Choosing a prescription acne medicine

Prescription acne medicine is used in cases of severe or very severe acne.  Almost all of these medicines will include Benzoyl peroxide or some similar chemical, since this compound is proven to be effective in fighting acne.  Prescription medicines are a valid option, one of many, used to clear acne, help prevent scarring, and clean the skin.  The range and types of medication vary depending on a patient's needs and situations.

There are topical medications, which basically means medicine applied directly to the skin.  This includes alcohol pads like Oxy, or various creams.  These medications vary widely in strength, and treat everything from mild to severe acne.  Most of the acne medicines you find on the shelves of stores will be topical, and since topical medicines can be applied directly to the skin area affected by acne, they remain popular in stronger prescription forms, as well.

There are also systemic therapies.  These are usually medicines that work internally, and are most used to treat severe acne, though once in a while they may be used to treat moderate cases.  These medicines take a slightly different route than topical medicines and work by attacking various different factors that lead to acne.  Given a severe enough situation, doctors may actually combine two or more therapies to maximize results.   Oral antibiotics are a main feature of many system therapies.  These are used to attack the P. acnes population (a contributing factor in acne), and while initially it was extremely successful, and still enjoys some degree of success, increasingly doctors are finding that acne strains are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. 

Topical medications attempt the same thing as systemic therapies in that they work to slow, if not stop, the P. acnes populations, and are often, in fact, used in conjunction with other treatments.  As with any prescription acne medication, a dermatologist should be consulted, as he/she will have the expertise to tell you whether this type of a medication is correct for your situation or not.  Retinoids are among the most common of topical medicines.  Retinoids are derived from vitamin A and are highly regarded by dermatologists, making up approximately half of the prescription acne medicines in the.

There are a variety of other prescription medicine methods are used to prevent and/or treat acne, as well.  In addition to pills, there are also even injectibles, though these are less popular for obvious reasons.  Isotretinoin (commonly called Accutane) make up most of the other half of the market, though caution should be taken.  Isotretinoin was designed to specifically treat only one type of extreme acne.  Accutane should be prescribed for severe cases of nodular acne that have already been resistant to other treatments.  While extremely effective in fighting acne, this drug has also had some major side effects including depression and suicidal tendencies, and should never be used for a mild case of acne. 

From pills to creams to shots, the different methods of prescription acne medicine are numerous, though all with the same intent.  As with any prescription, get consultation from a doctor.  You wouldn't break your own arm and re-set it yourself, you would go to a hospital.  Dermatologists are trained to treat your skin, trust their judgment and you will receive the prescription you need.