Suffering from acne can be annoying at the best of times and be socially devastating at the worst of times. Sufferers become acutely aware that their acne is starting to effect their self esteem, they may become withdrawn from social settings and become preoccupied with their skin.
Sufferers of severe or cystic acnes may even be more conscious of the way they look considering that cystic acne often cannot be cleared with over the counter medication and their effects tend to be more lasting. Because the infection is usually deep under the skin, topical solutions have little effectiveness in clearing the blockage and dealing with the cause of the acne.
So what should you do if you suffer from severe acne breakouts?
The first thing you should do is try over the counter medication first. These are your general acne treatments that do not require a doctors prescription. If the symptoms or the severity persists and you are dissatisfied with the over the counter medication you should then consult a dermatologist with alternative treatments.
A dermatologist can recommend or prescribe a course of treatment or medication to help treat the acne. In many cases of severe nodular acne or cystic cysts, a dermatologist will prescribe isotretinoin, which has the product name of Accutane or Roaccutane which pretty much the same thing. This is a course of medication which has shown to be very effective with dealing with severe acne but there are some disadvantages that you should be aware of before jumping at this as a cure all solution.
Roaccutane works by reducing the size of oil glands so that much less oil is produced and the growth of bacteria is decreased. Usually your dermatologist will determine the dosage that you will be on and this is different for each individual.
Isotretinoin does a great job in clearing severe acne in most patients. Some of the side effects that you should be aware of when taking the drug include, dryness of the skin, it can cause birth defects, depression which may lead to suicide attempts amongst others that your dermatologist will explain prior to starting you on the treatments.
The good news is that most sufferers will find that they acne will be under control after a cycle of Isotretinoin with many never experience acne again or in much milder outbreaks. Others may need a second cycle to get their acne under control.
If you are a long time sufferer then Roaccutane may be your last result which you can consider in conjunction with your health professional.
