Symbols to Know Words to Know
Change font size here: A A A

Acne Decision Aid

  • 1. Introduction

    Learn more about acne.

  • 2. My Options

    Read about available treatments.

  • 3. My Skin

    Learn about your acne.

  • 4. My Values

    Express what is important to you.

  • 5. My Trade-offs

    Compare treatments with your values.

  • 6. My Decision

    Your results and next steps.

My Values

Part of choosing right option for you depends on what you find most important in a treatment. Some important things to consider are:

Risk of serious side effects: All treatment options (aside from no treatment) have risk of minor side effects (e.g., skin irritation) but some have risk of more serious side effects. A more effective treatment may have a higher risk.

How well treatment works: Some treatments are better than others at clearing up acne. A more effective treatment may have a higher risk of serious side effects.

Length of treatment: Some treatments are prescribed for longer times than others. For example, some creams, gels, and pills can only be taken for a short time to prevent resistance to bacteria. Others may need to be taken continuously over a period of years. Many treatments need to be taken as long as you have acne to keep seeing results.

Cost: Some treatments cost more than others. This will depend on your health care coverage. Health plans may cover all, some, or none of the costs of treatment. For example, lasers are often not covered by health insurance.

Convenience: Some treatments may be easier to use than others. Some factors that might affect this are the following:

  • If the treatment is fast or time consuming to use (e.g. swallowing a pill; waiting for a topical to absorb; waiting for the skin to heal after a chemical peel)
  • If the treatment requires lifestyle changes (e.g. changing the food you eat may be more difficult than other options)
  • If the treatment needs to be done by a professional (e.g. topicals can be applied at home; light and lasers may require a visit to a clinic)

There may be other values important to you that are not listed here. Consider these in the next question.

Drag and drop ? each of these values into the order that is most important to you when making your decision:

Most important to consider
  • Risk of serious side effects
  • Convenience
  • Cost
  • How well treatment works
  • Length of treatment
Least important to consider
+ Add another value

Add Another Value

50
Example of a pustule
Example of a pustule

Select all that apply.

I am willing to try a treatment that involves:

In the next step, we will compare what you choose here to the treatment options for acne.

Back Continue

Last Updated: May 2017