Using Topical Antiniotics To Treat Acne

Because retinoids may be more difficult for you to tolerate and can take a long time to work, your dermatologist may elect to treat your inflammatory lesions (papules and pustules) first with oral or topical antibiotics. They work much faster than the retinoids. So if you're in a hurry to look better, the quicker response can be a helpful incentive for you to continue therapy.

 

Clindamycin and erythromycin are the two most commonly used topical antibiotics for the management of inflammatory acne. Dermatologists consider them to be equally effective. They can be used alone or in combination with benzoyl peroxide and/or oral antibiotics to treat acne as well as rosacea, perioral dermatitis, shaving bumps, and other acnelike conditions.

 

Topical antibiotics directly kill P. acnes. In addition to their antibacterial action, these drugs have an anti-inflammatory action that helps to clear inflammatory acne lesions. Through their bacterial killing ability, they also appear to have a mild indirect blocking effect on the formation of blackheads and whiteheads (known by the fancy medical name of comedogenesis). Topical antibiotics are available in creams, ointments, gels, solutions, and lotions.

 

Topical antibiotics are applied once or twice daily, in a thin layer on all of the acne-prone areas to clean, dry skin. In four to six weeks, you should see a decrease in the size of inflammatory acne lesions. The therapeutic response tends to be more effective when the topical antibiotic is combined with benzoyl peroxide.

Topical antibiotics may promote the appearance of resistant strains of P. acnes. Resistance is diminished by combining them with or using them in conjunction with benzoyl peroxide.

 

Mild side effects such as redness, skin irritation, and scaling are associated with use of these drugs, but most people tolerate topical antibiotics well.

 

If you have a skin condition known as eczema, you may have extremely sensitive skin. Irritation and burning may be associated with applying certain topical antibiotic preparations. This may be avoided if you're prescribed an ointment-based erythromycin such as Akne-Mycin or clindamycin in a lotion preparation.