To analyze the effect of glycolic acid chemical peels combined with doxycycline hyclate in patients with mild to moderate acne. Methods A total of 78 patients with mild to moderate acne admitted to the Department of Dermatology of our hospital from October 2021 to June 2023 were selected as the research objects. They were divided into control group and observation group by random number table method, with 39 patients in each group. The control group was treated with doxycycline, and the observation group was treated with glycolic acid chemical peels on the basis of the control group. The clinical efficacy, Global Acne Grading System (GAGS) score, skin symptoms and quality of life were compared between the two groups. Results The total effective rate of treatment in the observation group was 89.74%, which was higher than 69.23% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). After treatment, the GAGS scores of the two groups were lower than those before treatment, and those of the observation group were lower than those of the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). After treatment, the scores of skin lesion number, skin lesion color and skin property in the two groups were lower than those before treatment, and those in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, the differences were statistically significant (P <0.05). The DLQI score of the two groups after treatment was lower than that before treatment, and that of the observation group was lower than that of the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). Conclusion The effect of glycolic acid chemical peels combined with doxycycline hyclate in the treatment of mild to moderate acne is ideal, which can effectively improve the skin symptoms of patients and improve their quality of life.