Traditional medical and pharma treatments for acne and new acne treatment break-throughs
Many acne treatments can be obtained direct from the supermarket but those with more than a minor problem with spots and pimples should consult a pharmacist or doctor.
Treatment may take a few weeks to start having useful effects. Products should be used regularly not just when a spot arrives.
Washes and scrubs
It is thought that these may be helpful, particularly in minor cases and when combined with another form of treatment. Many acne washes and scrubs contain salicylic acid as an antibacterial agent.
Topical acne treatments such as creams and lotions
There are a number of topical treatments for blackheads and mild to moderate acne and these can usually be bought over the counter at pharmacists. The active ingredients in these vary but include Azelaic acid (Skinoren), Nicotinamide (Freederm) and Benzoyl peroxide, one of the most popular acne-fighting preparations.
All of these agents can intitially lead to some redness and scaling but this usually passes within a few days. Benzoyl peroxide can be used at lower strength 2.5% forumula on alternate nights, rising to 10% each night, once skin has become accustomed to it. Beware that benzoyl peroxide can bleach bedding and clothing.
These may all help, but follow instructions carefully.
Vitamin A acne creams and lotions
These are based on tretinoin (Retin-A) and Adapaline (Differin), and work by softening the material blocking pores and unblocking ducts. Again, these can cause redness and flaking of the skin and it's important to follow instructions.
Topical antibiotics
These are antibiotic acne drugs which are applied direct to the skin in gel, liquid or cream forms. They include Clindamycin (Dalacin T), Erythromycin (Stiemycin), and Tetracycline (Topicycline). Sometimes they are combined with benzoyl peroxide, zinc or tretinoin and this can improve performance. (Some of these show up under ultraviolet light, so watch out if you are clubbing!)
Blue light therapy for acne
Trials show that sitting in front of a special light box (not a sun lamp!) giving off a mix of blue light and red light can help to improve acne in mild and moderate cases, especially when combined with benzoyl peroxide.
Click here for more details.
Oral antibiotics for acne
These are antibiotics, such as oxytetracycline, doxycycline and erythromycin, which are taken by mouth and they are often useful in more severe cases of acne and for cystic acne.
It can take several weeks for these to show any improvement so patience is needed. The efficacy of these antiobiotic treatments can also wear off after time.
Dianette
Dianette can be prescribed to women, usually combined with oral antibiotics to control acne, for up to three years.
Roaccutane
Roaccutate tablets are based on isotretinoin vitamin A and, in most countries, can be prescribed only by a dermatologist. Roaccutane is used mainly for severe, cystic acne or, in some cases, for moderate acne when all other treatments have failed to work.
Roaccutane is highly effective but it also has a number of side effects and so those treated with the drug are regularly monitored by their doctors. Fears that Roaccutane increased the risk of acne patients suffering from depression, leading to suicide, were dismissed by a study published in November 2010.
Roaccutane is usually a hospital only treatment and regular patient monitoring is required because of concern over possible depressive side effects.
Women who are prescribed roaccutane must be able to avoid pregnancy for a 6 month period overlapping a 4 month course of therapy.
Roaccutane is also known as Accutane, Claravis, Amnesteem, Clarus or Decutan.
New research and new treatments for acne
New acne cure linked to coconut milk
A promising new acne treatment could be available soon thanks to a breakthrough in bioengineering. Lauric acid is a natural product found in human breast milk and also in coconut milk.
A new, experimental smart delivery system consisting of ‘nano bombs’ capable of delivering this coconut milk based lauric acid directly to acne-causing bacteria, has been developed by a graduate bioengineering student from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.
One of the problems with current acne treatments is that they often have undesirable side effects, including redness of the skin and burning, but the coconut milk based Lauric acid treatment avoids these, according to the researchers.
Acne vaccine in development
Researchers at the Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA, and the Department of Dermatology, Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Veterans Affairs, Los Angeles, California, have developed a vaccine for inflammatory acne. The vaccine has already been tested on mice but researchers have yet to establish if it will also work on humans.
Azficel-T acne treatment 'improves' acne
The autologous cellular product azficel-T produced significant improvement in acne scarring compared with placebo, according to new study results reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. The product, Laviv (Fibrocell Science), was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of moderate to severe nasolabial folds. It is the first FDA-approved personalized cell therapy for aesthetic use, according to Dr. Girish Munavalli of the dermatology department at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C. In the multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, skin biopsies were collected from 119 patients with moderate-to-severe depressed acne scarring of at least 9 cm2 for at least 3 years. The biopsies were used to produce individual fibroblasts for each patient. Up to three injections of 2 mL of autologous fibroblasts (10-20 million cells/mL) were given on one cheek and placebo on the other at 14-day intervals in 99 of the patients. Treatment was administered at a dose of 0.1 mL/cm2 into areas of acne scarring. Adverse events were recorded for each cheek.
On to acne prevention >.
