Some of the most common problems concerning a person’s physical appearance would mostly involve issues that may directly relate to having an acne outbreak or a pimple scar. Nonetheless, there have already been several treatment plans created to specifically address such concerns.
These include the use of conventional topical medications and over-the-counter drugs. Most importantly, it is essential to know that the pimple treatment may differ from person to person.
Since not all individuals can tolerate a different kind of formulation, it is crucial to sift through the most relevant treatment plans and decide which type of approach is advantageous. Here are some of the best pimple treatment options that you can take advantage of to help you through.
Topical Medications
Some pimple scars may require extensive topical medications that can vary depending on the type of active ingredient that they may contain. Some of these topical medications may include the following:
- Retinoids and retinoid-like drugs– Topical medication and a cream formulation containing a moderate amount of retinoic acid are essential for removing moderate pimple scars. Some examples of these types of drugs may include tretinoin (Avita), adapalene (Differin), tazarotene (Tazorac).
Ideally, it is recommended to apply these medications at night time three times a week or as prescribed by your dermatologist to achieve the best effect. However, it would help if you noted that you should never use tretinoin and benzoyl peroxide as a concomitant skincare treatment because both of these drugs have an antagonistic effect.
- Antibiotics– Some of the pimple formations may be due to the excess build-up of bacteria around the skin areas where the sebaceous gland has been clogged by dirt and impurities.
Correspondingly, you can have both the over-the-counter retinoid drugs and an antibiotic cream applied on the same day but at different timeframes (antibiotics in the morning and retinoid in the evening).
For best results, you must secure a prescription of the antibiotic from a dermatologist and complete the number of days required to avoid antibiotic resistance. Also, it is important to remember that topical antibiotics may be paired with orally taken ones. It is best to consult your primary health care provider for a consultation.
Dapsone- Dapsone gel is sometimes recommended for people to be taken twice a day. This is a classic pimple treatment since it reduces the likelihood of re-inflammation.
Oral Medication
Oral medication may be paired alongside topical ones for best results. Some of these oral medications would include:
- Anti-androgen agents– Drugs like spironolactone (Aldactone) can be used to block the effects of androgen on the hyperactivity of sebaceous glands. Some of the possible side effects that can be experienced may include redness, breast tenderness, and a painful period.
- Isotretinoin– This drug is a derivative compound of vitamin A which is surmised to help reduce pimple formation. If other treatments, as mentioned above failed to provide the needed results, the use of this drug can be used as an alternative option. It is important that people who take isotretinoin for pimple treatment regularly see their doctor and dermatologist monitor any adverse drug reactions.
Therapies
If both topical and oral medication use failed to reduce pimple formation, therapies could still be reported. They are as follows:
- Steroid Therapy– Cystic pimple formation can be reduced by injecting a steroid-based compound on the site. Some people opted for this type of therapy because of the fast results it provides.
- Chemical Peel Therapy– This therapy includes repetitive application of retinoic acid and its other derivative compounds on the areas involved. Subsequently, this treatment approach only works for moderate pimple scars.
- Drainage and Extraction– Another therapy approach that could help reduce pimples’ occurrence is the manual removal of whiteheads and blackheads. However, drainage and extraction are only viable for those people who may have had severe pimple formation because it may cause scarring in the long run.
Alternative medicine
If the pharmacological interventions and therapies fail to clear out some of the pimple marks in your face, you can opt to take advantage of the alternative medicinal approaches. These are some of them:
- Tea tree oil application– Gels from tea tree oils are believed to have the same efficacy as 5% benzoyl peroxide. However, the results may be slower than usual.
- Brewer’s yeast– Orally taking the brewer’s yeast can relieve pimple formation. Although it may also cause some bouts of flatulence.