Acne Treatment Medications

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Did you know that actress Cameron Diaz struggles with acne?? Even famous people struggles with this. And of course like us, she has also a routine to treat her acne.

When you struggle with acne, your best way to fight it and to mantain it under control is by having a regimen and acne treatment.  Everyone has different reactions towards all acne treatments.  Some of you, including myself, have sensitive skin and some of those medications may be to harsh for us, so in some cases, you will need to go back and fourth, looking for the best acne treatment for you.

In most cases, this may be overwhelming and frustrating, believe me I have been there.  I have used all types of over-the-counter products, before I found out that my best option was to reach out to a dermatologist and even with them, we had to make a few changes, until we finally found which medications were best for me and treat my acne.

Just a heads up, once you start an acne treatment regimen, your acne may get worst before it gets better.  It takes at least 12 weeks for it to get better, so don't give up, keep doing the regimen at least for those 12 weeks.  I know it's a long time, but that's the only way to know if the medication works on you.

According to Webmed.com, medicines to treat acne can help manage the severity and frequency of acne outbreaks. A number of medicines are available. Your treatment will depend on the type of acne you have (pimples, whiteheads, blackheads, or cystic lesions). These medicines improve acne by:

- Unplugging skin pores and stopping them from getting plugged with oil (tretinoin, which is sold as Retin-A).

- Killing bacteria (antibiotics).

- Reducing the amount of skin oil (isotretinoin).

- Reducing the effects of hormones in producing acne (certain oral contraceptive pills for women).

The best medical treatment for acne often is a combination of medicines. These could include medicine that you put on your skin (topical) and medicine that you take by mouth (oral). Or you may take medicines such as clindamycin/benzoyl peroxide, a gel that contains 2 topical medicines.

Treatment of acne depends on whether inflammation or bacteria are present. Some acne consists only of red bumps on the skin with no open sores (comedonal acne). Topical creams and lotions work best for this type of acne. But if bacteria or inflammation is present with open sores, oral antibiotics or isotretinoin may work better.

There are different acne medications, some are sold over-the-counter and others are prescribed by a dermatologist.  When I say over-the-counter, it means you can get them online, on a pharmacy, a supermarket, beauty store etc.. you don't need a prescription to get them and they are more affordable than the prescribed ones.

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Below, The most common types of medicines that doctors use to treat acne:

Benozyl Peroxide: This medication can be found over-the-counter and his function it's to kill the acne bacteria. Benzoyl peroxide is generally an inexpensive treatment, and the generic products work just like the name brands do. Benzoyl peroxide is often the first treatment choice for those suffering from mild to moderate acne.

Acne cannot live in an aerobic (oxygen-rich) environment. Benzoyl peroxide works by introducing oxygen into the pore, thereby killing P. acnes. When the bacteria population is reduced, the number of breakouts on the skin is reduced as well.

Another factor that makes this treatment so effective is its ability to help rid the follicle of excess dead skin cells. Clearing the pore of cellular debris will lessen the chance of pore blockages, or comedones. So, benzoyl peroxide helps prevent breakouts before they start.

Saliclyic Acid: is a beta hydroxy acid commonly used to treat comedonal or non-inflamed acne. It is a popular ingredient in many over-the-counter products. Salicylic acid is found in lotions and creams, cleansers, medicated treatment pads, solutions or "toners." 

Salicylic acid is especially helpful in treating acne because of its ability to penetrate the follicle. It encourages the shedding of dead skin cells from within the follicle, helping keep the pores clear of cellular debris. In this way, it reduces the number of pore blockages and breakouts on the skin.

Topical and oral antibiotics: If over-the-counter treatments like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid aren't improving acne antibiotics may be suggested by your doctor. Clindamycin and erythromycin are the most commonly prescribed antibiotics for topical acne treatment. Tetracycline is used less often. Topical antibiotics come in a variety of forms, including lotions, gels, pads (pledgets) and toner-like solutions. In addition, topical antibiotics can be found in medications containing other acne treatments such as benzoyl peroxide or Retin A (tretinoin).

Just like oral antibiotics, topical antibiotics inhibit the growth of bacteria. A chief cause of acne is the proliferation of the acne-causing bacteriaPropionibacteria acnes (P. acnes). This bacterium is an ordinary resident of the skin, but in those with acne the P. acnes population grows out of control. These bacteria irritate the skin's follicles, creating inflamed papules and pustules.

Applying a topical antibiotic reduces the amount of P. acnes, and helping to control acne. Because P. acnes create inflammation, topical antibiotics work best forinflamed acne, rather than non-inflamed blemishesor blackheads.

Topical retinoid medicines: Topical retinoids are a group of medications derived from vitamin A. They are used to treat both inflammatory and comedonal acne. Topical retinoids work by speeding up cell turnover, sloughing away dead skin cells. They help to prevent comedones which, in turn, reduces the amount of inflamed blemishes too.

If you used topical retinoid to treat your acne, you might also get some additional benefits. Topical retinoids can make enlarged pores, or follicular prominence, less obvious. They are also used as anti-aging treatments, which is good news for many adult acne sufferers. Topical retinoids can also be found in combination with other acne treatment medications. These combo treatments give you the benefit of treating acne in different with just one application.

Isotretinoin: commonly referred to by the brand name Accutane, is a powerful systemic drug used to treat severe inflammatory acne. Isotretinoin is classified as a retinoid, made from a synthetic form of vitamin A. It is taken orally, in pill form, once or twice daily.

Isotretinoin works by shrinking the sebaceous glands within the dermis, reducing the amount of oil produced. The exact mechanism of this is still unknown. The reduction of oil within the follicle means less clogging of the pores, leading to a reduction of overall breakouts.

Isotretinoin has become one of the most effective treatments available for patients with severe or cystic acne. It is even successful in clearing acne that has not responded to other treatments. 

The decision to begin taking isotretinoin is something you must discuss with your dermatologist. Because of its potency and possible side effects, isotretinoin is reserved only for those with severe inflammatory or cystic acne that has failed to respond to other treatment options. All patients taking isotretinoin are kept under careful monitoring by their doctors.

Hope this information is of good help and knowledge about the acne medications.

Hugs,

Allie

Source:

webmed.com

acne.com