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Treatment for Mild Acne

Blackheads, Whiteheads, and Mild Inflammatory Acne
Doctors or *dermatologist (doctors who specialize in skin problems) usually recommend an *OTC topical (applied to the skin) medicine or a prescription topical medicine (prescribed by your doctor) for people with mild signs of acne. Topical medicines are applied directly to the acne lesion or to the entire area of affected skin.


OTC Products
There are several OTC topical products you can buy in stores that are used for mild acne. Each works a little differently. Following are the most common:

  • Benzoyl Peroxide - destroys *P. acnes (the bacteria that causes acne), and may also reduce oil production.
  • Resorcinol - resorcinol together with sulfur can help break down blackheads and whiteheads - resorcinol is less frequently used alone in treatment of acne.
  • Salicylic Acid - helps break down blackheads and whiteheads, also helps cut down the shedding of cells lining the hair follicles.
  • Sulfur - helps break down blackheads and whiteheads, acne treatment in use for 50 years or longer, combined with other agents such as alcohol, salicylic acid, and resorcinol, sulfur is still a constituent of some of the most heavily marketed over-the-counter medications. Sulfur is less frequently used by itself as an acne treatment due to its unpleasant odor. Although long used in treatment of acne, it is not known how sulfur acts on the skin to influence the development of acne.


Topical OTC products are available in many forms, such as

  • Gels
  • Lotions
  • Creams
  • Soaps
  • Pads

In some people, OTC acne products may cause side effects such as:

  • Skin irritation
  • Burning
  • Redness

Usually these side effects get better or go away with continued use of the medicine. If you experience severe or prolonged side effects, you should report them to your doctor.


OTC topical products are somewhat effective in treating acne when used regularly, however, it may take up to 8 weeks before you see noticeable improvement.

The goals of treatment are:

  • To heal existing lesions
  • Stop new lesions from forming
  • Prevent scarring
  • Minimize the psychological stress and embarrassment caused by this disease

Drug treatment is aimed at reducing several problems that play a part in causing acne:

  • Abnormal clumping of cells in the follicles
  • Increased oil production
  • Bacteria
  • Inflammation

All medicines can have side effects. Some medicines and some side effects are not mentioned above. Some side effects may be more severe than others. You should review the package insert that comes with your medicine and ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have any questions about the possible side effects.

Depending on the extent of the problem, the doctor may recommend one of several over-the-counter products and/or prescription medicines. Some of these medicines may be topical (applied to the skin), and others may be oral (taken by mouth). The doctor may suggest using more than one topical medicine or combining oral and topical medicines.



Glossary For This Page

*Dermatologist
Dermatologists are doctors who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of skin problems. They treat all kinds of acne, particularly severe cases. Doctors who are general or family practitioners, pediatricians, or internists may treat people with milder cases of acne.

*OTC (over-the-counter)
Products you can buy at a pharmacy or on store shelves without a doctor's prescription, such as cold medicine, acne topical medicines, medicines for stomach pain, or pain relievers. A few examples - aspirin, advil (pain reliever), aleve (pain reliever), ibuprofen (pain reliever), antacids (heartburn, gas, indigestion), Monistat (treats yeast infections), laxatives (for constipation), sleep aids, and benzoyl peroxide for acne.

*P. acnes
P. acnes stands for Propionibacterium acnes. P. acnes is a *Gram-positive, *microaerophilic bacterium that causes skin wounds.

*Gram-positive
Gram-positive (Gram +) Bacteria - Bacteria that turn dark purple-blue-black color by the *Gram staining method. Gram-positive bacteria do not have a secondary outer membrane, which allows the stain to penetrate the cell. Example of Gram-positive bacteria - Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus (common cause of boils), Clostridium tetani which cause tetanus (lockjaw), Streptococcus pyogenes (causes a sore throat and scarlet fever), Bacillus subtilis, and Actinomyces odontolyticus (found in mouths). Example of antibiotics used to fight gram-positive bacteria infections - Novobiocin, Linezolid (Zyvox ®), Daptomycin (Cubicin ®), Clindamycin (Cleocin ®).

*Microaerophilic
Requires reduced levels of oxygen to survive.

*Gram Staining Method
A staining procedure used to classify and identify bacteria as either Gram-positive bacteria or *Gram-negative bacteria. Example - certian antibiotics are used to treat infections by gram-positive bacteria, and other antibiotics are used to treat infections by gram-negative bacteria. Penicillins are a group of antibiotics that are often used to treat infections by gram-positive bacteria. Not all species of bacteria can be stained by the Gram staining method.

*Gram-negative
Gram-negative (Gram -) Bacteria - Bacteria that turn red-pink color by the Gram staining method. Opposite the Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria have a secondary outer membrane that prevents the dye from penetrating and staining the cell. Some examples of Gram-negative bacteria - Escherichia coli (E. coli), Pseudomonas, Salmonella, Legionella, Spirochete (also spelled spirochaete), Serratia, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Klebsiella, Proteus, and Enterobacter.

Some antibiotics are used to treat both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.