Acne Cream - Your Guide to Skin Problems

Probably the most popular over-the-counter treatments for average case of acne are ones using benzoyl peroxide. This medication is available as gel or cream rubbed two times a day into the part of the skin which has been affected. As well as creams, these kinds of medication can be bought as soap or liquid face wash with their strength ranging from 2% to 10%.

Benzoyl peroxide treatments have two aims: Firstly they are what's called a keratolytic which means that they will remove the dead skin blocking the pores which should reduce the possibility of an eruption. Secondly they attack the 'Propionibacterium acnes' which are the bacteria which can cause infections and lesions.

During a comparative evaluation exercise between retinoic acid, benzoyl peroxide and erythromycin lotion over a six week period, about 7 in 10 people experienced a reduction in acne when treated with a 10% benzoyl peroxide solution. The side effects of this treatment, as it is a form of bleach, is that it can dry the skin, cause reddening and it irritates the skin so it can best be used in conjunction with a moisturiser of some kind to assist the skin's condition. As mentioned it is a bleach so its application must be done with care as it will affect any fabric or hair as well as the desired area of skin.

As well as over the over-the-counter versions, benzoyl peroxide can be obtained on prescription and whilst the actual concentration of the active ingredient is not likely to be any higher, it will have been created in a medication that penetrates the skin pores more effectively and more deeply.

You may have heard that putting toothpaste on a spot can help. This is because it contains triclosan which is another antibacterial which can be used in the treatment of acne. Similarly chlorhexidine gluconate can be used, however because these are less strong, they are less effective but also therefore not have as many side effects. The effective combination of treatments is often a balancing act.

Skin-based application of antibiotics can be used to attack the bacteria which are found in the blocked follicles. Treatments such as Stiemycin, clindamycin, erythromycin or tetracycline taken externally have the advantage of avoiding stomach problems associated with taking medication orally, and also prevents worry about different medications interacting within the body, such as 'the pill'. One disadvantage is that they are applied locally and therefore very specifically, meaning that covering areas larger than just the face can be more awkward, and also the acne will reappear quite quickly - usually within days of the end of treatment.

The tetracycline antibiotics mentioned above as external treatments can also be taken orally, similar to erythromycin. In the UK, the drug Trimethoprim is sometimes used "off-label" which means that although the medication was developed for one thing (urinary tract infections) it has another application not intended. The advantage of oral treatment rather than topical (external) is that the treatment will last longer in the body. Usually the effect of the drugs will last for weeks after treatment has stopped.

It is worth noting that, as with many aspects of antibiotic medication, the bacteria are developing a resistance to it and over time, these types of treatment are becoming less effective.

As mentioned in the causes of acne page, testosterone is basically the root cause of the problem, so a system of regulation for this chemical can be a treatment. In females, an improvement can be seen from using oestrogen/progestogen treatment, but it is even more effective when combined with Cyproterone which is an anti-testosterone drug.

In extreme cases of severity of a particular outbreak, a skin doctor may directly inject cortisone to reduce the inflamed area and lessen the spot. It speeds up the restoration of the skin and with reduced prominence can be better concealed.

acne prevention and treatment page, Vitamin A is an important part of keeping the skin healthy. Certain problems with the life cycle of skin cells can be countered with drugs such as tretinoin which "normalise" the life-cycle in the same way that Vitamin A does so that the risk of blockage is reduced and the chance of an outbreak is lessened. Unfortunately the side-effects of these drugs, with brand-names such as Retin-A, Differin and Tazorac, is that they may redden the skin, but generally speaking they are quite an effective prescription acne-cure.

One of the better treatments for acne is

a drug such as Accutane, Claravis or Sotret. These are related to Vitamin A and they aim to reduce the oils secreted from the glands with an apparent success rate of 80% in making some improvement in patients. Although requiring a treatment of 4-6 months, it can be known to completely cure acne problems. Those sufferers who do not see an improvement or who relapse may need another course of the same duration. There are some potential side effects of this treatment as with all medications, and attention should be paid to the label.

Referring back to the causes page, you will see that the cause and effect of sunlight on acne has been debated and researched without any firm conclusions being reached. Some would argue that sunlight provides a short-term improvement, whilst other studies suggest that in the long term it can worsen cases!

However, a 2002 study into phototherapy with a high-intensity blue light source was used to successfully treat acne by about 64% when treatment was given two times a week. The suggested reason for this treatment working was that free radicals were generated which killed the 'Propionibacterium acnes'. Subsequent experiments with red light seemed to show an even greater effect, resulting in a 76% reduction and the effect lasted longer after treatment was stopped.

In addition to some methods of preventing acne, lasers can be used to reduce scarring after spots have gone. They can also be used to burn away parts of the follicle and the sebaceous gland that produces the oil.