hospital dermatology team, to be assessed within 24 hours
Refer people to a consultant dermatologist-led team if any of the following apply:
Consider referring people to a consultant dermatologist-led team if they have:
Consider referring people to a consultant dermatologist-led team if their acne of any severity, or acne-related scarring, is causing or contributing to persistent psychological distress or a mental health disorder.
Consider referral to mental health services if a person with acne experiences significant psychological distress or a mental health disorder, including those with a current or past history of:
When considering referral, take into account the person's potential treatment options (for example, oral isotretinoin)
Consider condition-specific management or referral to a specialist (for example a reproductive endocrinologist), if a medical disorder or medication (including self-administered anabolic steroids) is likely to be contributing to a person's acne.
Treatment choices for mild to moderate and moderate to severe acne vulgaris
Acne severity | Treatment | Advantages | Disadvantages |
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Any severity | Fixed combination of topical adapalene with topical benzoyl peroxide, applied once daily in the evening |
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Any severity | Fixed combination of topical tretinoin with topical clindamycin, applied once daily in the evening |
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Fixed combination of topical benzoyl peroxide with topical clindamycin, applied once daily in the evening |
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Fixed combination of topical adapalene with topical benzoyl peroxide, applied once daily in the evening, plus either oral lymecycline or oral doxycycline taken once daily |
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Moderate to severe | Topical azelaic acid applied twice daily, plus either oral lymecycline or oral doxycycline taken once daily |
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Reference
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Acne vulgaris: management. Dec 2023 [internet publication]
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