Acne Treatment With Clindamycin
A semi-synthetic antibiotic, topical clindamycin has a long history of successfully treating acne. It works by reducing P. acnes and decreasing inflammation. In topical form, clindamycin has proven safe and is well tolerated. Skin dryness and irritation are possible side effects. It is important to use as directed to decrease bacterial resistance that can occur with antibiotic use.
The most widely prescribed topical (applied to the skin) antibiotic, clindamycin, has been used to help treat acne for more than 20 years. It works by reducing Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), the bacteria that leads to acne, and by decreasing inflammation.
clindamycin (Cleocin®) is an antibiotic or antiinfective. It treats serious blood, bone, joint, lung, urinary tract, or pelvic infections. Generic clindamycin capsules are available. Your health care provider needs to know if you have any of these conditions: diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney disease.
Topical erythromycin and clindamycin (Cleocin T) are the most commonly used agents and have similar efficacy in patients with acne. Clindamycin has been shown to be significantly more effective than topical tetracycline.
Topical Antibiotics: These agents are another mainstay of acne treatment. Topical antibiotics commonly are used in conjunction with retinoids or benzoyl peroxide in patients with any degree of inflammatory acne. The most frequently used topical antibiotics are clindamycin and erythromycin. These drugs normally are applied once or twice daily.
Compositions suitable for the treatment of acne by topical application comprise clindamycin and benzoyl peroxide. Kits for preparing the compositions include a solution of clindamycin in a first container and a gel suspension of benzoyl peroxide in a second container. Each component is stored at a pH which promotes stability, and the combination of the two components provides a final composition having a pH which promotes stability and enhances viscosity.
“Clindamycin appears to be superior in efficacy compared with erythromycin and tetracycline. However, the emergence and spread of resistance among propionibacteria to both erythromycin and clindamycin calls into question their long-term viability as topical anti-acne therapies”
Clindamycin phosphate is the most widely used topical antibacterial agent for acne treatment. Treatment of patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris with a new foam formulation (clindamycin foam, CF) for 12 weeks was at least as effective as clindamycin gel (CG) based on the Investigator’s Static Global Assessment (ISGA) score. CF was superior to CG based on the reduction from baseline in total (P = .0014), inflammatory (P = .0478), and noninflammatory (P = .0037) acne lesion counts.
Clindamycin is an antibiotic that has an effect on the bacteria Propionibacterium acne, the bacteria linked in part with the inflammation of acne. Therefore if the bacteria are reduced in numbers then less inflammation can take place and less acne occurs. Clindamycin activity has been demonstrated in comedones from acne patients. The mean concentration of antibiotic activity in extracted comedones after application of DALACIN T Solution for four weeks was 597mcg/g of comedonal material (range 0-1490). Clindamycin in vitro inhibits all Propionibacterium acnes cultures tested (MICs 0.4mcg/ml). Free fatty acids on the skin surface have been decreased from approximately 14% to 2% following application of clindamycin.
