Other Topicals Used To Treat Acne

Newer agents, such as azelaic acid, and older preparations that contain sulfur and sodium sulfacetamide are used as alternatives or addons to retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, and benzoyl peroxide/antibiotic preparations. They're the second line of defense when the first team isn't doing so well or, more commonly, isn't tolerated.

 

 

For those of you who want to go a more "natural route," azelaic acid might be right up your alley. Azelaic acid is a naturally occurring acid found in grains like wheat, rye, and barley. Azelaic acid has been shown to possess:

 

Azelaic acid can be found in 20 percent creams under the brand names Azelex or Finevin. Apply it in small, pea-sized amounts once or twice a day to a clean, dry face to all acne-prone areas.

 

Most people start to see improvement in their acne within four to six weeks. It is tolerated fairly well; however, some people experience mild side effects such as redness and scaling.

 

 

The combination of sulfacetamide and sulfur can be effective in the treatment of inflammatory skin lesions without the unpleasant side effects (primarily a rotten egg odor) that occur with sulfur preparations alone. They're less effective than retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, and benzoyl-peroxide-and-antibiotic combinations, but as with azelaic acid, they're sometimes useful as adjunctive therapy for the inflammatory component of acne as well as for rosacea.

 

Sulfacetamide/sulfur combinations are available as lotions, creams, and washes. You can find a host of products that contain sodium sulfacetamide 10 percent and sulfur 5 percent, such as Rosula, Rosac, Rosanil, Nicosyn, and Novacet, to name a few. Rosac also contains a sunscreen. In general, apply these products twice a day on clean dry skin to all acne-prone areas.

 

Some of these preparations have color tinting in them so that they can serve as a cosmetic cover-up to hide the redness of acne. Sulfacet-R is one of them. This medicine comes with a color blender that allows you to change the tint of the lotion to match your skin color.