Acne is an area studied within dermatology, its
cause, symptoms and treatment make up the area of study. The main
trigger of acne in both the young and in adults, is all down to
hormones and how they effect a unit within the skin. This unit that we
speak of is made up of a hair, the hair follicle and a sebaceous gland.
Acne will be seen on the surface of the skin - mainly in areas such as
the face, neck, chest and back; its cause due to the overgrowth of a
skin bacteria called propionibacterium acnes. This bacteria is normally
found within the body, but only causes concern when its numbers
increase; this happens due to an overproduction of sebum in which it
feeds from. In turn, the hair's follicle is damaged at the lining and
follicular parts enter the dermis; this causes inflammation in the form
of acne.
In dermatology, antibiotics are used for the
treatment of acne; their primary purpose being to reduce the amount of
bacteria around the hair's follicles. As acne becomes a problem, the
body responds by producing more white blood cells whose chemicals can
be a further irritant to the skin; antibiotics also work to reduce
these irritants. Third, the bacteria will cause more fatty acids within
the sebum which causes further inflammation on the surface of the skin;
antibiotics will try to reduce the numbers of fatty acids too. Let us
take a look in more detail at the most common types of antibiotics used
to reduce acne.
Tetracycline is the most used antibiotic for the
treatment of acne. It is often advised to be taken twice a day in doses
of 500mg until the acne has cleared considerably. After notable
improvements, the amount taken is reduced by half or the patient will
be taken off medication completely. It is always recommended to seek
the advice from you doctor about the best treatment as some antibiotics
are not suitable for those of a certain age or for pregnant women. A
further note on tetracycline, is that teenage boys seem to recover less
notably than others. This antibiotic is best taken on an empty stomach
- of which growing teenage boys rarely have!
Erythromycin is another antibiotic that is used in
dermatology and for the treatment of acne. It works well at combating
the bacteria and reducing the inflammation of the skin's surface. It is
preferred over tetracycline for the fact that it is better taken after
food consumption as opposed to an empty stomach - making it a better
option for teenage boys! Like tetracycline, it is taken in doses of
500mg or 250g twice daily and is safe to be used by pregnant women.
Doxycycline is generally prescribed when the
previous two antibiotics are not tolerable by the acne sufferer or if
they have failed to make improvements to the skin problem. Lower doses
are used, normally 50-100mg twice in the day. Again, like erythromycin
it is best taken with food or it can cause side effects such as nausea
or vomiting.
It is important to remember that during the cure
of acne through antibiotics, other symptoms can arise in other areas of
the body such as candida in women. Always make sure that you fully
understand the antibiotic treatment prescribed and can be aware of
possible side effects as defined through the study of dermatology.
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