What can clear severe acne? (2024)

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What can clear severe acne? (12) Find a Dermatologist

You can search by location, condition, and procedure to find the dermatologist that’s right for you.

What is a dermatologist?

A dermatologist is a medical doctor who specializes in treating the skin, hair, and nails. Dermatologists care for people of all ages.

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Is it really acne?

Acne or rosacea? Adult acne Baby acne Stubborn acne Acne symptoms What is acne

If you wake up to find a few large pimples on your otherwise clear face, you may consider that severe acne. Likewise, a breakout of whiteheads and blackheads before a first date may seem like severe acne. But that’s not the type of acne we’re talking about here.

What is severe acne?

What can clear severe acne? (14)
People who have severe acne tend to have many breakouts, which can cover their face, chest, and back. Severe acne can also appear along the jawline and neck. Sometimes, it develops on the buttocks.

Severe acne causes breakouts that often extend deep into the skin. Called cysts and nodules, these breakouts tend to be painful. When severe acne clears, acne scars often appear.

You may also see many blackheads, whiteheads, or both when acne is severe.

Anyone who has severe acne knows how stubborn it can be. You cannot clear it with acne treatment that you buy at the store. To see clearing, you either have to wait it out or see a dermatologist. Waiting out severe acne can take years.

Benefits of treating severe acne

Living with severe acne can be tough on your psyche. Many studies have found that acne can lead to poor self-esteem, depression, or anxiety. People with acne may stop hanging out with friends and family. Going after a job promotion or trying out for a sport may no longer seem worthwhile.

Acne treatment can help. Many studies show that treatment for severe acne can:

  • Clear acne

  • Prevent new scars

  • Boost a person’s mood and self-esteem

How dermatologists treat severe acne

When a patient has severe acne, a dermatologist often recommends treating it with one of the following.

Antibiotic + medicine you apply to the acne:This is often the first treatment recommended for severe acne. Taking an antibiotic can reduce the redness and swelling of acne. The medicine you apply to your skin works on reducing bacteria and clogged pores.

If this treatment fails to clear your skin, your dermatologist may switch your antibiotic or talk with you about isotretinoin (eye-so-tret-eh-no-in).

Isotretinoin:This is a potent medicine that attacks all four causes of acne—bacteria, clogged pores, excess oil, and inflammation (redness and swelling). About 85% of patients see permanent clearing after one course of isotretinoin.

Due to possible side effects, you will need to carefully consider whether you want to take this medicine. If you decide to take isotretinoin, you must enroll in a monitoring program.

Birth control pill (females only):A birth control pill can be an effective part of an acne treatment plan. When treating severe acne, a birth control pill may be used along with an antibiotic or a medicine called spironolactone (spy-ren-no-lac-tone) to get the acne under control.

Give treatment time

Give your acne treatment time to work. It can take two to three months to see improvement.

What can clear severe acne? (15)

If the pill may be an option for you, it’s important to tell your dermatologist about all of your medical conditions, including heart disease. Your dermatologist must weigh the risks of using a birth control pill to treat acne against the benefits.

Spironolactone (females only):This medication can also effectively treat severe acne in women. It reduces excess oil.

If this may be an option for you, be sure to tell your dermatologist about all of your medical conditions.

Acne removal:Your dermatologist can use a few different techniques to remove a large cyst or nodule.

One way your dermatologist can get rid of a painful cyst or nodule is to inject it with a corticosteroid. This helps to quickly reduce the size and pain.

Another procedure is called incision and drainage. It’s used to drain a large, painful acne cyst or nodule that medicine cannot clear. You should not try to drain a cyst or nodule at home. The risk of infection is great when done outside of a medical office.

Dermatologists use a procedure called acne extraction to remove whiteheads and blackheads that fail to clear with acne treatment.

Low-dose prednisone:This is a super-potent corticosteroid. Dermatologists prescribe it to treat a very serious type of severe acne called acne fulminans. It’s also used to treat pityrosporum folliculitis, an itchy, acne-like rash.

Maintenance plan helps keep skin clear

After you see clear (or nearly clear) skin, you still need acne treatment. However, the type of treatment may change. Most people can keep acne away with proper skin care and medicine they apply to their skin. Without this treatment, acne can return quickly.

Skin care plays key role

Even when treating acne, the right skin care is essential. Acne-friendly skin care can make the difference between seeing clearing and an acne flare. You’ll find skin care that dermatologists recommend at, Acne: Tips for managing.

No one needs to live with severe acne

While severe acne can be stubborn, it’s not impossible to get clearing. Thanks to advances in treatment, virtually all acne can clear with a dermatologist’s help.

Images
Severe acne:Image used with permission of the American Academy of Dermatology National Library of Dermatologic Teaching Slides.

Acne along jawline:Image from Thinkstock

References
Zaenglein AL, Graber EM,et al. “Acne vulgaris and acneiform eruptions.” In: Wolff K.et al.Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology in General Medicine, 7thedition. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., USA, 2008:696-700.

Zaenglein AL, Pathy AL,et al. “Guidelines of care for the management of acne vulgaris.”J Am Acad Dermatol. 2016;74:945-73.

What can clear severe acne? (2024)

FAQs

What clears up severe acne? ›

For moderate to severe acne, you may need oral antibiotics to reduce bacteria. Usually the first choice for treating acne is a tetracycline (minocycline, doxycycline) or a macrolide (erythromycin, azithromycin).

What kills acne bacteria fast? ›

Benzoyl peroxide.

This ingredient kills bacteria that cause acne, helps remove excess oil from the skin and removes dead skin cells, which can clog pores. Benzoyl peroxide products that you can buy without a prescription are available in strengths from 2.5% to 10%.

How to treat acne when nothing works? ›

If you don't see improvement after 4 to 6 weeks, add a second acne product to your treatment plan. This approach can help attack the different causes of acne. Bacteria, clogged pores, oil, and inflammation can all cause acne. Of course, the second treatment should attack a different cause of acne.

What will severe acne need to be treated with? ›

Isotretinoin: This is a potent medicine that attacks all four causes of acne—bacteria, clogged pores, excess oil, and inflammation (redness and swelling). About 85% of patients see permanent clearing after one course of isotretinoin.

How do you treat acne super fast? ›

  1. Apply Ice to the Pimple: ...
  2. Apply a Paste of Crushed Aspirin to the Pimple. ...
  3. Use An Over-the-Counter Acne Spot Treatment. ...
  4. Use Makeup with Salicylic Acid to Conceal Pimples. ...
  5. Apply a Face Mask for Acne. ...
  6. Get a Cortisone Injection to Quickly Get Rid of a Pimple.
Jul 25, 2024

What if my acne won't go away? ›

If your acne persists for more than a couple of months, if it's causing scarring and if topical therapies haven't been effective, it might be time to consider a systemic treatment, like an antibiotic, as a next step.

What is the strongest natural antibiotic for acne? ›

1. Tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is a natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, which might kill P. acnes, the bacteria that causes acne. Tea tree oil's anti-inflammatory properties mean that it can also help reduce the swelling and redness of pimples.

What age is acne the worst? ›

Acne effects around 90% of adolescents with the prime age across all genders being the teenage years of 14-19 years old. For people who have widespread acne that is classed as moderate to severe, more intervention in the form of acne treatments is often required.

What is the fastest acne treatment? ›

Cortisone shots rapidly reduce the appearance of pimples and help them heal faster. You may not want to run to your dermatologist every time you notice a blemish, but this is a reliable option for clearing up surprise pimples when time and efficacy is a priority.”

Why is my face not clearing up? ›

Eating poorly and keeping an irregular sleep schedule can boost the production of stress hormones. This can damage your skin, resulting in inflammation and acne breakouts. If you're struggling to figure out why your skin keeps acting out unexpectedly, you may want to evaluate your diet and sleep patterns.

How to tell if acne is hormonal or bacterial? ›

Location: Bacterial acne is more frequently found on oily skin regions like the forehead, nose, and chin, while hormonal acne is typically found on the lower face and jawline. Timing: Before menstruation or during ovulation are two times of the menstrual cycle when hormonal acne tends to worsen.

What does B12 acne look like? ›

The clinical appearance of acneiform exanthema occurring during treatment with vitamin B6 or B12 consists of loosely disseminated small papules or papulopustules on the face (especially on the forehead and chin), on the upper parts of the back and chest and spreading to the upper arm.

What is the root cause of severe acne? ›

How acne develops. Acne develops when sebum — an oily substance that lubricates your hair and skin — and dead skin cells plug hair follicles. Bacteria can trigger inflammation and infection resulting in more severe acne.

What is the most aggressive acne treatment? ›

Isotretinoin. Isotretinoin is a treatment for severe acne that comes in capsules. It has a number of beneficial effects: it helps normalise sebum and reduce how much is produced.

What is the hardest type of acne to treat? ›

Acne conglobata is one of the most severe forms of acne. It involves many inflamed nodules that are connected under the skin to other nodules. It can affect the neck, chest, arms, and buttocks. It often leaves scars.

Why is my acne breaking out so bad? ›

It can be caused by many things, including skin-care products, picking, hormones, stress, medical issues, smoking, diet, and more.

What is good for severe body acne? ›

Try a topical retinoid

Products like Differin (adapalene 0.1%) gel and Retin-A play a crucial role in the treatment of acne by regulating skin cell turnover, so dead skin cells don't clog pores, and reducing inflammation deep in the skin to not only clear but prevent future pimples.

Which acne is hardest to treat? ›

Nodules and cysts are the most severe form of acne. You have to see a dermatologist to clear up severe acne. Picking or popping nodules and cysts can lead to scars.

References

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