About 50 million people in the Unites States have acne vulgaris (AV) (figure1), a common inflammatory skin disease that predominantly affects adolescents and young adults. Although it can occur in any age group, AV affects about 85% of teenagers. The prevalence of acne in adult women is about 12%. Although acne is not associated with mortality, it does pose a physical and psychological burden to the patient, which may result in depression, negative body image, stress, and anxiety. The direct cost of the disease is estimated to exceed $3 billion per year. Therefore, it is imperative that clinicians are familiar with the management of AV, which consists of topical therapies, systemic antibiotics, hormonal agents, and isotretinoin. A treatment algorithm for the management of AV in adolescents and young adults is outlined in the table
