Top 3 Tips on Choosing Best Acne Medication For You

When people are inflicted with acne, they immediately look for ways to get rid of it. This is because having acne can really lower one’s self esteem. Especially when your lifestyle or work entails you to meet a lot of people in person, it becomes important to seek acne medication right away.

However, with the many types of products in the market today, it’s easy to get confused. Today, you can opt for over-the-counter acne medication such as cleansers, astringents, creams, and toners, or you can also ask your dermatologist to prescribe an acne medication for you.

What Works For You

When choosing acne medication, make sure you consider several factors such as the severity of your acne, as well as your skin type.

Don’t just go ahead and choose the first medication you see that promises to give you an overnight solution. It could take up to two weeks for you to notice a change and even months to really clear up your acne.

Also, make sure you don’t just use a product that works for your friend. Although it did clear up her acne, take into consideration that her skin or condition might be different from yours. What works for her might not work for you, so it’s best you get your own acne medication.

Over-the-Counter Acne Medication

If the severity of your acne is mild to moderate, then going for OTC acne medication will be your best bet. These types of medication usually contain drying agents that promote drying up of your skin’s excess oil, one cause of acne.

They could also contain antibacterial properties that help kill the bacteria that could further worsen acne infections. Some of these products may have active ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, sulfur and resorcinol to help clear up your acne.

Prescription Acne Medication

If your acne is severe, it’s best to pay a visit to your doctor or dermatologist to seek prescription acne medication. This could come in a form of antibiotic cream or oral antibiotic that could aid in killing pimple-causing bacteria.

Your doctor or dermatologist can also prescribe you creams containing Retin A, which is from a derivative of Vitamin A. Retin A is responsible for peeling off the top layer of dead skin cells that could clog up pores and cause acne.

If those options still didn’t work for you, you can use Isotretinoin. It is an oral acne medication that dries up over-active oil glands and thus significantly lessens oil production.

Most patients experience total clearing up of acne within four to six months of taking this medication. However, exercise caution in using this product, and talk this over with your specialist since it is known to show adverse side effects such as birth defects and liver damage.

An option for teenage girls is also the use of birth control pills. Since hormones can be a cause for acne, then your doctor could also prescribe you birth control pills that lessen the activity of male sex hormones (androgens), the hormone that produces oil.

But whatever acne medication you use, be sure to follow a self-care regimen to keep excess oil and dirt from your skin. Find the best product for you by considering your skin type and acne condition, and take the step to clearing up your acne for good.