Saturday, March 14, 2009

Antibiotic Treatment for Serious Acne

Acne Free in 3 Days
Read How

When your acne gets worse, you feel helpless and desolated, to the verge of desperation. When nothing works to cure your acne, you will need to consult your physician for more advanced treatment by antibiotics. You will find sustained relief and ultimate cure, on a systemic use of antibiotics. Antibiotic acne treatment is a part of systemic therapy, which is prescribed to you in case of severe acne. Systemic therapy simply means internal therapy.

The indications that lead to resorting to antibiotics are,

* When topical treatment repeatedly fails on moderate to severe acne.
* Chest and back acne, because acne in these areas are less responsive to topical than oral therapy.
* Patients with sensitive skin, who cannot tolerate the irritation of topical treatments.

You will find many effective antibiotics that are available for acne treatment. Topical antibiotics like 2% Erythromycin, 2% Clindamycin are administered along with 5 % Tetracycline. But they are not as effective on severe acne. So, you will need a topical antibiotic acne treatment in combination with systemic doses. However, a point to note here is that topical antibiotics are mostly used on inflammatory acne. They have the capacity to inhibit Preprionobacterium acnes, the bacteria that cause acne vulgaris.

Tetracycline, erythromycin and Minocycline are probably, the most commonly used antibiotics in acne treatment. Cotrimoxazole is also equally effective. Tetracycline is initially given in doses of 1 gm per day and helps in reducing the P. Acnes and inflammation. Maintenance levels, that give indications of relief, are reached only after 4 months. In severe cases of acne, the dosage may be increased to 2 gm per day. You will need to take tetracycline on an empty stomach.

Ampicillin, another effective antibiotic used in the treatment of acne, produces results in 4-6 weeks and it should be followed by topical antibiotic treatment. Minocycline (50-100mg per day) resolves inflammatory, stubborn acne more rapidly than tetracycline. It is mainly used in patients, who do not respond to tetracycline. You will need to consider the side effects of Minocycline, like dizziness and headaches.

Isotretinoin is a recent and very effective antibiotic used in the treatment of acne. You will definitely find some relief and cure for your acne. It is proved consistently effective and its effect also lasts longer. Oral Isotretinoin is not advised for pregnant women, as it is known to cause serious birth defects of babies. You will need to take precautions like negative pregnancy test, one month ahead of treatment and three months after once it is stopped. Always remember to combine this antibiotic with an oral contraceptive pill for complete safety. Older patients respond very well to antibiotic acne treatment, when the acne is beginning to resolve naturally. However, it is not advisable to stop the antibiotic treatment prematurely, as many types of acne become too stubborn in case of advanced treatment.

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