What you need to know about treatment of acne?

Abstract

In clinical practice, many drugs are used to treat acne, which can have both positive and negative effects. The frequency of adverse reactions can be reduced through the rational and controlled use of drugs, which is impossible without proper training of medical staff and provision of sufficient information to them. Today, the safety of medicines is given much attention in many countries around the world, where various methods of monitoring congenital anomalies and adverse reactions in fetuses and newborns are developed and successfully applied in practice. Systemic isotretinoin occupies one of the leading positions in prescriptions to patients with acne and recurrent acne. Drugs that have long been used in medical practice (Roaccutane) are well studied and their effects are predictable. There are many myths about retinoids. It is known that no drug is 100% safe, so it should be prescribed only when the expected benefits outweigh the risks of its use. It is necessary to prescribe the combined oral contraceptive Belara (in the absence of contraindications specified in the instructions) during treatment with Roaccutane. This is justified and mandatory in accordance with the current guidelines of the European Medicines Agency (EMA, 2018). The combined oral contraceptive must be prescribed 5 weeks before the start of systemic isotretinoin therapy and continued for 5 weeks after the end of retinoid therapy, if no maintenance treatment is required.