Clindamycin is an antibiotic that fights bacterial infection in the body while Adapalene is a topical retinoid which affects the growth of acne and reduces inflammation. A form of vitamin A, Adapalene helps to unblock the pores and stops them from becoming infected. It does this by reducing the overproduction of natural oils in the skin.
In topical treatments for inflammatory as well as non-inflammatory acne, antibiotics like clindamycin are sometimes combined with other treatments. This increases the effectiveness of the treatment and brings in better results. A clinical study compared the combination of
clindamycin phosphate (10 mg) and benzoyl peroxide (50 mg) with adapalene 0.1%. Both the treatments were effective in treating acne but clindamycin and benzoyl peroxide together showed an early onset of action with a significantly better efficacy against inflamed lesions. A good number of patients using adapalene reported side effects while the clindamycin and benzoyl peroxide combination was better tolerated.[popover id=ref5]