5 Things You Need to Know About Acne Medicine

1. Choose Symptom-Based Treatment

Acne treatments work in several different ways. They can work by reducing inflammation, fighting bacterial infection, promoting dead skill cells to regularly fall off, reducing oil production or a combination of all four. There are acne medications available based on the severity of the disorder and a dermatologist can help you determine what course of treatment will be best for you and your symptoms.

2. Treat the Skin Directly

Topical acne lotions come in over the counter and prescription varieties. Over the counter topical treatments work by killing bacteria, sloughing off dead skin cells and may dry up the oil in the skin. They are good for mild acne but not for more severe forms of the skin disorder. For more severe cases of acne, prescription topical treatments, such as Tretinoin or adpalene, are better suited to cure your acne. Derived from Vitamin A and sold under the name Avita, Retin-A or Differin, prescription acne medications work by plugging hair follicles and encouraging cell turnover.

3. Swallow an Acne Remedy

For moderate to severe acne, you may need oral acne antibiotics. Oral treatments can lessen bacteria and fight inflammation, which will keep the recurrence of acne down or eliminate it altogether. Depending on the severity of the acne a dermatologist may prescribe both an oral and a topical medication for treatment. Because of birth defect risks, you shouldn't take oral acne medications during pregnancy.

4. Severe Acne Requires a Powerful Approach

For people with severe, drug resistant acne, Isotretinoin may be the right medication for you. Isotretinoin, sold as Accutane, is a powerful medication for those people who have acne that is resistant to other treatment or causing cystic scarring. It's reserved for the most severe forms of acne and requires special monitoring for women of reproductive age. Severe birth defects are one of the major side effects associated with this drug, so if you're pregnant or may become pregnant, Accutane is not for you.

5. Birth Control for Acne

Oral contraceptives have been shown to improve moderate to mild acne in women. Orhto-Cyclem and Ortho-Tri-Cyclen are two types of birth control pills that have been shown to improve acne. The FDA approved Ortho-Tri-Cyclen in 1997 as an acne treatment but because of its low dosage of hormones, it shouldn't be used for birth control. Before making the choice to use birth control as a way to treat acne, talk to your doctor to discuss other possible treatments as well as the side effects that come from taking birth control.