Treclin

What is Treclin gel?

Treclin gel is a treatment for moderate acne that contains two active ingredients. Typically you’ll apply a pea-sized amount to the affected areas of your skin, once a day, in the evening before you go to bed. You should start to see the benefits from Treclin within a couple of weeks, but in some cases it can take a month or two before you notice an improvement.

Acne vulgaris (normally just shortened to acne) is a common condition, and the most common cause of spots. It usually happens due to a change in your hormone levels as you go through adolescence, and carries on into early adulthood - but it can happen to people younger and older, too.

It’s caused by your skin’s sebaceous glands producing too much of a substance called sebum (a normal part of your skin which helps to keep it moisturised). When there is too much sebum on your skin, it encourages the bacteria on your skin to feed off of it, and create waste products that clog and irritate your pores. This, then, creates spots and acne.

How does Treclin gel work?

Treclin’s two active ingredients: tretinoin and clindamycin, work together to unblock your pores and treat the cause of your acne. Clindamycin is an antibiotic, which helps to stop the bacteria on your skin from growing and multiplying. And tretinoin helps to prevent the build up of sebum by encouraging the shedding of dead skin cells that block your hair follicles. Both of these ingredients have been shown to work better together than either of them alone.

This ‘dual action’ can make Treclin particularly effective, as it can eliminate two potential causes of blocked pores, and counter your acne more effectively as a result.

What doses of Treclin gel are there?

There’s only one strength of Treclin gel, which is 10 mg (1%) clindamycin and 0.25 mg (0.025%) tretinoin per gram of the gel. You should use Treclin gel exactly as you’ve been instructed to - don’t use more of it than you’ve been told to to try to make it more effective, and make sure you use it for the length of time that you’ve been told to, even if your skin has improved. If you’re still not happy with the results after twelve weeks of using it as prescribed, talk to our clinician. You might need to try another treatment.

How to use Treclin gel

You should always use Treclin gel exactly as you’ve been told to by our clinician. The standard dose is to apply one pea-sized amount of the gel to the affected area of your skin once a day before bedtime.

To use Treclin gel:

• wash your face gently and pat it dry with a towel;
• squeeze out a pea sized amount of gel onto your fingertip, and dab it onto your forehead, chin and both cheeks;
• gently spread the gel evenly over your whole face.

How long does it take Treclin gel to work?

The amount of time that it takes Treclin gel to work can vary from person to person. Some people might notice a difference within a week or two, but for most people it doesn’t reach an optimal effect for several weeks. It’s important to keep using Treclin gel for the length of time that you’ve been prescribed to, even if your skin has improved. This is because the acne can return more resistant to the antibiotic, and harder to treat as a result.

The typical course of treatment is around twelve weeks. If you want to continue using acne treatment after these twelve weeks, let our clinician know. You’ll probably have to use another type of treatment.

What should I do if I make a mistake when using Treclin gel?

Make sure that you don’t use more Treclin gel than you’ve been prescribed to in order to make it more effective - it probably won’t work, and it can irritate and damage the skin on your face.

If you’ve used too much Treclin, wash away the excess with warm, soapy water, and don’t use it again until your symptoms have gone if it’s given you any.

If you accidentally swallow Treclin, seek medical help immediately. If you forget to use Treclin one evening, you should wait until the following evening to use it, and don’t increase your dose to make up for the missed one.

Medically reviewed by

Dr Daniel Atkinson

GP Clinical Lead

on November 09, 2022.

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