Learn About Common Acne Prescriptions
Acne is very common. Ladies, it affects over 9 percent of people around the world. Thankfully, lots of cases are simple and easy to treat. Sadly, some acne isn't! There are 2 major types of acne: inflammatory and non-inflammatory. Inflammatory is much more common, but it's also more painful and causes more acne scars!
That said, there are still many options for treating acne! Ladies, OTC treatments are very effective. Many of you will use things like a benzoyl peroxide wash. Home remedies for acne are also beneficial for mild cases. Of course, some of you need prescription acne medication. When this is needed, you have to know the common prescription medications for acne. This is a fantastic place to start when looking for the best acne treatment!
Dapsone
Ladies, dapsone is getting more popular as an acne treatment. It's not initially used for this purpose, but it works! It's an antibiotic, so it destroys bacteria on your skin. It will also reduce inflamed skin. Other than that, doctors don't know exactly why this medication works so well for acne. That said, it works very well on mild to moderate cases! It's even better on inflammatory acne. Ladies, you will apply this as a gel once or twice a day.
Most of you get a 5 percent gel of this antibiotic. That's the one you use twice a day! Many experts say you will get better results with a 7.5 percent gel used once a day. In either case, results appear in about 12 weeks!
Clindamycin-Benzoyl Peroxide Gel
Ladies, another very common acne prescription is clindamycin-benzoyl peroxide gel! It's great when you don't want many side effects or other things haven't worked for you. Of course, clindamycin's an antibiotic, so it handles the bacteria. Benzoyl peroxide's an antiseptic, so it gets acne from another angle! In fact, it even makes clindamycin more effective. A gel with both ingredients is much better than products with only one.
You will often get this medication when you're pregnant and have acne. It's because it has fewer side effects and is still effective. It's also safer! Ladies, expect results in 12 to 16 weeks with this gel.
Azelaic Acid
Ladies, you will often talk about azelaic acid for acne. It's an excellent treatment! This one reduces how much sebum (oil) your skin makes. It also kills bacteria and gets rid of inflammation. Overall, azelaic acid is a strong prescription for your acne. It will stop dead skin from getting trapped in your hair follicles. This happens a lot, which is how your sebaceous glands get blocked and acne forms. It's also very soothing. Side effects like stinging happen, but not often!
Most of you are going to use a cream form of this medication. That said, there's also a foam out there! The foam treats other conditions, like rosacea, but you can use it for acne too. Sometimes your dermatologist will recommend a facial peel with this ingredient. You'll get one every 2 weeks for 3 months to get good results!
Spironolactone
Spironolactone is a blood pressure medication. It lowers high pressure! However, ladies, doctors have found it's very good as a way to treat hormonal acne. Of course, it's an 'off-label' use here. It works since it lowers certain hormones, specifically the androgen ones. One major example of these hormones is testosterone! Too much of this triggers acne in many people, especially you ladies.
That said, you can't take this one when you're pregnant. You will need close monitoring too! Ladies, you also need to know this medication's a diuretic, so you will pee more when you're on it. Just drink more water to make up for that.
Tretinoin
Vitamin A is very good for your skin. It's in a lot of the food you eat, which is excellent. That said, you will often get a prescription for tretinoin when you have acne. This is a synthetic form of vitamin A! You apply it to your skin for many kinds of acne. This medication makes your skin renew a lot faster. It heals your acne that way! Tretinoin helps new skin cells replace old ones, stopping the dead skin from building and triggering acne.
Ladies, this medication benefits you the most. Unfortunately, you also see the most side effects! The most common, of course, is dry, flaky, and irritated skin. There's good news, though. The side effects go away when your skin adjusts. You can help this along by introducing this medication slowly and using extra moisturizer!