Acne Treatment and Medications: The Ultimate Guide
Acne Treatment FAQ
Is It Good To Pop Pimples?
Avoid popping your own pimples. This practice can spread bacteria around; instead of getting rid of acne overnight, you may find you simply worsen your breakouts by attempting to pop your pimples. If you find you simply must pop a lesion to get rid of acne fast before a special event, be sure to use sterilized equipment and wash your face and hands thoroughly before and after.
How Do I Make Acne Go Away?
Unfortunately, there’s no overnight cure for acne. In order to properly get rid of acne without damaging your skin, you must practice a daily cleansing routine. Use a gentle acne treatment that effectively fights breakouts without causing damage to the skin.What Is In Acne Lesions?
It’s important to understand what’s inside those acne lesions to properly treat them. When pores fill up with sebum, dead skin cells, and bacteria, the mixture causes inflammation and results in painful pimples.How Do I Get Rid of Dark Spots from Acne?
The dark spots from acne are actually pigment alterations. Getting rid of dark spots left behind by acne means following essential steps:- Let time do its thing: dark marks generally fade over time.
- Use sunscreen and avoid excess sun exposure
- Consider chemical peels
- Utilize skin lighteners
- Use daily acne treatment to avoid future scarring
Diagnosing Acne
Reaching an Acne Diagnosis
During a skin care consultation, a doctor or licensed skin care professional will perform a physical exam, and ask numerous questions about medical history and past and present acne flare-ups. Women will be asked about their menstrual cycles to help determine whether hormones are having a significant impact on the breakouts in question. Certain symptoms and observations made during this exam may indicate underlying health issues that require different treatment plans. If this is the case, a doctor or dermatologist may run a series of tests to rule out any diseases and illnesses that could be causing any skin ailments.1. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the result of significant shifts in a woman’s hormones. This shift can cause the production of androgens to increase and overwhelm estrogen levels, signaling the production of excess sebum. This hormonal imbalance can result in painful cysts, period changes, infertility issues, heart disease, diabetes, and skin conditions like acne. One research study performed purported that 27 percent of all women struggling with acne also were diagnosed with PCOS. Those with PCOS are more prone to inflammation, which can worsen the severity of acne.2. Adrenal Hyperplasia
While rare, those with this condition can also often suffer from severe cases of acne. Those with congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia experience an accumulation of adrenal steroid precursors and disrupt the metabolic rate of androgens. This increase in androgens may result in excess sebum, which catalyzes the formation of acne.Treating Mild Acne
Salicylic Acid
Salicylic acid vs benzoyl peroxide has long been a hot topic in the treatment of acne. Salicylic acid is a Beta Hydroxy Acid and has proven to be one of the most effective acne treatments, and a safer option than benzoyl peroxide. It features keratolytic properties, meaning it dissolves keratin, making it an ideal exfoliating ingredient. Salicylic is chemically comparable to aspirin, and can help reduce redness and calm inflammation as pores open up and clear out. When salicylic acid is applied to the skin, it can help break down the fatty compounds found in sebum that can cause pores to clog. BioClarity products contain the highest allowable concentration of salicylic acid to ensure effective treatment for acne. This pimple treatment works on plugged comedones by sloughing off dead skin cells and clearing pores.Sulfur
Sulfur has been used in treating acne for thousands of years, and in the 1950s, it became available in a foam product designed for direct application to the skin. Can sulfur work on acne? Sulfur dries out the skin, consequently drying out and shrinking pimples. It tends to be gentler than Benzoyl Peroxide treatments, and is less likely to dehydrate the skin, which would result in further irritation.Alpha Hydroxy Acids
AHAs are designed to prevent pore clogging and are commonly used in conjunction with topical treatments like BioClarity. Alpha Hydroxy acids serve as a gentle exfoliator, and can increase the effectiveness of other products.Benzoyl Peroxide
Benzoyl peroxide is used commonly in over the counter treatments for acne, but higher percentages of this ingredient can result in dryness, peeling, and other skin irritation. Depending on acne severity, Benzoyl Peroxide is used in varied concentrations: 2.5%, 5%, and 10%. It’s not recommended that Benzoyl Peroxide be used in conjunction with acne medication to avoid excessive acne caused by dry skin.
Treating Moderate and Severe Acne
As moderate acne and severe acne cases are harder to control and treat than mild acne, over-the-counter medications may not be as effective and prescriptions may be required.Topical Options
Doctors will often prescribe topical prescription medications for qualified acne cases. There are a variety of prescription treatments available, including topical retinoids, topical antibiotics, and combination medications for acne.Topical Retinoid
Topical retinoids are used in anti-aging efforts, and can speed up the rate of cell regeneration, aiding your skin in sloughing off the dead skin cells at a regulated rate. In some patients, retinoids can also serve as an anti-inflammatory agent, but they have been known to cause irritation when first used.Topical Antibiotics
If you suffer from harsh, inflammatory breakouts, a doctor will likely prescribe topical antibiotics. This is a pimple medicine designed to help reduce P. acnes bacteria that causes inflamed, infected acne lesions. Some studies have purported that use of these antibiotics has made bacteria more resistant to treatment, and it may be that these treatments are less effective than they were in the past.Combination Medications
Combination medications are exactly what they sound like—acne medications that harness the power of two acne-fighting ingredients in one bottle. These are generally made up of topical retinoid or benzoyl peroxide treatments along with topical antibiotics.Oral Medications
If topical treatments are ineffective, doctors may prescribe oral medications for acne. These can help clear up acne breakouts and other skin conditions, but they come with their fair share of potential side effects and consequences.Oral Antibiotics
Oral antibiotics are designed to kill the acne-causing bacteria found within your skin pores. The most common oral antibiotics prescribed for acne treatment are Tetracyclines, which include Minocycline and Doxycycline, and Erthromycin. Like their topical antibiotics counterparts, bacterial resistance may result in ineffectiveness of this treatment regimen so overuse is to be avoided.Isotretinoin
Usually only used in severe cases of acne, Isotretinoin is a form of vitamin A designed to reduce the amount of sebum produced by the skin’s oil glands and help the skin renew itself at a faster rate. Isotretinoin has become a bit infamous (under its common name Accutane) after reports of mental health issues and serious medical side effects as a result of this medication hit the media.Spironolactone
This type of oral medication is only useful and appropriate for acne cases in adult women. Spironolactone is not designed for acne treatment, but has proven to clear the skin after long-term use. This acne medicine is actually meant to treat conditions that result from too much aldosterone by preventing the body from absorbing too much salt and regulating potassium levels.It's important to learn how to prevent severe acne from leaving permanent marks, so check out this guide to treating and preventing acne scars.
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