The best treatment for acne

The skin of our human body is the largest organ, and the skin protects our body. If our skin has problems of one kind or another, it will pose a threat to our physical health, so we must protect our skin. The skin is prone to some diseases, and the occurrence of skin diseases brings difficulties to our treatment, because skin diseases take a long time to treat and are prone to recurrence.

Acne is a common skin disease. It takes a long time to treat acne, and we also need to prevent the recurrence of acne. So do we have any way to treat acne? What is the best treatment for acne?

Acne is a chronic inflammatory skin disease of the pilosebaceous unit that mainly occurs in adolescents and has a great psychological and social impact on them, but it often subsides or heals naturally after puberty. The clinical manifestations are characterized by polymorphic skin lesions such as acne, papules, pustules, nodules, etc. that are prone to occur on the face.

1. Daily care

Wash your face with warm water once or twice a day to clean your skin, and avoid squeezing or scratching skin lesions with your hands. Avoid using oily and powdery cosmetics and ointments and creams containing glucocorticoids.

2. Common methods of acne treatment

(1) Topical medications: Retinoic acid (retinoic acid cream, adapalene gel, tazarotene gel), benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics (clindamycin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, etc.), azelaic acid, sulfur lotion, etc.

(2) Oral antibiotics

Tetracyclines (minocycline, doxycycline, etc.) are the first choice, followed by macrolides (erythromycin). Avoid antibiotics commonly used to treat systemic infections such as levofloxacin. The course of antibiotics is usually 6 to 12 weeks.

(3) Oral isotretinoin For severe acne, oral isotretinoin is the standard treatment and currently the most effective method for treating acne. The treatment course aims to achieve a minimum cumulative dose of 60 mg/kg.

(4) Anti-androgen therapy

For example, the oral contraceptive cyproterone acetate combination tablets (trade name Diane-35) is suitable for female patients with moderate to severe acne, accompanied by symptoms of excessive androgen levels (such as hirsutism, seborrhea, etc.) or polycystic ovary syndrome. Female patients with delayed-onset acne and acne that is significantly aggravated before menstruation may also consider using oral contraceptives.

(5) Oral glucocorticoids are mainly used for fulminant or aggregated acne, following the principle of short-term, low-dose, and combined with other methods.

(6) For patients who cannot tolerate or are unwilling to receive drug treatment, physical therapy such as photodynamic therapy (PDT), fruit acid therapy, laser therapy, etc. can also be considered.

3. Grading of treatment for acne

(1) Level 1 is generally treated topically, with topical retinoic acid preparations being the first choice.

(2) Level 2: Combined use of topical retinoids and benzoyl peroxide or antibiotics, and oral antibiotics if necessary.

(3) Grade 3 often requires combined treatment, with oral antibiotics combined with topical benzoyl peroxide and/or retinoic acid drugs as the first choice. Antiandrogen therapy may also be considered for female patients where indicated.

(4) Level 4

Oral isotretinoin is the most effective treatment and can be used as first-line therapy. For patients with more inflammatory papules and pustules, systemic antibiotics combined with topical benzoyl peroxide can be used first, and then oral isotretinoin can be used for sequential treatment after the skin lesions have improved significantly.

4. Maintenance treatment of acne

Regardless of the treatment method used, maintenance treatment should be continued after the skin lesions have significantly subsided. Topical retinoic acid drugs are the first choice, and maintenance treatment should be continued for 6 to 12 months. Benzoyl peroxide can be used in combination if necessary.

Above we introduced what acne is. We know that acne is a common skin disease. Acne is relatively difficult to treat. It takes a long time to treat, and it is easy to relapse during the treatment process. The above article introduces in detail the best treatment methods for acne.