Acne Care Treatments - Pimple Prevention Tips

Types of Antibiotic Acne Treatments

Antibiotic acne treatments, which come in topical and oral forms, function in several ways. One is to decrease the quantity of bacteria in and around the follicle and on the skin. Two, antibiotics reduce inflammation and lessen the irritating chemicals that white blood cells produce. Finally, antibiotics lessen the intensity of free fatty acids in the sebum. Most of the time, doctors prescribe topical and oral antibiotics for average to acute cases of acne.

Topical Antibiotics

Topical antibiotic acne treatments are those applied to the surface of the skin to destroy bacteria and help reduce acne. The topical method is effective because it is directly applied to the affected area and does not cause side effects. But topical antibiotic acne treatments have one major drawback. Over time, the bacteria develop tolerance and resistance to the medicine, making it especially hard to eliminate.

Some of the topical antibiotic acne treatments include the following:

Topical antibiotic acne treatments with Clindamycin

The most frequently used topical antibiotic for acne

1 Available in solution, lotion, or gel form at 1% strength

2 Usually well tolerated but may cause some irritation

Topical antibiotic acne treatments with Erythromycin

Second most commonly used topical antibiotic used for acne 1 Available in solution, gel, and ointment forms at 2%

strength 2 Normally well tolerated but may cause some irritation 3 Safe for use by pregnant women

Topical antibiotic acne treatments with Metronidazole

Often used to treat acne caused by rosacea Available in gel form at 0.75% strength Usually well tolerated but can cause irritation

Oral Antibiotics

Oral antibiotics are prescribed to people with inflamed pimples that do not respond well to topical antibiotic acne treatments or if they have acne in numerous areas of their body. Oral antibiotic acne treatments are more effective and more convenient.

The most commonly used oral antibiotic acne treatments are:

Tetracycline

The most widely prescribed antibiotic for acne

1 With a typical starting dose of 500 mg twice a day continued until a significant decrease in acne lesions is observed

2 Must be taken on an empty stomach to be most effective

Erythromycin

One of the very commonly used antibiotic acne treatments

Have anti­inflammatory properties that help diminish redness in lesions

1 Typically prescribed as 250 ­500 mg twice a day 2 Can and must be taken with food 3 Can cause stomach upset and nausea

Minocycline

A tetracycline derivative that has been a decades­long effective

treatment for acne. 1 Most useful for pustular type acne 2 The normal starting dose is 50 to 100 mg twice a day 3 One of the antibiotic acne treatments that can cause dizziness,

nausea, vomiting