Antibiotics For Treating Acne

Have You Ever Taken Antibiotics For Acne?

May 16, 2010

Coincidentally, at one point or another within the past six months or so, all of us Bellas have had our own bouts with breakouts. Each of our doctors have prescribed antibiotics to treat our skin care woes. While at first I was uncertain about being on antibiotics — especially because I was not even ill — over the course of my treatment, I noticed a marked improvement in my skin. What about you? Whether it's a topical cream or pills, have you ever taken a round of antibiotics in hopes to keep p. acnes in check?

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34 Comments

2 years 30 weeks

I try to avoid antibiotics because of my history of yeast infections, but if you need to take them for acne, there is a new genetic test called AcneDX that predicts whether or not certain antibiotics will work as a treatment for you...which is great because it can eliminate an ineffective course of antibiotics and all the side effects that go along with that!

GummiBears 3 years 2 days

Yes and it was a bust. The side effects was intolerable and the results were never there. I think I might have to cut out sugar from my diet and see if that makes a difference.

POPSUGAR Beauty 3 years 5 days

Thanks for sharing, everyone. I was very leery of taking antibiotics at first, but yes, they did help.

skigurl 3 years 5 days

not orally, but i did try a cream which worked for a bit and then stopped working after awhilethe only thing that works for me is birth control!

skigurl 3 years 5 days

not orally, but i did try a cream which worked for a bit and then stopped working after awhile the only thing that works for me is birth control!

3 years 5 days

I was on various antibiotics for 10+ years for acne. While each one worked great for the first year, eventually they lost effectiveness. Last fall at the age of 35 I tried Accutane and have been completely clear ever since. The side effects can be rough, but I cannot remember a time since elementary school where I have had flawless skin for 3 days and it's been 3 months!

bonchicbongenre 3 years 5 days

I was on antibiotics for acne in high school and they didn't help. Birth control helped clear up my skin. Also, I used to go tanning in High school and once I stopped tanning my acne almost completely cleared up! My derm said it was because the tanning increased my pore size and oil production.

Natalie Love 3 years 5 days

I had a bad outbreak of acne earlier on this year, after switching birth controls.I used to be on Diane 35 which made my skin perfect, but my gyno insisted it's dangerous and took me off of it, and put me on Yasmin (which is also supposed to help with acne), which wasn't as good with keeping my skin clear, as I whined to go back on Diane, she prescribed to me a gel that's antibiotic & benzoyl peroxide mix. I've tried benzoyl peroxide on it's own before and it just irritated my skin without helping, but somehow this combination has left my skin flawless! Yasmin + Clindoxyl gel = works for me.I guess it's different if you take the pill rather then apply a gel, because I get side affects every time I have take antibiotics for an illness, but the gel didn't give me any.

Natalie Love 3 years 5 days

I had a bad outbreak of acne earlier on this year, after switching birth controls.I used to be on Diane 35 which made my skin perfect, but my gyno insisted it's dangerous and took me off of it, and put me on Yasmin (which is also supposed to help with acne), which wasn't as good with keeping my skin clear, as I whined to go back on Diane, she prescribed to me a gel that's antibiotic & benzoyl peroxide mix. I've tried benzoyl peroxide on it's own before and it just irritated my skin without helping, but somehow this combination has left my skin flawless! Yasmin + Clindoxyl gel = works for me. I guess it's different if you take the pill rather then apply a gel, because I get side affects every time I have take antibiotics for an illness, but the gel didn't give me any.

ashleygaidhlig 3 years 5 days

I tried antibiotics, but they made me terribly sick.

linkinpark9503 3 years 5 days

i account my good skin for living in a very dry climate. one tip: DONT pop your zits. just let them do their thing

3 years 5 days

eesh i feel terrible reading all your stories about your bodies getting used to the antibiotics. Doesnt that mean that the bacteria became resistant to the antibiotics? That's just plain dangerous, and I think its terrible that doctors across america are putting people on antibiotics for acne. I tried antibiotics before i knew about the consequences, and it didnt work that well. I started putting diluted apple cider vinegar on my face when i wake up and before i go to sleep and my acne is completely gone. A much safer and more effective way to get rid of acne.

robinlh912 3 years 5 days

Yes, and it didn't work for crap and I hated it. I started breaking out my freshman year of college, and I got put on antibiotics. There were too many rules that went along with it, such as can't lie down for 30 minutes, have to take it with food, but it can't be dairy. I once didn't eat soon enough after taking it and had to leave class so I could go back to my room and be sick. Being on the pill has really helped my skin so much more than antibiotics ever did.

witchbaby 3 years 5 days

I've been on too many to name antibiotics(Over the course of 4 years) they all worked for a time and then when my body "got use to it" stopped working and all the cystic acne returned with a vengeance. Yaz(kinda helps), Retin-A(but makes my skin very dry), & Acanya gel(not sure if this is helping) is what I'm currently on. Although, my skin is still breaking out. Thinking I'm gonna have to give in and get Accutane even though that was my last straw.

witchbaby 3 years 5 days

3 years 5 days

I was on tertacycline for 2 months and my skin was perfectly cleared up. My doc. recommended that I don't do it long term because you can develop a resistance so you have to keep upping the dosage and it could pose a threat if you become ill one day and antibiotics don't work on you anymore. So I took it for a month, took a month off and then took it for another month. The results were great, however they only lasted about 6 months past the last month of taking them. So a bit later I went on minocycline and not only was it super expensive but it made me break out more. And in desperation I went on the pill which made my skin EVEN worse and now, a year later I'm trying to control it naturally with saw palmetto which helps with hormonal acne. And I also take a homeopathic remedy, calc. sulph and my skin is just as clear as it was on the tertracycline. So I'm happy. Nature all the way!!

hollylyn 3 years 5 days

I took minocycline for a while. It wasn't super helpful, so I stopped.However, I was put on prednisone recently (not an antibiotic, I know) because of a severe allergic reaction to black fly bites. My entire face was swollen to about three times it's usual size, however when the swelling went down, I was shocked to find that my skin was 100% perfect. It was amazing. Of course, within a few days of coming off the steroid my skin flared up again. But my skin isn't terrible or anything, so not a huge deal. But it was a nice, unexpected bonus for about a week or two. The risks of long term use of it far outweigh the benefits of it.

hollylyn 3 years 5 days

I took minocycline for a while. It wasn't super helpful, so I stopped. However, I was put on prednisone recently (not an antibiotic, I know) because of a severe allergic reaction to black fly bites. My entire face was swollen to about three times it's usual size, however when the swelling went down, I was shocked to find that my skin was 100% perfect. It was amazing. Of course, within a few days of coming off the steroid my skin flared up again. But my skin isn't terrible or anything, so not a huge deal. But it was a nice, unexpected bonus for about a week or two. The risks of long term use of it far outweigh the benefits of it.

GlowingMoon 3 years 5 days

The topical cream, yes. It did it's job.I have a bad case of adult acne. For some reason, I developed an acne problem as a grown-up (I never had an acne problem as a teenager). I suspect my acne problem is hormone-driven, as it coincides with my monthly cycle.Thankfully, modern medicine offers great treatment (well, I get great results) for managing acne. These days, no one suspects I have a bad acne condition because it's so well-managed.

GlowingMoon 3 years 5 days

The topical cream, yes. It did it's job. I have a bad case of adult acne. For some reason, I developed an acne problem as a grown-up (I never had an acne problem as a teenager). I suspect my acne problem is hormone-driven, as it coincides with my monthly cycle. Thankfully, modern medicine offers great treatment (well, I get great results) for managing acne. These days, no one suspects I have a bad acne condition because it's so well-managed.

yoiebear 3 years 5 days

Twice. I took minocyn for about four years during high school and college (my acne was so bad my glands were swollen and needed something stronger than a topial). It helped and I had a few sporatic breakouts after.I am currently taking Docycycline as needed; this means I take it for a week or two until my skin is clear and then stop taking it. It seems to be doing a great job for my skin and I'm not on the meds for an extended period of time. I'm currently off all antibiotics and using Retin A and salicylic acid topical treatments and doing several masks at home per week as well as (very expensive) facials every two weeks. Although I'm off the antibiotics, the topical treatments seem to be doing just as well if not better than the meds. Two months ago my acne was so bad I had at least 30 cystic zits on my chin, cheeks, and forehead at a time and now I'm down to one on my nose and one my jaw. I'm actually considering canceling my scheduled dermatologist appointment for next month. Yes, I made the appointment in March and was not able to get in until late June. I guess finding alternative means of treatment works as well, if not better, than the medical means.

yoiebear 3 years 5 days

Twice. I took minocyn for about four years during high school and college (my acne was so bad my glands were swollen and needed something stronger than a topial). It helped and I had a few sporatic breakouts after. I am currently taking Docycycline as needed; this means I take it for a week or two until my skin is clear and then stop taking it. It seems to be doing a great job for my skin and I'm not on the meds for an extended period of time. I'm currently off all antibiotics and using Retin A and salicylic acid topical treatments and doing several masks at home per week as well as (very expensive) facials every two weeks. Although I'm off the antibiotics, the topical treatments seem to be doing just as well if not better than the meds. Two months ago my acne was so bad I had at least 30 cystic zits on my chin, cheeks, and forehead at a time and now I'm down to one on my nose and one my jaw. I'm actually considering canceling my scheduled dermatologist appointment for next month. Yes, I made the appointment in March and was not able to get in until late June. I guess finding alternative means of treatment works as well, if not better, than the medical means.

tlsgirl 3 years 6 days

I've used a bunch of different kinds, and now I use Clindamycin gel for my skin. The antibiotics sort of worked, but the only thing that really did it was Accutane.

bryseana 3 years 6 days

I took some antibiotics for my acne when I was 14. It was awful. I can't remember the name of it, but it made me really sick to my stomach and actually made me blackout once. The skin results weren't that great either. Wasn't worth it.The best acne product I've used is Retin-A. It worked fast and didn't irritate my skin.

bryseana 3 years 6 days

I took some antibiotics for my acne when I was 14. It was awful. I can't remember the name of it, but it made me really sick to my stomach and actually made me blackout once. The skin results weren't that great either. Wasn't worth it. The best acne product I've used is Retin-A. It worked fast and didn't irritate my skin.

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