Objective To analyze the effect of glycolic acid peels combined with red light therapy on acne patients. Methods A total of 100 patients with acne who were treated in the Department of Dermatology, Fenggang County People's Hospital from June 2022 to October 2023 were selected as the research objects. According to the time sequence of admission, they were divided into control group and study group, with 50 patients in each group. The control group was treated with red light, and the study group was treated with glycolic acid peels on the basis of the control group. The clinical efficacy, skin lesion symptom score and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results The total effective rate of treatment in the study group was 94.00%, which was higher than 80.00% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). After treatment, the scores of skin lesion number, skin lesion type, skin lesion color and pain degree in the study group were lower than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P <0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P >0.05). Conclusion The clinical effect of glycolic acid peels combined with red light in the treatment of acne is ideal, which can effectively improve the symptoms of skin lesions and promote the rehabilitation of acne. At the same time, it will not increase the risk of adverse reactions, and the application safety is good.