What’s New in Acne Treatment
Dr. Schweiger recently met with fashionista.com to review what's new in acne treatment. New ways to fight acne are being discovered every year, so it is important to keep up to date on what the current best treatments are for acne. Here are a few new things to keep in mind this year:
- Benzoyl peroxide and topical antibiotics are still mainstays of topical acne treatments. Older antibiotics, like erythromycin, are now facing bacterial resistance and losing efficacy; clindamycin is more commonly used to fight acne in 2013. Dr. Schweiger's favorite topical antibiotic formulation combines clindamycin with benzoyl peroxide, for the most effective antibacterial effect. Use these medications with a gentle moisturizer to prevent dryness.
- LED Light Therapy and Photodynamic Therapy are both effective in-office treatments for battling acne. This is a great options for patients who want faster results or patients who have tried many prescription medications without improvement.
- The Isolaz laser for acne simultaneously cleans out the pores and uses a broad-spectrum light to kill acne-causing bacteria. A series of treatments helps to treat active acne and prevent future acne.
- Chitosan, an ingredient derived from shellfish, may play a role in killing the acne-causing p. acnes bacteria. A recent study showed that benzoyl peroxide was more effective when combined with chitosan, than when used on its own to treat acne. More research is needed before this ingredient is seen in prescription medications.
- Bacteriophages are viruses, which someday may be able to be used to kill p. acnes bacteria on the skin. Like chitosan, more research is necessary before this becomes a real acne treatment.
