How do you foster medication adherence for better acne vulgaris management?

Suboptimal medication adherence is one of the major reasons for treatment failure among patients with acne vulgaris. Motivating patients to adhere to treatment, especially during the maintenance phase, remains a challenge. Although the literature on medication adherence in the acne vulgaris patient population is sparse, the available literature on patients with dermatologic and nondermatologic disorders suggests that a multifactorial approach, combining nonpharmacologic interventions and effective, well tolerated, and simplified drug regimens, appears to be associated with the greatest success. Furthermore, it is important to evaluate the patient for underlying affective disorders (e.g., depression) that can undermine adherence. The dermatologist can play a major role in enhancing patient adherence by prescribing adherence-enhancing therapeutic regimens and by forming a therapeutic alliance with patients.