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There is a range of treatment options to help treat acne. As acne can't be cured, treatments aim to control the symptoms by:
• preventing new spots developed
• improving those already present
• preventing marks
Your GP will in general assess your treatment after six weeks and, if beneficial, rehab will continue for four to six months.
Self-help
It's valuable to keep spot-prone areas clean, so wash the affected area twice a day with an unperfumed antiseptic. The skin needs a certain amount of oil to maintain its natural form, so it's best to use soft soaps and not to scrub your skin too tough when washing.
Medicines
There are a number of over-the-counter remedies available from pharmacies to treat mild acne. These in general contain antibacterial agents such as benzoyl peroxide (eg Oxy and Clearasil Max).
As well as its antibacterial symptoms, benzoyl peroxide can dry out the skin and promote it to shed the face layer of dead skin. Together, these effects make it difficult for pores to turn into blocked and for corruption to develop.
Benzoyl peroxide can cause redness and peeling, specially to start with. This tends to settle down if you reduce the number of times you usage it. You can then build up your dose step by step.
Home treatments for acne won't work the instant. It can take weeks, occasionally months, for major effects to be noticeable. If home treatments haven't worked after two months, or you have serious acne, you should visit your GP.
Your GP may start your rehab by prescribing a preparation containing benzoyl peroxide. If this doesn't work, or if you have more severe acne, there are a variety of other recovery options. These come as creams or lotions that your can rub on to your skin, or as tablets.
Creams and lotions
There are several creams and lotions you may be prescribed, including those listed below.
• Azelaic acid (Skinoren) is an choice to benzoyl peroxide and may not make your skin as sore as benzoyl peroxide.
• Retinoids (eg Adapalene) are medicines based on vitamin A, which you can rub into your skin daily. They work by encouraging the outer layer of skin to flake off.
• An antibiotic lotion, such as clindamycin (eg Dalacin T) or erythromycin (eg Stiemycin), applied to your skin can be used to control the P. acnes bacteria. You will need to maintain this treatment for at least six months.
• Creams and lotions that combine an antimicrobial with other acne medication are also available (eg Quinoderm).
Creams and lotions are just useful where and when they are applied so you should apply these daily to all areas of your skin that are prone to acne.
Tablets
There are numerous oral treatments you may be prescribed.
Antibiotics, such as tetracycline, can be prescribed for inflammatory acne. You should take these daily for all-around three months, although it may take four to six months for you to see the benefits. The success of this recovery can be restricted due the strains of bacteria are often resistant to the common antibiotics. Antibiotics don't prevent pores from becoming blocked so recovery to prevent blackheads, such as benzoyl peroxide, is frequently also prescribed at the same time.
Some types of oral contraceptive tablets help women who have acne. A combination of the common contraceptive pill hormone called ethinylestradiol with cyproterone acetate (eg Dianette) suppresses male hormone activity. This treatment has been shown to diminish sebum production so is often used in women with acne.
Isotretinoin (eg Roaccutane) is a medicine known as an oral retinoid, which is also available as a cream (see Creams and lotions). Isotretinoin works by drying up oily secretions. It tends to be prescribed to people with severe forms of acne that have proved resilient to other treatments. There are a number of serious side-effects of this drug, such as liver disorders and depression. You shouldn't take isotretinoin if you're pregnant, as it's very dangerous to an unborn baby. For safety reasons, isotretinoin is basically prescribed beneath the supervision of a dermatologist (a doctor specialising in skin conditions).
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Acne
