Antibiotics used to be a common treatment for acne, and while there is still a role for antibiotics in certain acne cases, its use has largely been superseded by other topical treatments, Isotretinoin medication and other light-based treatments such as lasers.
Some common antibiotics used to treat acne include: Doxycycline, Minocycline, Tetracycline and Erythromycin.
At SL Aesthetic Clinic, we offer Doxycycline as an antibiotic to treat acne in suitable patients. While Minocycline is a comparatively more effective antibiotic for the treatment of acne, its potential side effects are more serious than Doxycycline.
Antibiotics have two main beneficial effects on acne:
The effectiveness of oral antibiotics are limited in treating acne. Several clinical studies show that oral antibiotics may reduce symptoms by approximately 50%, but are not more effective than other acne medications.
Generally, we prescribe antibiotics for acne in 2 situations:
Antibiotics are usually prescribed for 1 – 3 months. Antibiotics do take a few weeks to work and usually not continued for more than 3 months to reduce the risk of developing antibiotic resistance.
Acne has many causes and underlying reasons, which means a whole arsenal of solutions are ready to tackle these causes. These include photodynamic therapies, chemical peels, acne injections, and isotretinoin medication.
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