Clinician reference tool — not medical advice. This is a clinical decision-aid intended for healthcare professionals: it gives deterministic suggestions to think with, not a diagnosis or a prescription. If you’re a patient, you’re welcome to look around — but please review anything here with your own doctor; it isn’t a substitute for personalized medical care.

Evidence: Nast A 2025 · sources last checked 2026-08-20

Reference tool — not medical advice. Thresholds, targets, and first-line agents differ by guideline body and change over time — switch the lens to compare. Clinician judgement, dosing/monitoring, contraindications, and live coverage always required. Runs entirely in your browser — no data is collected.

Acne selector

Choose the guideline lens (AAD / EuroGuiDerm / CDA), the severity, lesion type and patient factors — get the plan on a topical retinoid + BPO backbone: topical combinations for inflammatory acne, oral antibiotics (with topicals, 3-month cap, never monotherapy), hormonal therapy for females, and isotretinoin for severe/scarring disease.

Guideline lens

Severitychoose one

Predominant lesion typechoose one

Sexchoose one

Determines hormonal-therapy eligibility

Features

Special

Backbone

Topical retinoid + benzoyl peroxide — the foundation of almost every regimen

Severity tier

Mild

Notes

  • • Antibiotic stewardship: NEVER use a topical or oral antibiotic as monotherapy — always with benzoyl peroxide (and a topical retinoid). Cap oral antibiotics at ~3 months (EuroGuiDerm formal cap); avoid azithromycin. Continue a topical retinoid ± BPO for maintenance after the antibiotic stops.
  • • AAD 2024 elevates isotretinoin when scarring or psychosocial burden is present, independent of raw lesion count — treat early rather than waiting for 'severe' morphology.

Suggested drug classesPer AAD 2024.

Select severity and lesion type to begin.

Switch the lens to see the isotretinoin threshold (AAD: scarring/psychosocial) and the formal 3-month antibiotic cap (EuroGuiDerm).

Guidelines

References

  1. [1]Reynolds RV, et al. Guidelines of care for the management of acne vulgaris. J Am Acad Dermatol 2024;90:1006 (topical retinoid+BPO backbone; isotretinoin for severe/scarring/psychosocial; clascoterone). link
  2. [2]Nast A, et al. EuroGuiDerm acne guideline — 2025 update (formal 3-month oral-antibiotic cap; isotretinoin dosing; trifarotene). CDA/CMAJ 2016 Canadian guideline (Asai Y, et al. CMAJ 2016;188:118). link