Tetracycline For Your Acne Treatment

A Commonly-Used Antibiotic for Acne

There is a wide range of acne medications available in the market today.  Most may come in topical applications, but the doctor might recommend that you take oral antibiotics for severe acne cases.

The most widely-used antibiotic in treating acne is tetracycline.  For over 30 years, tetracycline has been used to cure several skin diseases. 

Acne occurs when sebum or oil clogs the skin pores.  This clogging fosters growth of the Propionibacterium acnes, a malign microorganism that multiplies fast in sebum.  Just like any other acne antibiotics, tetracycline relieves acne by:

• Decreasing the number of P. Acnes bacteria found in the clogged pores.
• Reducing the irritating chemicals produced by white blood cells in the affected area.
• Lowering the concentration of free fatty acids in the sebum, thus reducing the inflammatory response.

Some acne antimicrobial creams or lotions contain traces of tetracycline, but this antibiotic is often taken in form of capsules or tablet.  For acute cases of infection, tetracycline can be introduced intravenously or through oral suspensions.  Sumycin, a popular tetracycline brand, is available in tablets, capsules, and oral suspensions. 

Tetracycline Dosage

The starting dosage for tetracycline is usually 500 mg two times a day.  The doctor will recommend you to continue this dosage until a notable reduction of acne lesions is observed, after which the dosage can be reduced to 250 mg dosage twice a day. 

In order to optimize the effectiveness of tetracycline, it should be taken in on an empty stomach, at least an hour before taking meals or two hours after meals. 

Using tetracycline as an acne treatment does not prevent acne or remove scars caused by acne lesions.  Tetracycline simply reduces the infection symptoms, especially the inflammation of pus-filled acne.  Your physician can prescribe tetracycline only to reduce inflammation, and along with that he might recommend that you use skin clarifying or exfoliating products to speed up the healing of your acne and to prevent further breakouts.

Since tetracycline is a very potent substance, you need to follow precautions when taking it.  Pregnant and breastfeeding women are prohibited to take tetracycline because it can inhibit the baby’s bone growth.  There are alternative antibiotics that pregnant or breastfeeding women can use to fight severe acne infections. If you are taking medications for other ailments, you need to ask your doctor if there are contraindications.

Tetracycline is a prescription medicine, so you can’t get it over the counter without the doctor’s recommendation.  It is very important that you have the doctor’s advice regarding the use of tetracycline acne treatment, like how much and how often you should take the medication.

Next in line for this section is Proactiv acne medicine.