Popular Prescribed Acne Medications

What are the best medications for the treatment of acne and pimples? If you have been having trouble controlling your acne breakouts by washing your face regularly and the acne is getting worse, it may be time to see a dermatologist. If the acne gets bad enough, you may have problems with scarring from the breakouts. The dermatologist will determine which medications may be best for you by your skin type and the condition of your acne. Some medications are topical creams and others are taken orally. There is a lot of medications out there, I will only list the more commonly prescribed ones here. With a little online research, you will learn a lot about what can be used and the side effects that may be experienced.

The following information was found with the help of the Mayo Clinics website, Mayoclinic.com. First listed are the topical lotions, they help kill bacteria and help normalize the dead skin cells. Tretinoin and Adapalene are prescription lotions, Tretinoin would be found in Avita, Retin-A, Renova, and Adapalene would be found in Differin. Azelaic Acid works by reducing bacteria and has a benefit of improving the discoloration left after acne has healed. Tazorac cream or gel is a retinoid that their website calls a prodrug. It means it is inefective until it passes through the skin, they claim it is the only retinoid to do that.

Oral antibiotics are another type of product that may be prescribed. If you have a more severe acne condition, the dermatologist may prescribe antibiotics to help fight bacteria and infections. Oral antibiotics fall into the groups: tetracyclines and macrolides. Tetracycline may need to be taken many times during the day on an empty stomach and it may make your skin sensitive to the sun. Doxycycline is a newer tetracycline that may be more tolerable to use. What may be the most effective tetracycline is Minocycline. It works at killing the bacteria the fastest and the bacteria does not build a resistance to it like may happen with the others. An alternative to use is Erythromycin, it is more affordable but not as effective as the others. Oral contraceptions are another prescribed medication for acne. It can be used for acne caused by hormonal imbalance in teenaged girls.

Remember that you should only use any of these medications if prescribed to you by a medical practitioner. You may experience some side effects with any of the above medications. Your doctor will be able to monitor your progress and make any changes as needed. If you have any discomfort from the medication, be sure to bring it up to the doctor so they can make changes in your prescription.