What factors explain why my cystic acnes are no longer responding to doxycycline, tretinoin, and clindamycin?

Doctor's Answers 1

Thank you for the question.

While oral doxycycline is an effective treatment for acne and cystic acne, there are various reasons why it may have stopped working. You may have developed antibiotic resistance to the doxycycline and this makes the treatment less effective.

Other reasons may be the dose of the medication and you have to ensure that the medication is taken at the optimal dose.

Sometimes, people do fail oral doxycycline treatment. While it is effective for most cases of acne and cystic acne, there are individuals who fail to respond to the treatment. In this case, switching to other treatments will be needed.

You should discuss this further with your attending doctor or dermatologist.

Similar Questions

What should I do if doxycycline is not working for my acne?

It may be because your acne is severe and hence may need stronger treatment like isotretinoin. Another reason is non-compliance or you have not tried doxycycline long enough (usually takes 2-3 months to see significant results). Perhaps your acne is hormonal driven (in females), hence an oral contraceptive may be more beneficial for you. I would advise you to see a dermatologist for further assessment.

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Answered By

Human

What are ways to treat cystic acne when Benzoyl peroxide and Doxycycline did not manage to alleviate the condition? (photo)

Thank you for your question. If cystic acne is not responding to oral antibiotics and topical benzoyl peroxide, oral isotretinoin is a good option as this is a very effective treatment for cystic acne. Intralesional steroid injection is a good option to consider too for cystic acne. It helps to quickly reduce the inflammation and size of the cysts. This treatment can be used together with oral antibiotics or isotretinoin which help to prevent new cysts from developing.

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Answered By

Dr Colin Theng

Dermatologist

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