Prescription Acne Medication - What Works?

When acne appears, the first thing people do, they buy over the counter acne products. For some lucky ones these cleansers work just fine, but in many cases they don't. What is next? Next would be a trip to a dermatologist who will suggest a prescription acne medication or treatment. What are these medicines that doctors prescribe? Do they really help and are there any side effects?

Benzoyl peroxide prescription medication

First thing dermatologists suggest is usually benzoyl peroxide. Most over the counter products include it as well, but the concentration in prescription medicine is higher. Benzoyl peroxide is FDA approved for treating acne, but it doesn't mean that it is harmless. It dries your skin, especially if you use if for a long time.

Retinoids

Also dermatologists often prescribe retinoid based topical acne creams. If acne persists the doctor can suggest retinoid pills as well. Retinoids are effective in curing acne, but they have a downside - make your skin very sensitive to sunlight. If you are prescribed retinoid treatment, use a good sun block cream every time you go outside during the day. Even if it is cloudy, because clouds are water and water is transparent for harmful UV rays.

Chemical peels

Often dermatologists advise a chemical peel or microdermabrasion as a prescription acne treatment. The idea is that the top layer of your skin is removed, exposing new younger looking skin without acne. This types of treatment help to clean acne of your face, but if the cause is not fixed acne might come back. On the positive side, chemical peels with modern ingredients are harmless and don't produce serious side effects.

Antibiotics

Some doctors prefer antibiotics over Retinoids or benzoyl peroxide. Antibiotics help to stop acne. Even most severe cystic acne usually goes away when treated with antibiotics. However, the treatment usually takes 4-5 weeks and this is a very long time to be on antibiotics. Antibiotics kill all bacteria in your body, but in fact a lot of bacteria are helpful for us rather than harmful. So antibiotics should really be used to cure acne only as the last resort.

Oral contraception for curing acne

Acne that is cause by hormonal imbalance in a teenage body can be cured with hormonal pills. So if Retinoids and antibiotics don't work, sometimes doctors prescribe hormonal therapy for women who suffer from acne. In other words - birth control pills.

Usually oral contraceptives prescribed for acne are a combination of estrogen and progestin. They suppress hormones called androgens which are responsible for excessive oil production. With less oil on your face acne will go away. Oral contraceptives can be very effective to cure acne, but they only work for acne cause by hormones. And obviously this treatment is only available for women.

All prescription acne medication comes with unpleasant side effects. This is the reason that before going for high concentration benzoyl peroxide cleanser or retinoid cream you should try natural acne remedies. However, if your acne is persistent and nothing else works, discuss with your dermatologist what prescription medication for acne will be most effective and least harmful for you.