Acne treatment
Acne causes a great deal of concern to many patients, from teenagers to older adults. We see many patients who feel that they should have "grown out of their acne" by now and feel very frustrated. Acne sufferers can have reduced quality of life and often feel socially isolated or have a negative self image.
However, for the vast majority of acne patients, there is treatment that can help. Many people spend large sums of money on remedies from pharmacies or cosmetic counters, yet feel that they are not making sufficient progress. It may be better to focus your time and money on treatments that are likely to produce good results.
Treatments for acne include:
- Face washes
- Benzoyl peroxide washes and creams
- Retinoic acid creams and gels
- Antibiotic creams
- Combination creams - mixtures of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories (eg zinc, benzol peroxide) and retinoids
For some patients, medications taken by mouth (oral treatment) may be more appropriate:
- Contraceptive pills (certain types only)
- Antibiotic tablets
- Isotretinoin tablets (commonly known as Accutane or Roaccutane)
Which treatment is right for me?
This is the key to success. Only a specialist dermatologist can assess your skin and your general medical health to determine the appropriate treatment for you . For your acne, this will depend on several factors:
- Is you acne inflammatory - with pus spots and nodules?
- Is your acne mainly pore blockage (whiteheads and blackheads) - comedonal acne?
- Are you getting scars?
- Are you getting increase pigmentation at the site of old spots?
- Is for acne worse with menstruation (females only!)
The answers to these and other questions will help guide how your treatment is chosen. It may be that you start off on one treatment but change over the months as your dermatologist learns how your individual skin and acne is responding to treatment.
Will I need any special tests?
Acne can be diagnosed by the appearance of your skin, by an expert dermatologist. However, sometimes tests regarding hormonal conditions may be necessary or sometimes you need tests prior to treatment such as with isotretinoin. Female patients who might have polycystic ovarian syndrome may have an ultrasound of the ovaries performed if appropriate. Any tests will be discussed with you at the time of the consultation. If you think you have had these tests recently, please bring copies of the results with you for your appointment.
What should I do next?
If you would like to have an individual assessment of your acne and your treatment options, the best thing is to book in to see a dermatologist. We shall explore the history of your acne and your medical history: it would help if you could bring a list of your previous treatments, if you can remember them. You can be seen privately at any of our three venues: The London Clinic, the BMI Sloane Hospital, Beckenham Kent, or King's College Hospital, London.