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Acne happens when follicles on your face get plugged with oil and dead cells. Triggers for outbreaks include skin irritation, hormonal imbalances [teens and pregnancy] and increased oil secretion. You can experience acne outbreaks on your face, back, chest, neck and shoulders.
While acne has no long-term health effects, it can cause significant emotional distress and result in permanent scarring on the skin.
Treatments for the condition include over-the-counter topical treatments, cleansing regimens and prescription oral and topical treatments. One of the mainstays of treatment have been antibiotics because it is a combination of the excess oils and bacteria that create the acne symptoms of pustules, whiteheads, blackheads and cysts.
Some of the more common medications include benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, clinadamycin, erythromycin, doxycycline, tetracycline, Differin, Tazorac and Retin-A. Each of these antibiotics has advantages and disadvantages to using them. Most have side effects, although some more than others. Most have methods of administration which make the antibiotic more effective for the prescribed problem.
In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Aesthetic Dermatology, researchers evaluated the use of tetracyclines, one of the more popular group of antibiotics prescribed for acne vulgaris. They found that when physicians had a greater understanding of the absorption of the medication and distribution, and communicated those instructions to the patients, the individual experienced greater success in the treatment of the condition.
Dermatologist try to use a short course of antibiotics to treat moderate to severe acne and to fight the inflammation in the area. The antibiotics have two many effects - to reduce the amount of bacteria on the skin and to reduce inflammation. Most of the time the doctor will recommend tapering off the antibiotics once the symtpoms begin to improve or it becomes clear that they are not going to help in your individual case.
Most antibiotics have side effects that include increased sensitivity to the sun, so it's important to cover your skin, wear a hat on very sunny days and to wear sun screen at all times. Antibiotics can also reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives.
However, one signficant drawback is that once oral antibiotics became a common way of treating acne, antibiotic resistance also significantly increased in that population as well.
According to Ausralia's National Prescribing Services it is important for regular follow up appointments with your dermatologist to evaluate the need for continued anitibiotic treatment and to evaluate any other adverse side effects from treatment which can occur at any time during treatment.
Research published in the Archives of Dermatology, researchers found that patients who received antibiotic therapy for the treatment of their acne were much more likely to experience an upper respiratory tract infection with a year of treatment than in individuals who had not undergone antibiotic use.
The evidence does not make it clear if the antibiotics changed the normal flora in the body enough to encourage an infection or if the antibiotics lead to a system wide change in the body which altered the immune system.
(1) Journal of Clinical Aesthetic Dermatology: Oral Antibiotic Therapy for Acne Vulgaris http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3050614/
(2) National Prescribing Services: Oral antibiotics: an option in acne but consider the risks http://www.nps.org.au/health-professionals/health-news-evidence/2013/oral-antibiotics-for-acne
(3) Archives of Dermatology: Antibiotic Treatment of acne may be associated with upper respiratory tract infections http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16172310
RESOURCES
DermNet Nz: Antibiotics for Acne http://www.dermnetnz.org/acne/acne-antibiotics.html
MayoClinic: Acne http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/acne/basics/definition/con-20020580
NPR: Doubts Raised over antibiotic use for acne http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5162937
Go Ask Alice: Medications for Acne http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/antibiotics-and-acne
Medscape: A controversial proposal http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/809056_1