# How effective are antibiotics for treating acne?



## XL (Aug 12, 2009)

I have mild acne on my face, back & shoulders. Today my GP prescribed me 28 50mg Doxycycline capsules, I have been advised to take 1 a day & assess progress at the end of the 4 weeks.

I will also be using PanOxyl 5 Aquagel.

Has anyone used these or something similar & if so, how effective did you find them?


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## dalboy (Sep 16, 2009)

I used doxy a few months back - found it did fack all to be honest.

mine is also mild - mainly on my back, but get flare ups on my face now and again.

Tried the creams as well and didnt really help either.

I went back to basics and removed any shower gels and also read about taking cold showers instead of hot. I think its controlled it a bit more as it was definetly a lot worse.

I actually saw my dermatologist and he said best thing would be to go on accutane - still deciding whether to go on it yet.

Oh and I reckon it could be down to alcohol consumption as well...


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## Ash_87 (Jan 9, 2010)

ive used all the anti-biotics none of them worked apart from accutane


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## subterfuge (Oct 24, 2007)

It'll likely help. Especially in the beginning, and considering your acne is mild.

i had more cystic/bad acne.

Antibiotics helped quite a lot, but over time your body becomes resiliant to the drug and they stop working.

When that happened, I went on accutane and thus far it has been an absolute God send.

Probably one of the best decisions ive ever made.

Im sure doxycyline will help clear you up though.


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## SK-XO (Aug 6, 2009)

Augmentin is best thing ive ever used, been on it for like 2 months now. Never had one spot since lol. Probs not best bet to stay on it that long but thats choice I made.

Going for roaccutane appointment on 27th this month so will keep taking till then  .


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

I was given Tetracycline as a teenager... did absolutely nothing for my spotty oilly skin and couldn't be bothered trying a different one. Most effective thing I found in the end was a mild exfoliator used about five times per day.


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## Ash_87 (Jan 9, 2010)

five times a day! that it was to much!


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

Ash_87 said:


> five times a day! that it was to much!


Exactly, and I couldn't keep washing like that for more than about three weeks... in the end I just gave up. My acne eventually disappeared naturally when I was about 22... now just get the odd zit.


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## Ash_87 (Jan 9, 2010)

SK-XO said:


> Augmentin is best thing ive ever used, been on it for like 2 months now. Never had one spot since lol. Probs not best bet to stay on it that long but thats choice I made.
> 
> Going for roaccutane appointment on 27th this month so will keep taking till then  .


why are u going for roacc when your spots have cleared up on Augmentin ? they wont give it if u dont have acne


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## Barker (Oct 1, 2009)

im on tetracycline (im a teenager) need to book another apointment because im getting it on my body a lot more, and you cant take the tablets with milk, so they tend not to work.

I imagine if i came off them id get pretty bad tho


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## SK-XO (Aug 6, 2009)

Ash_87 said:


> why are u going for roacc when your spots have cleared up on Augmentin ? they wont give it if u dont have acne


Because when I come off the augmentin the spots come back pretty bad, and they know this so well thats why they are giving me the roaccutane.

Don't get me wrong the augmentin works wonders, but it's only whilst your on it, once your off the spots come back, and I don't want to stay on it for much longer as the body will become immune eventually and if I do get a bad flu or infection it'll be a bit of a nightmare then won't it?


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## Jungle (Mar 9, 2009)

I got acne bad, what helped me was going on sunbeds once a week.

I moisturised after I washed as it stopped me from producing excess oils.

Applying a thin layer of Sudocream on affected areas at night time helped too.


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

Antibiotics worked for me. Forgotten what type I used though...it began with 'm' I think. It worked a treat but had to come off it after 8 months because apparently after a while it can cause random pigmentation.


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## Sk1nny (Jun 5, 2010)

i dont know about the anti biotics but all over wash with nizarele shampoo n leave it on for a minute or so helps a lot


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## JB74 (Jan 6, 2008)

at the moment i am on amoxicillin for a tooth infection lol


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## Barker (Oct 1, 2009)

I'm trying the towel trick atm. (No not the xbox one  )

All you do is have a fresh towel on your pillow every night and its supposed to work wonders, can't say its made too much difference for me, spose thats more for people who have mucky faces than hormonal acne :lol:


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## ausbuilt (Nov 22, 2010)

to all you guys- do you tell your dr that you're on AAS? rather than treat the results, treat the cause- use a 5 alpha reductase inhibitor (finasteride, also known as propecia/proscar) if the acne is mild, and avodart (dutasteride) if its bad. These reduce the amount of excess DHT that is acting on the skin DHT receptors, causing the acne in the first place. Using anti-biotics is like the little boy with the ****, sticking his fingers in each crack as it appears.. never win as you have so much DHT when on AAS...(unless you are using Deca only or tren only, which is unlikely)


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