by Flor Serquina

Treatment for acne has been around for thousands of years. In fact, some ancient Egyptian records indicate that certain pharaohs had acne. Records of ancient treatments used ranged from sulfur to mineral water. In the 1930s, even laxatives were used for acne.

These days, most modern treatments for inflammatory acne vulgaris take into consideration the trigger factors involved in an individual and the severity of a particular condition. Treatments can range from topical creams, oral tablets and laser therapies. Treatments tend to be continuous, lasting for several weeks before significant improvement is noticed.

The goal of treatments for acne vulgaris include: (a) reducing the redness and inflammation of the skin, (b) killing the bacteria that causes the inflammation and (c) regulating hormones if these are determined to be the cause.

Following are some of the methods for treating inflammatory acne vulgaris.

Exfoliation

For mild to moderate acne, exfoliation is sometimes used to help shed dead skin cells to clear up hair follicle openings and prevent the build up of sebum. This helps prevent inflammation and prevents bacteria from accumulating.

Exfoliation is a process that involves shedding the uppermost layer of the skin by using either a mechanical or chemical method. The mechanical method usually utilizes a scrub or cloth that is mildly abrasive. This helps unblock clogged pores and prevent sebum from accumulating. The chemical method usually involves a liquid agent containing either or both glycolic acid and salicylic acid. Of these, dermatologists usually prescribe the chemical method of exfoliation as a treatment for acne vulgaris because rubbing the skin often leads to further irritation.

Antibacterial soaps

Soaps and facial washes that contain antibacterial ingredients also help fight acne vulgaris but they are often used to supplement other treatments such as topical creams and gels. Antibacterial soaps can vary in strength - some may contain only 2% of the active ingredient while others can contain up to 10%. These soaps are keratolytic, meaning that they have the ability to dissolve the keratin that clogs the pores. They are also antibacterial, effectively killing P.acnes and preventing new lesions from developing.

Benzoyl peroxide

Benzoyl peroxide is also the active ingredient in topical creams and gels and is probably the most common treatment for inflammatory acne vulgaris. It is a reliable treatment because it is not only a keratolytic, it also acts as an oxidizer so it's similar to mild bleach. These characteristics of benzoyl peroxide make it one of the most popular treatments for acne vulgaris because bacteria do not develop resistance against it.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics like tetracycline, erythromycin and clindamycin may also be prescribed either as topical ointments or as oral medications. They are equally effective, although some patients report some side effects when taking oral antibiotics, such as stomach upset or possible reactions against other medications.

For small areas, such as the face and neck, topical antibiotics may be used. If inflammatory acne vulgaris appears in a much wider area, it may be impractical to use topical antibiotics, so oral antibiotics are prescribed instead. Topical treatments are often used twice daily after washing while oral treatments are taken once or twice daily, depending on the recommendation of the doctor.

Cortisone injections If an acne vulgaris case involves large pimples or does not respond to treatments, cortisone injections may be used. Cortisone is used directly into the pimples, effectively reducing the redness and swelling within a short period of time. This is often the treatment of choice for patients who do not want the possible scarring that often results from surgery.

Hormonal treatments

For some female patients, hormonal treatments in the form of contraceptive pills containing an estrogen/progestogen combination may be effective. Other pills containing a combination of estrogen and cyproterone have also shown some success.

Laser treatment

Laser treatment is often used to minimize the scarring caused by inflammatory acne vulgaris. It can effectively kill bacteria, burn the sebaceous glands to reduce the production of oil and prevent future inflammation by destroying the hair follicle sac.

Laser treatments, if used properly by licensed doctors can produce excellent results. Sometimes, it can even show significant improvement in only 1 to 4 treatments. The only drawback is that it causes skin thermal damage, has the risk of producing hyper-pigmentation and is also rather expensive.

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