Is taking antibiotics for acne bad?

Taking oral antibiotics long-term isn’t just dangerous, it’s also not an effective way to treat acne. Try finding the right combination of topical treatments instead.

Can antibiotics help clear skin?

Antibiotics improve the look of your skin by killing bacteria that cause acne. This means you’ll have fewer pimples and redness. Less acne means less acne scarring.

How long does it take for antibiotics to clear up acne?

Oral antibiotics can take about six to eight weeks to start working, so you won’t see results right away. Even if you aren’t seeing any improvement, it’s important to keep taking minocycline as directed by your doctor. Sometimes, bacteria become resistant to antibiotics over time.

Does acne return after antibiotics?

Acne treatment medications work by reducing oil and bacteria and help keep pores cleared of dead skin cells. But acne medications don’t change the way your skin behaves. If treatment is stopped, the pores become impacted again and breakouts return.

Do antibiotics help hormonal acne?

Antibiotics work for most types of inflammatory acne. This includes red pimples, pustules, and mild cystic breakouts. However, they may not work well for severe cystic breakouts or for inflammatory acne that is very hormone dependent.

Can antibiotics cause acne breakout?

Oral antibiotics can aggravate pityrosporum folliculitis because skin-inhabitant bacteria and yeasts are normally in competition on the skin surface. When antibiotics suppress the bacteria the pityrosporum yeasts can over grow. The rash consists of tiny itchy rounded pink pimples with an occasional tiny whitehead.

Does acne get worse before it gets better on antibiotics?

Official Answer. Often for people who take doxycycline for acne, the acne can become worse before it starts getting better, this is sometimes described as the “purging phase”.

Which antibiotic is best for acne?

For moderate to severe acne, you may need oral antibiotics to reduce bacteria. Usually the first choice for treating acne is a tetracycline (minocycline, doxycycline) or a macrolide (erythromycin, azithromycin).

Will acne come back after stopping antibiotics?

After you stop taking antibiotics, your provider will likely recommend that you continue using a topical retinoid medication and benzoyl peroxide to keep your skin clear, even if you don’t get anymore breakouts. If you stop using medications, it’s very likely your acne will come back.

Should you take antibiotics for acne treatment?

Taking oral antibiotics long-term isn’t just dangerous, it’s not an effective way to treat acne. Instead, a Cleveland Clinic dermatologist recommends finding the right combination of topical treatments.

How much clindamycin can you take for acne?

Topical Antibiotics. Clindamycin is very useful as an oral antibiotic for acne, but it is most widely prescribed as a topical antibiotic. The starting dose is 75 to 150 mg twice a day.

What are the best antibiotics for acne in teenagers?

Tetracycline must be taken on an empty stomach to be the most effective. For a teenage boy who eats frequently, this can be difficult. Erythromycin is a very commonly used antibiotic for acne. It has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce redness in lesions in addition to killing bacteria. 3 

What are the side effects of topical medications for acne?

Side effects include redness and dryness. Evidence is not strong in support of using zinc, sulfur, nicotinamide, resorcinol, sulfacetamide sodium or aluminum chloride in topical treatments for acne. Antibiotics.