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There are various acne scar treatments available, and you know how to get rid of acne scars. It can be home remedies, injection or oral antibiotics.

How to Get Rid of Acne – Treatments and Home Remedies
Treatments and Home Remedies of Acne

Acne can either be mild in most cases or severe in some case. Having acne can be stressful and affect both in psychological or social leading to low self-esteem, depression and in some cases result in suicide. Can acne medication cause depression?

Acne is common in people of all ages. Factors such as hormonal changes, genetics, excessive sweating are considered to be causes of acne.

Acne or pimple is simply develop by overproduction of oil which blocked pores on skin resulting in enlarge and attract dust, bacteria and dirt. These pores can be seen on the skin as whitehead or blackhead acnes.

Treatments of Acne

  • How to Treat Mild Acne Case?
    Getting rid of mild acne can be done easily and effectively using simple steps at home or with over the counter medication. The medication can be bought at a pharmacy without a doctor’s prescription.
  • How to Treat More Severe Cases of Acne?
    In severe cases of acne, a visit to dermatologist or skin specialist is required to get rid of acne.

    Prescribed medication like Clear Pores Acne Treatment needed for severe acne. Medication can be in the form of oral antibiotics, cream or lotion.

acne treatments

Treatments of Acne

Types of Treatments for Acne

  • Oral or Topical Antibiotics: Dermatologist prescription is required. Antibiotics are used to stop the growth of acne as well as to reduce pimples acne and inflammation. Erythromycin and tetracycline are common oral antibiotics used as acne treatments for sensitive skin.
  • Visit Your Dermatologist: A visit to dermatologist is necessary for severe acne cases. The skin specialist will provide with mostly oral or topical acne treatment antibiotics and other medication such as cream and lotion is best for treating acne scars on face and on back.
  • Treating a cyst with intralesional corticosteroid injection
    Multiple studies have shown, One of the treatments to get rid of acne is to inject a diluted corticosteroid to an inflamed cyst. [1]

    There is a risk of rupturing if the acne cyst becomes inflamed and leaving scar. Injection will reduce the inflammation and speed up the healing process and to get rid of acne cyst.

  • Isotretinoin
    According to the study, Oral isotretinoin is the best oral retinoid treatment for severe acne and the fastest way to treat acne vulgaris treatment. [2]

    It reduce sebum (oil) secretion, acnes infection as well as has anti-inflammatory properties. It is used for patient that does not respond to regular treatment of severe acne.

  • Oral Antibiotics
    The aim of using oral antibiotics is to reduce Propionibacterium acnes which affected with bacterium.

    Although initial dosage is high, it becomes lower once the acne reduces. The maximum period of acne resistant to antibiotics is six months.

  • Oral Contraceptives
    It is a long-term treatment for acne problem in women. It suppress the overactive gland. However it is recommended to consult with gynecologist first for women who are over 35 and has a long history of migraine or a habit of smoking.
  • Topical Antimicrobials
    Patients with severe or moderate acne has used topical antimicrobials to reduce infected acne. It is normally prescribed by dermatologist as a topical retinoid to apply on a skin.

    Topical antimicrobials are also an active form of Vitamin A that unclog and prevent the acne from developing.

OTC Medications: There are different types of over the counter (OTC) medications to get rid of acne.

OTC medication doesn’t require doctor’s prescription and easily buy at pharmacy. Most OTC medication are applied to the skin. Common active ingredients found in OTC are:

Resorcinol – comes from various resins and prevent blackhead and whitehead acnes. Used as a treatment for dandruff, eczema and psoriasis.

Benzoyl Peroxide – According to the study, it reduce oil production and kills of the bacteria. [3]

Salicylic Acid – Acne treatments with salicylic acid are more effective in anti-inflammation and swelling. It is also used to get rid of acne pores and prevent them from blocking.

Sulfur – Helps reduce both blackhead and whitehead acnes in the affected areas.

Azelaic Acid – It reduce oil production and slows down bacteria growth. It normally used in patients with darker skin and comes in the form of soaps, gels, creams and lotions.

Home Remedies to get Rid of Acne

how to get rid of acne scars with home remedies

Acne Treatment Home Remedies

A simple way to get rid of acne dark spots is by using home remedies. One study found that, Tea tree oil or the straight oil is an alternative of benzoyl peroxide cream and prevent from mild acne. [4]

Soak the oil with the cotton pad then dip the pad in the water and apply to affected areas three times per day.

Baking soda can use as a scrub by mixing with water and paste onto to skin for 30 seconds. It is commonly used for treatment-resistant acne. An oatmeal mask acts as a smoothing and healing skin acne treatments for adults with sensitive skin.

Additional Skincare Tips:
The best treatment for acne is to taking care of the skin.

  • Clean the skin with mild non-drying soap to remove dirt and makeup
  • Avoid touching the face with hands or fingers
  • If there is a pimple, stop scratching or squeezing the pimple or acne as it will worsen the condition

Can acne be prevented? Although it may be difficult, precaution can prevent from spreading and free of scarring.

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4 Sources

We review published medical research in respected scientific journals to arrive at our conclusions about a product or health topic. This ensures the highest standard of scientific accuracy.

[1] Gallagher T, Taliercio M, Nia JK, Hashim PW, Zeichner JA. Dermatologist Use of Intralesional Triamcinolone in the Treatment of Acne. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2020;13(12):41-43.
[2] Endly DC, Miller RA. Oily Skin: A review of Treatment Options. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2017;10(8):49-55.
[3] Sinha P, Srivastava S, Mishra N, Yadav NP. New perspectives on antiacne plant drugs: contribution to modern therapeutics. Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:301304. doi:10.1155/2014/301304
[4] Enshaieh S, Jooya A, Siadat AH, Iraji F. The efficacy of 5% topical tea tree oil gel in mild to moderate acne vulgaris: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2007 Jan-Feb;73(1):22-5. doi: 10.4103/0378-6323.30646. PMID: 17314442.
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Sam Kramer, MS, RD, CSSGB, LDN, CISSN

Sam Kramer is a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist, Six Sigma Green Belt Certified, and Certified Sports Nutritionis