Associate Editor · Editorial staff
Emeka Balogun
Reports on safety, side effects, and informed consent in acne treatment.
8 stories by Emeka Balogun
Myth Check · 5 min · Emeka Balogun
The Retinoid Purge, Explained: How to Tell a Purge From a Real Breakout
New retinoid users often break out worse before they get better. Here is what is actually happening under the skin, how long it should last, and the signs that something else is going on.
August 7, 2026
Dispatch · 6 min · Emeka Balogun
Oral antibiotics for acne: a bridge, not a cure
Doxycycline and its cousins remain among the most prescribed acne treatments in the world, and among the most misused. What antibiotics actually do for a breakout, why courses now come with a time limit, and how to exit without relapsing.
July 8, 2026
Dispatch · 6 min · Emeka Balogun
Back and body acne: why it needs a different playbook
The skin on your back is thicker, harder to reach, and lives under fabric all day. Why face routines underperform below the neck, and the wash-based strategy that actually clears trunk breakouts.
July 4, 2026
Dispatch · 5 min · Emeka Balogun
Why your acne came back in your 30s
Adult-onset and relapsing acne are common, and treatable on their own terms.
June 8, 2026
Dispatch · 8 min · Emeka Balogun
When to consider isotretinoin
The most effective acne drug we have, the realities of taking it, and who it is for.
February 5, 2026
Dispatch · 7 min · Emeka Balogun
Acne scarring: what can and cannot be fixed
Boxcar, rolling, ice-pick, the scar type decides the treatment.
December 17, 2025
Dispatch · 6 min · Emeka Balogun
How to treat acne without wrecking your skin barrier
Layering actives is how most people stall their own progress.
December 9, 2025
Dispatch · 7 min · Emeka Balogun
Retinoids: the backbone of acne care
Tretinoin, adapalene, and how to start without the dreaded purge.
November 2, 2025