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Treating Acne with Prescription Medications
By Christopher Ruane
Acne is a skin condition that can either be mild and self limiting or chronic and almost disfiguring. The main goal of treating acne is actually to heal lesions, stop new ones from forming, prevent scarring, and lessen the psychological impact and embarrassment caused.
There are many products available for treating acne. Some of them possess clinically proven results and are prescription only. However, of a massive number of acne treatments available on the market today, certain combinations of these treatments are considered to prevent acne in all but the most severe cases.
One of the principal approaches for treating acne is to eliminate bacteria that are in the blocked follicles or opening pores again with preparations known as peeling agents. Acne-causing bacteria can be successfully treated by antibiotics like the tetracycline medications such as minocycline for example.
Prescription Medication For Acne Treatment
It can be effective at high doses for very severe acne, or at low doses for less severe acne, in reducing the symptoms of this skin condition. Several tetracyclines and their derivatives such as doxycycline and minocycline are now being used.It is only able to suppress the symptoms and, the tetracycline acne treatment is often a long term procedure that it may take months to get a flare up under control.
Drug treatment must not be taken by those pregnant women and nursing mothers. The main reason for this is due to the fact that tetracycline type drugs can stain teeth permanently and inhibit growth of bone, thus leading to certain skeletal effects in a fetus. Tetracycline drugs are not recommended for those who are under twelve, for similar reasons. Erythromycin can be used as an alternative.
A number of potential unfavorable side effects are noted.These side effects basically involve skin rash,serious gastric intestinal problems, headaches to name a few. Women become prone to thrush during the period of the treatment.
Or by treating the affected areas externally with bactericidal agents such as benzoyl peroxide. Or a dual combination of acne antibiotics and skin creams. However, treating acne with these kinds of treatments will actually not do anything to reduce the oil secretion of that is the primary root of the blocked follicles. Treating acne with these approaches will allow the skin condition to recur when therapy has ceased.
Another means of treating acne can be done by way of reducing the secretion of oils from the sebaceous glands. According to certain researches, this can be achieved by a great daily intake of certain derivatives of vitamin A like the isotretinoin over a period of a few months. Treating acne with isotretinoin is said to alleviate the symptoms of acne as this drug is proven to have a much longer effect than treating acne with antibacterial treatments.
Prescribing this drug requires a close medical examination since the treatment has a number of known side effects. Women are advised to such effective methods of contraception such as the birth control pill as it can harm unborn children.
Acne can be treated by means of exfoliating the skin. There are numerous topical treatments for acne are now available. One of the common examples of topical treatment is the use of salicylic acid. Treating acne with salicylic acid will allow the skin to peel off, which then helps to prevent the accumulation of dead skin cells combining with skin oil to block pores. Treating acne with this kind of solution helps to unblock the clogged pores, preventing bacteria from building up.
For more related information visit http://www.AcneTreatmentReview.info - a site that offers advice for acne. Get professional knowledge on dealing with symptoms, medication side effects and improving your life!
Acne is a skin condition that can either be mild and self limiting or chronic and almost disfiguring. The main goal of treating acne is actually to heal lesions, stop new ones from forming, prevent scarring, and lessen the psychological impact and embarrassment caused.
There are many products available for treating acne. Some of them possess clinically proven results and are prescription only. However, of a massive number of acne treatments available on the market today, certain combinations of these treatments are considered to prevent acne in all but the most severe cases.
One of the principal approaches for treating acne is to eliminate bacteria that are in the blocked follicles or opening pores again with preparations known as peeling agents. Acne-causing bacteria can be successfully treated by antibiotics like the tetracycline medications such as minocycline for example.
Prescription Medication For Acne Treatment
It can be effective at high doses for very severe acne, or at low doses for less severe acne, in reducing the symptoms of this skin condition. Several tetracyclines and their derivatives such as doxycycline and minocycline are now being used.It is only able to suppress the symptoms and, the tetracycline acne treatment is often a long term procedure that it may take months to get a flare up under control.
Drug treatment must not be taken by those pregnant women and nursing mothers. The main reason for this is due to the fact that tetracycline type drugs can stain teeth permanently and inhibit growth of bone, thus leading to certain skeletal effects in a fetus. Tetracycline drugs are not recommended for those who are under twelve, for similar reasons. Erythromycin can be used as an alternative.
A number of potential unfavorable side effects are noted.These side effects basically involve skin rash,serious gastric intestinal problems, headaches to name a few. Women become prone to thrush during the period of the treatment.
Or by treating the affected areas externally with bactericidal agents such as benzoyl peroxide. Or a dual combination of acne antibiotics and skin creams. However, treating acne with these kinds of treatments will actually not do anything to reduce the oil secretion of that is the primary root of the blocked follicles. Treating acne with these approaches will allow the skin condition to recur when therapy has ceased.
Another means of treating acne can be done by way of reducing the secretion of oils from the sebaceous glands. According to certain researches, this can be achieved by a great daily intake of certain derivatives of vitamin A like the isotretinoin over a period of a few months. Treating acne with isotretinoin is said to alleviate the symptoms of acne as this drug is proven to have a much longer effect than treating acne with antibacterial treatments.
Prescribing this drug requires a close medical examination since the treatment has a number of known side effects. Women are advised to such effective methods of contraception such as the birth control pill as it can harm unborn children.
Acne can be treated by means of exfoliating the skin. There are numerous topical treatments for acne are now available. One of the common examples of topical treatment is the use of salicylic acid. Treating acne with salicylic acid will allow the skin to peel off, which then helps to prevent the accumulation of dead skin cells combining with skin oil to block pores. Treating acne with this kind of solution helps to unblock the clogged pores, preventing bacteria from building up.
For more related information visit http://www.AcneTreatmentReview.info - a site that offers advice for acne. Get professional knowledge on dealing with symptoms, medication side effects and improving your life!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Cured My Acne With Prescription Medication
By: Frank Vanderlugt
Acne cures by the dozen fill up drugstore shelves, and an Internet search on "acne treatment" yields approximately 20 million results. However, there is still plenty of acne to be seen, so obviously many people still have not found the right cure for themselves. This article will present an overview of the most common prescription treatments, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each.
Acne occurs when skin cells on the face, back and chest react to testosterone or its metabolite, dihydrotestosterone, and grow too fast, a process known as hyperkeratosis. The overgrowth of skin cells clogs sebaceous glands, which develop a secondary infection from usually innocuous skin bacteria such as Propionibacterium acnes, causing a pimple or cyst.
Prescription acne treatments are available if over the counter remedies are insufficient.
Birth control pills tend to improve acne by shutting down the body's own production of hormones, not just estrogen and progesterone but testosterone as well, and reducing levels of free testosterone . As long as the synthetic hormones in the BCP are not themselves androgenic (and some synthetic progestins are) the acne should subside. Of course, this is only an option for female acne patients. Some birth control pills such as Yasmin are marketed specifically for acne treatment; your doctor can tell you more about these medications.
Spironolactone (usually prescribed as 50mg twice a day) is helpful for acne. This drug is normally used to treat high blood pressure, however it also acts as an antiandrogen and is used in the treatment of androgen related disorders such as female pattern baldness and hirsuitism.
Antibiotics such as tetracycline or minocycline are a standard treatment for acne, but are often ineffective in the long term or if used by themselves. You may have to switch from one antibiotic to another periodically as the skin bacteria develop resistance. All antibiotics cause an imbalance in normal intestinal flora, and can cause gastric irritation.
Topical clindamycin lotions and gels are often more effective than oral antibiotics. However, longterm use can be hazardous, since this antibiotic is absorbed through the skin and linked to a potentially deadly imbalance of gut bacteria called pseudomembranous enterocolitis. Clindamycin is three times more likely to cause this disorder than any other antibiotic.
Azelaic Acid has gotten mixed results in Europe. It provides a broad spectrum of activity in acne cases, but provides slow onset of action.
Retinoid, a vitamin A derivative, helps skin exfoliation just as fruit acids do, but its effect is much stronger. Several related related retinoid medications such as Retin-A, Tazarotene and Adapalene all have slightly different effects. Also, these products come in various strengths and formulations, so you may have to experiment to find the formulation that helps the most while causing the minimum amount of irritation.
Another vitamin A derivative, Accutane, is an oral drug as opposed to a topical preparation, and due to its side effects, is usually reserved for severe or persistent adult acne. It shuts down skin oil production and hyperkeratosis quite effectively, but its effects are felt throughout the body, potentially resulting in dry skin, joint pains, dry eyes, cracked lips, hair loss, depression (not surprising since the brain is composed mostly of fatty compounds called phospholipids), liver and kidney failure. It has been linked to an increased risk of suicide. Blood tests for liver and kidney function are mandatory at the beginning of treatment. The drug is usually taken for several months at a time, sometimes for 2 or 3 courses.
The drug causes severe birth defects if taken by pregnant women, and conscientious birth control is mandatory for female patients.
The effects of Accutane are often permanent : it is a true cure for acne. However, some users have found the side effects permanent as well, and there are several lawsuits pending against the manufacturer. There is no known way to reverse the effects of the drug after taking it; that is, there is no antidote if the user finds the side effects persistent and intolerable after a course of the drug. Many websites can be found full of complaints by ex-users who wish they had never taken the drug. Due to the risks, this is a medication of last resort, and is not recommended for mild teenage acne which can be treated by other means.
Acne cures by the dozen fill up drugstore shelves, and an Internet search on "acne treatment" yields approximately 20 million results. However, there is still plenty of acne to be seen, so obviously many people still have not found the right cure for themselves. This article will present an overview of the most common prescription treatments, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each.
Acne occurs when skin cells on the face, back and chest react to testosterone or its metabolite, dihydrotestosterone, and grow too fast, a process known as hyperkeratosis. The overgrowth of skin cells clogs sebaceous glands, which develop a secondary infection from usually innocuous skin bacteria such as Propionibacterium acnes, causing a pimple or cyst.
Prescription acne treatments are available if over the counter remedies are insufficient.
Birth control pills tend to improve acne by shutting down the body's own production of hormones, not just estrogen and progesterone but testosterone as well, and reducing levels of free testosterone . As long as the synthetic hormones in the BCP are not themselves androgenic (and some synthetic progestins are) the acne should subside. Of course, this is only an option for female acne patients. Some birth control pills such as Yasmin are marketed specifically for acne treatment; your doctor can tell you more about these medications.
Spironolactone (usually prescribed as 50mg twice a day) is helpful for acne. This drug is normally used to treat high blood pressure, however it also acts as an antiandrogen and is used in the treatment of androgen related disorders such as female pattern baldness and hirsuitism.
Antibiotics such as tetracycline or minocycline are a standard treatment for acne, but are often ineffective in the long term or if used by themselves. You may have to switch from one antibiotic to another periodically as the skin bacteria develop resistance. All antibiotics cause an imbalance in normal intestinal flora, and can cause gastric irritation.
Topical clindamycin lotions and gels are often more effective than oral antibiotics. However, longterm use can be hazardous, since this antibiotic is absorbed through the skin and linked to a potentially deadly imbalance of gut bacteria called pseudomembranous enterocolitis. Clindamycin is three times more likely to cause this disorder than any other antibiotic.
Azelaic Acid has gotten mixed results in Europe. It provides a broad spectrum of activity in acne cases, but provides slow onset of action.
Retinoid, a vitamin A derivative, helps skin exfoliation just as fruit acids do, but its effect is much stronger. Several related related retinoid medications such as Retin-A, Tazarotene and Adapalene all have slightly different effects. Also, these products come in various strengths and formulations, so you may have to experiment to find the formulation that helps the most while causing the minimum amount of irritation.
Another vitamin A derivative, Accutane, is an oral drug as opposed to a topical preparation, and due to its side effects, is usually reserved for severe or persistent adult acne. It shuts down skin oil production and hyperkeratosis quite effectively, but its effects are felt throughout the body, potentially resulting in dry skin, joint pains, dry eyes, cracked lips, hair loss, depression (not surprising since the brain is composed mostly of fatty compounds called phospholipids), liver and kidney failure. It has been linked to an increased risk of suicide. Blood tests for liver and kidney function are mandatory at the beginning of treatment. The drug is usually taken for several months at a time, sometimes for 2 or 3 courses.
The drug causes severe birth defects if taken by pregnant women, and conscientious birth control is mandatory for female patients.
The effects of Accutane are often permanent : it is a true cure for acne. However, some users have found the side effects permanent as well, and there are several lawsuits pending against the manufacturer. There is no known way to reverse the effects of the drug after taking it; that is, there is no antidote if the user finds the side effects persistent and intolerable after a course of the drug. Many websites can be found full of complaints by ex-users who wish they had never taken the drug. Due to the risks, this is a medication of last resort, and is not recommended for mild teenage acne which can be treated by other means.
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