Acne medications
There is a great number of acne treatment products sold online. The question is which medication will help you to really cure acne. Before recommending a treatment plan, your dermatologist considers many factors such as your gender, age, and acne severity. For women the considerations are whether you are pregnant, trying to become pregnant or nursing.
Be sure to tell your dermatologist all the necessary information before starting any treatment for acne. This information will help the specialist create an appropriate treatment plan.
First of all there is a variant of topical (applied externally) acne treatment. This is standard care for mild forms of acne.
Some common topical acne medications that dermatologists prescribe include antibiotics and antibacterials like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Topical acne medications come in many forms: gels, lotions, and creams. Dermatologist will determine the most appropriate form for your skin.
Oral antibiotics are used for curing more severe forms of acne, in case if topical treatment isn’t effective and if acne covers a large part of skin. Specialists prescribe to treat acne with such antibiotics as Tetracycline, Doxycycline, Minocycline, Erythromycin, Trimethoprim, and Azithromycin.
Oral contraceptives don’t have strong effect on acne but still some contraceptive pills have been approved as a way of treating acne. They are Estrostep, Ortho Tri-Cyclen, and Yaz.
Isotretinoin (other names: Accutane, Roaccutane, Tretiva) is used for systemic treatment for acne. This is the only medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat the most severe forms of acne.
It’s proved that retinoids (medicines similar to vitamin A) like Isotretinoin are rather effective in acne treatment. Isotretinoin decreases the size and output of skin pores, reduces the number of bacteria on the skin surface. Isotretinoin is taken orally with a meal. For acne treatment several dosing regimens may be used. But the most common regimen involves starting with a low dose and then increasing the dose after several weeks. Depending on your reaction to Isotretinoin, your doctor may decide to adjust the dosage upward or downward.
The length of the treatment course depends on the state of the patient’s skin but generally lasts from 15 to 20 weeks. The recommended dosage range for Isotretinoin (Accutane) is 0.5 to 1.0 mg/kg/day given in two divided doses with food for 15 to 20 weeks.
| Body Weight | Total mg/day | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| kg | pounds | 0.5 mg/kg | 1 mg/kg | 2 mg/kg* |
| 40 | 88 | 20 | 40 | 80 |
| 50 | 110 | 25 | 50 | 100 |
| 60 | 132 | 30 | 60 | 120 |
| 70 | 154 | 35 | 70 | 140 |
| 80 | 176 | 40 | 80 | 160 |
| 90 | 198 | 45 | 90 | 180 |
| 100 | 220 | 50 | 100 | 200 |
*the recommended dosage range is 0.5 to 1.0 mg/kg/day.
Some of my patients say that their acne gets worse after starting Isotretinoin therapy. This is not really so, the number of acne lesions usually does not increase, it’s just that the lesions may become redder or more painful. This is a normal reaction of the skin because it should get accustomed to the ingredients of the medicine. This reaction lasts only a short while, and it’s not a reason to stop using Isotretinoin.
Amongst the side effects of Isotretinoin are dry skin (this requires the frequent use of moisturizers); dry and cracking lips; nosebleeds; itchy skin; thinning hair; excessive peeling of the palms and soles; muscle aches and pains; increased sensitivity to the sun causing sunburns more easily. Isotretinoin must not be used by female patients who are or may become pregnant.
Although the course of acne treatment with Isotretinoin is rather long it should be taken into account that after a 16-week therapy 85% of the patients are clear.
Moreover, Isotretinoin has some beneficial effects: it still reduces acne lesions and improves scarring when the medication usage is discontinued; the skin responds better to the usual acne treatment.
Isotretinoin is an effective medication for acne control and cure. My patients usually notice the changes in their state in two weeks after they start taking this remedy as treatment for acne.
Here is the list of recommended online pharmacies to buy Isotretinoin (Accutane, Roaccutane, Tretiva):
They’ve showed themselves as a reliable source of medications. And I’ve never heard my patients complaining about bad service or delivery problems.