The type and severity of your acne skin condition determines the treatment. Treatment also depends on how dry or oily your skin is, if you are a male or a female, if you are taking any medications, if you are pregnant or might be soon. This many factors affect your treatment options and can make any one size fits all acne treatment method ineffective.
The good news is there are many acne treatment options, so while you might not find one that works the first time, do not give up just try another. Do to the numerous acne treatments available today doctors can control most acne outbreaks; with greater success the earlier treatments are started.
Hopping your acne will go away will not work, your local pharmacy is filled with many over the counter medications you can try, or pay a visit to your doctor who will prescribe much more pollrful treatments if required.
The most well liked way to deal with mild to moderate acne is by utilizing a topical treatment. These treatments can be in the form of a gel, cream, lotion or on a pad. They are applied to the surface of your skin, hence the name topical. The two main over the counter topic treatments are Salicylic acid and Benzyl peroxide.
Prescription Salicylic acid and Benzyl peroxide are also available in stronger doses if required. Doctors may also prescribe ointments containing sulphur, tetracycline, erythromycin or a retinoid. A lot of times you’ll have to make use of a combination of the above treatments for better results.
Salicylic acid and retinoids are utilized to deal with the clogged hair follicles that are producing the acne lesions. They penetrate the pores and help the dead skin cells dissolve. Benzyl peroxide, sulphur, tetracycline and erythromycin are antibacterial ointments used to treat the inflammation and kill the bacteria in the blocked follicles.
For the people suffering from moderate to severe acne, in addition to topical treatments they my also require some type of oral medication to treat their acne. The three types of oral medications are antibiotics, hormones, and isotretinoins. All three require a prescription.
Tetracycline, erythromycin, clindamycin, and doxycycline are the most common prescribed antibiotics. They work by being absorbed through the digestive system, then into the blood, and then into the hair follicles where they kill bacteria and reduce inflammation. This option would be utilized once topical antibiotic treatment methods were not successful.
Hormones are an alternative accessible to deal with teenage girls and women that have acne. They are normally taken in the form of a birth control pill. They work by increasing the level of female hormones in the bloodstream. This helps reduce the production of androgen, which will then reduce the production of sebum.
For severe acne, isotretinoin is often used. It is a pollrful drug that deals with acne by stopping all of the changes inside the skin that produces acne. It kills bacteria, reduces sebum production, and slows the growth of skin cells.
All of the treatments for acne above must be revielld carefuly before utilizing. As with any type of medication, they all present some type of risk or side effect.
For the over the counter treatment methods read the product labels and warnings to see if the product is good for you. For prescription acne treatments discuss with your doctor all of the potential sides effects you may experience.