There are many treatment options for acne. These include topical medications and oral medications. Treatments such as chemical peels and laser treatments can also help to treat acne.
When prescribing acne treatment, your doctor will assess the type of acne, whether it is mild or severe, and if is predominantly comedonal (e.g. blackheads and whiteheads), or inflammatory (red papules and cysts) or a combination of both as different treatments may benefit different types acne to different extents.
The main oral medications used in acne treatment are oral antibiotics, oral isotretinoin (vitamin A analogue) and oral hormonal treatment in women.
If oral medication fails, there can be various reasons for this:
- The treatment may not have been appropriate for the type of acne
- The duration of treatment was not sufficient or the dose was inadequate
- Side effects limited the use of the medication. Sometimes, the treatments do fail in certain individuals.
If oral treatment fails, your doctor or dermatologist will usually reassess to see the reasons for the failure. Topical treatments can be added to the oral treatments for better control of the acne. In addition, adding on treatments like laser treatments of chemical peels may also help to control the acne better. It is best that the condition is reassessed by the doctor as the treatments prescribed are individualised for each patient and the treatment can be adjusted accordingly.
