Acne can many times be a devastating disease to struggle with. It can cause severe physical and emotional damage and sometimes these effects are long lasting.  The sebaceous glands in our body along with the hair follicle are responsible for acne.  When the follicle gets clogged with too much skin bacteria, and continues to produce oil it becomes a large swollen area on the skin.  Sometimes it turns into a cyst.  Usually they are filled with pus and white blood cells because the body has started an immune response to get rid of the infection. Basically your body is doing too good of a job at getting healthy!   There are a lot of ways to treat acne.  This article will focus primarily on acne treatments that are topical in nature, which means they are applied directly to the skin.

Topical Antibiotics

There are several antibiotics that are used topically to treat acne.  They aim to kill the propionibacterium acnes bacteria which is the bacteria that is the root cause of acne.  The antibiotics actually seep into the pores and work at killing small infections within the pores and it works double time to keep the pores open and prevent infection.  They have undergone numerous changes in recent years with quite a few changes to how they are made.  In order to obtain any of these antibiotics, a doctor must prescribe them.

Clindamycin

This is actually the most popular antibiotic to use topically for acne. Some people take this antibiotic orally but it is most widely prescribed for use as a topical agent.  When used orally it can cause an intestinal infection called pseudomembranous colitis which is also known as Cdiff.  It is a terrible infection so you are better off using it topically.  It can be used in conjunction with other medicines for the skin and it usually comes in the form of a lotion or gel with about 1% strength.  Some people may experience irritation or redness, but most experience no side effects.  You will apply it twice a day to all areas where there is acne however you do not want to use the product if you have a history of antibiotic induced colitis.

Erythromycin

This is another antibiotic that has been used orally in the past to treat acne, but it is also a highly effective topical antibiotic as well.  Many people switch over from taking the antibiotic called tetracycline.  The reason why is because erythromycin also has anti-inflammatory properties.  This can help in reducing redness, lesions, it kills bacteria.  Taken orally the dosing is roughly 250 – 500 mg twice a day.  It does cause nausea.  The topical version also can help reduce bacteria and inflammation on the lesions.  It is the next most common topical antibiotic compared to Clindamycin.  It is comes in a solution, gel or ointment versions and there is roughly a strength of 2% concentration.  You will apply it twice a day to all areas of redness and acne.  It doesn’t usually cause irritation, but it can in some cases.  It can be used by women who are pregnant with no adverse side effects.

Tetracycline

This is the most often prescribed antibiotic for acne.  It is most often used as an oral antibiotic starting at about 500mg a day and is taken until the acne has gone away or there is at least a decrease in the amount of redness and lesions.  At this point some doctors will just decrease the dose but many people opt to stop taking the antibiotics.  This antibiotic is most effective when taken on an empty stomach so for a young teenager this can be difficult since they are growing and are often eating quite a bit.  Also, taking antibiotics on a regular basis isn’t good for the digestive system as it.  It can be damaging to our normal flora or parasites that live in our intestines and help promote healthy digestion.  It is sometimes although rarely used topically and is available in an ointment or solution at varying strength.  This contains the chemical sodium bisulfite which is a sulfa derivative and has been known to cause allergic reactions.  It has also be linked with causing skin yellowing.

Metronidazole

This antibiotic is used mainly to treat acne rosacea which is a chronic condition in which the skin of the face becomes very inflamed and causes sores.  It is different than acne vulgaris or cystic acne.  It will decrease the redness of the skin and sores but may not cure it. It is available as a cream, lotion or gel at .75% strength and is used twice a day on the affected areas.  You will use this medicine for 3 weeks before noticing an improvement in the skin and you want to continue using this for at least 6 weeks.  You must not stop without discussing it with your doctor because the symptoms of rosacea will get worse when you stop taking this drug.  If you are using this product you will wash your skin about 15-20 minutes before applying the drug. Then apply a thin layer cream, lotion or gel and gently massage it into the skin.  You want to apply a moisturizer after if your skin is dry and requires it.