What is a good topical treatment for acne? Part 2

Retinoids have been around for many years and are infinitely better than any antibiotic or herbal product. One has the best chance of a cure with a retinoid. Retinoids act by decreasing oil on skin and also help remove dead skin and debris. This helps unplug the pores and prevent pimples. Retinoids also prevent the acne from spreading and reduces the redness.

Before one gets a pill (Accutane), it is best to try a topical retinoid ointment. The topical Retinoids are also much cheaper than the pill. Your physician may be unwilling to give you a retinoid pill but one can ask for a topical retinoid. In general, Retinoids are reserved with severe and recurrent acne.

Most physicians will use a retinoid when all other medications have failed. The topical retinoid creams do require a prescription. The drugs are effective but one always has to be aware of the side effects.

Tretinoin: For decades, Tretinoin (Accutane) was the only available topical medication for acne. Even as a single agent, Accutane is fairly effective for mild to moderate acne. Today, Tretinoin is available in various formulations such as a gel, cream or a liquid. The liquid formulation works best for acne. The liquid should be applied 2-3 times/day after washing the face. Retinoids act like skin peelers and side effects of the drug include dryness, redness, and peeling of skin. Some individuals also develop a mild irritation to the drug.

The skin irritation is fairly obvious and is usually associated with higher strength cream. The other fact about Tretinoin is that after application, one should avoid the sun. Retinoids can cause photosensitivity- meaning that the skin becomes very sensitive to sun and one can easily develop a severe sunburn like effect. Thus, a sunscreen is highly recommended after application of Tretinoin.

Always start with low concentration of Tretinoin. If irritation does occur, it will generally improve with time. The dryness of skin and redness is common initially and usually subsides over the next several days. One can also use a small amount of skin moisturizer to decrease skin peeling and dryness.

Retinoids do tend to work on at least 50%-70% of individuals. This number is better than all other drugs combined. In most cases, several weeks of application of the cream will do the trick. The great thing about Retinoids is that when used for long periods, they can also erase signs of photo-aging, fine lines and solar pigmentations.

When the topical Retinoids fails, one may want to try the pill, which is many times more effective.