Prescription Acne Medications – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Acne is a rather common skin problem that many teenagers and adults alike suffer from. While many times home remedies or over the counter medications can provide some help, in some cases acne is so severe that it requires more drastic measures to be taken. Some people who have very bad acne are put on prescription acne medications to help deal with the severity of their acne. There are a variety of different prescription acne medications out there; however, often they really are not the best choice. If you are considering prescription acne medications or you are already on them, there are many things that you need to be aware of.

2 Types of Prescription Acne Medications

When it comes to acne medications available by prescription, there are two different types that you may be prescribed. First of all, there are topical prescription medications for acne that you actually put on your skin. There are also medications that you take by mouth as well that work from the inside out. The following are a few names of prescription acne medications that your doctor could prescribe for you.

Benzoyl Peroxide – While no doubt you have seen this ingredient in many over the counter medications, your doctor can prescribe this for you in a higher concentration.

Retinoids – Another type of prescription acne medication is retinoids. Usually your doctor will prescribe a topical retinoid cream for you; however, if that does not help you may also be prescribed retinoids by moth as well.

Oral Contraceptives – Some studies have shown that oral contraceptives can help treat acne in young women. If you do not respond to other medications, your doctor may put you on an oral contraceptive to help combat your acne.

Antibiotics – In some cases, dermatologists also use antibiotics to help treat acne. They work on getting rid of the bacteria that causes acne from the inside out. It is important to note that usually this medication is used only as a last resort for people with very severe acne.

The Good

There are some good things about taking acne prescription medications. Many people do find that they work well for them, at least temporarily. Some people try many different types of treatments for their acne with no luck. This can be extremely frustrating, and in some cases prescription acne medications are the answer. While they may be effective for some people and they may provide some temporary relief, it is important that you are aware of the negative side to these medications for acne as well.

The Bad

While prescription acne medications may help in some cases, there are a variety of negative effects as well that you may have to deal with. The first of course is the negative side effects that often come with taking prescription medications. There are definitely quite a few side effects that you may experience if you take these medications. Benzoyl peroxide can excessively dry out your skin and retinoids can make you extremely sensitive to the sun. Oral contraceptives can lead to weight gain and antibiotics have numerous side effects and can lower the amount of good bacteria in your body. If you are considering taking prescription acne medications, you need to decide whether or not you can live with these bothersome side effects.

The Really UGLY Problems

One of the worst things about prescription acne medications is that you usually have to go through a trial and error stage. Sometimes it can take awhile of trying different expensive medications to actually find one that works for you. This can quickly get expensive and it can play havoc on your skin as well.

Another ugly problem with prescription acne medications is that even if they work for awhile, they may not work very long. In some cases you can actually build up a resistance to the drugs you are taking for acne, especially with antibiotics. If this happens, the bacteria that you are trying to kill actually get more hardy and they are harder and harder to get rid of. When you build up an immunity to the antibiotics, the acne can actually come back even worse than it was before.

As you can see, prescription acne medications have some good points; however, they do have quite a few bad points as well. If you are dealing with acne, you will want to carefully consider both the good and the bad of these medications before you decide to take them. In many cases you will find that natural treatments can help provide acne relief that is less expensive and without all the side effects as well.

**************

If you are dealing with very severe acne, your dermatologist may be talking about putting you on some acne medications. As with any type of medication, there are always good and bad points to them and it is important that you know both sides before you start taking any kind of medication. Although some people have found that prescription acne medications provided some relief and help for their acne, there can also be many side affects that come along with these medications.

Before you start taking any kind of prescription acne medication you need to know the facts on these drugs. Will they cause side effects? Will they really help your acne? How long will they work? These are the questions you need to be asking before you start the medication. For more helpful information on prescription acne medications, you will definitely want to go to my website and read my article…Prescription Medications – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.