Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of adapalene gel combined with doxycycline on acne. Methods A total of 120 patients with acne who were treated in our hospital from August 2022 to July 2023 were selected and divided into control group and experimental group by random number table method, with 60 patients in each group. The control group was treated with doxycycline, and the experimental group was treated with adapalene gel+doxycycline. The GAGS score, clinical efficacy, quality of life score, incidence of adverse reactions and recurrence were compared between the two groups. Results The GAGS score of the experimental group was lower than that of the control group (P <0.05). The total effective rate of the experimental group was 95.00%, which was higher than 83.33% of the control group (P <0.05). The scores of emotional role, physical function, social function, vitality, physical health, physical pain, mental health and physical role in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P <0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the experimental group was 10.00%, which was lower than 28.33% in the control group (P <0.05). The recurrence rate of the experimental group was 3.33%, which was lower than 23.33% of the control group (P <0.05). Conclusion The combined application of adapalene gel and doxycycline can improve the symptoms of facial acne and inflammatory papules in acne patients, improve the clinical efficacy, improve the quality of life, and reduce the recurrence rate and adverse reactions.