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Acne vulgaris is one of the most common skin diseases, affecting mainly teenagers. Its treatment procedure is complex, with a long duration of medication. Antibiotics are the most preferably prescribed drugs for the treatment of acne. The long-term use of antibiotics leads to various adverse effects such as the disruption of indigenous flora and resistance. Therefore, numerous therapeutic protocols such as antimicrobial stewardship have been proposed to limit the haphazard use of oral antibiotics. This review emphasizes different topical drugs, systemic alternative drugs, laser, and light therapy, as effective therapies for acne. This review also briefly reflects the efficacy of fire needle therapy—a traditional Chinese therapy—for acne.

Retinoids has been used widely in the topical and systemic treatments of various dermatoses: psoriasis, disorders of keratinization (DOK), keratotic genodermatosis, and severe acne. Moreover, it is also used in the treatment and/or chemoprevention of skin cancer and other neoplasms. Retinoids display key regulatory functions and most dermatologists are familiar with the FDA-approved indication of this medication. Retinoic acid is a potent signaling molecule that is essential for many biological processes, and its levels are tightly regulated by mechanisms that are only partially understood. This article will review these recent findings and attempt to synthesize their meaning to provide a view into the off-label uses of retinoids in dermatology with an emphasis on oral isotretinoin and acitrein.