[How I treat... Belgian consensus document on the treatment of acne]

This article describes the consensus on the treatment of acne, reached by a Belgian working group. An effective treatment has to rely as much as possible on the pathophysiologic factors: the increased production of sebum, the abnormal desquamation (retention hyperkeratosis) of the epithelium of he sebaceous gland, the proliferation of Propionibacterium acnes and inflammation. The therapeutic arsenal contains topical as well as systemic drugs. This consensus gives an overview of both modalities and an algorithm is presented describing the practical approach to acne treatment.