Treatments
Treatment for Blackheads, Whiteheads, and Mild Inflammatory Acne
OTC or topical medicines for people with mild acne are typically prescibed by doctors.
There are a number of OTC topical medicines, such as:
- Benzoyl peroxide – effective for Propionibacterium acnes.
- Resorcinol – it can break down blackheads and whiteheads
- Salicylic acid – it can cut down the shedding of cells in the hair follicles
- Sulfur – it breaks down blackheads and whiteheads.
Topical OTC medicines are available in such forms as gels, lotions, creams, soaps, or pads.
Treatment for Moderate to Severe Inflammatory Acne
People with moderate to severe inflammatory acne may be treated with prescription topical or oral medicines, such as:
Several types of prescription topical or oral medicines are used to treat acne, such as:
- Antibiotics – it stops the growth of bacteria and reduces inflammation.
- Vitamin A derivatives (retinoids) – it unplugs existing comedones, allowing other topical medicines, such as antibiotics, to enter the follicles.
- Benzoyl peroxide, sodium sulfacetamide/sulfur-containing products, or Azelaic acid.
- Isotretinoin (Accutane) - it reduces the size of the oil glands so that much less oil is produced
- Retinoid (vitamin A derivative)
Treatment for Severe Nodular or Cystic Acne
People with nodules or cysts should be treated with medicines described above.
Phototherapy
‘Blue’ and red light
Visible light can be successfully employed to treat acne, in particular, intense violet light generated by fluorescent lighting, dichroic bulbs, LEDs or lasers. Used twice weekly, it can reduce the number of acne lesions by about 64%; and is even more effective when applied daily.
