Oral

Oral medications are used to treat moderate to severe inflammation in acne. Your doctor will consider using oral medication to clear the acne faster in cases where topical treatment is inadequate to control the inflammation, or when the risk of scarring is great, such as in nodulocystic acne (where there are nodules and cystic lesions).

Oral medications consist of antibiotics, hormonal therapy and isotretinoin.

Oral antibiotics
Antibiotics are the most commonly prescribed oral medication in acne treatment. They are the first line of oral treatment, and have proven effective, with good safety records over periods of more than 30 years. Oral medications may be prescribed to treat moderate to severe inflammatory acne, where topical treatment is inadequate.

Oral antibiotics work in several ways. They reduce the population of P. acnes, the bacterium involved in the formation of inflammatory acne. Effective antibiotic therapy can reduce R acnes by 90% or more. Systemic antibiotics also inhibit the action of certain pro-inflammatory chemicals and reduce inflammation in moderate to severe acne.

Zeno Acne Clearing Device with 60-Count Cartridge

Duration of treatment
Benefits of oral antibiotics usually take four to six weeks to show. During this initial period, the patient must take the medication regularly, as treatment failure is often due to non-compliance. As the inflammatory acne clears, the dosage of antibiotics will be gradually reduced, and eventually stopped. Unlike common bacterial infections such as upper respiratory tract infections, which require consumption of oral antibiotics for just several days to weeks, inflammatory acne usually takes three to six months to clear.

Many patients are concerned about taking antibiotics for such a long period. However, the safety of systemic antibiotics in acne treatment is well established. Once the lesions clear, the doctor will stop antibiotic treatment and put the patient on maintenance topical medication. There is no need to take oral antibiotics to prevent acne.

Oral Antibiotics For Acne Treatment