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Thursday, April 14, 2016

Antibiotics and Acne - More Harm than Good?


At Skintherapy Skincare and Acne Clinic of Salt Lake City, we fight acne with an individualized program of product use, lifestyle changes and safe extractions. It is usually a 12 week process to get clear and then continued product use keeps your skin clear. We see continued success with this process and often times we help people who have tried many other techniques without ever seeing clear skin. One of the most common and failed treatments for acne we see in our clinic is prescription antibiotics. In our experience, it is extremely clear that antibiotics do more harm than good when treating acne. Please read on to learn more about the dangers of antibiotics

A quick background on acne and antibiotics: Antibiotics have become an extremely popular treatment for acne. Dermatologist and doctors have been prescribing antibiotics for decades and about 90% of my clients have been prescribed antibiotics as an acne treatment at one point or another. Some of the most popular are erythromycin, tetracycline clindamycin, and doxycycline.

What is the original logic behind prescribing antibiotics for acne?
The whole idea behind antibiotics is that they fight bacteria, so if bacteria is your problem (strep throat, a bacterial flu, etc.) an antibiotic will work to kill that bacteria in your body and ultimately make you feel better. The thought behind using antibiotics to fight off acne is based on the assumption that acne is just caused by bacteria. 

So why aren't the antibiotics working to control breakouts?
Many of my clients who have used antibiotics in the past saw little to no results at all. In some cases folks had seen a change at first, but their acne came back over time. The problem with this entire idea is that acne isn't only caused by bacteria, it is a problem in the pores of your skin. If you are acne prone, your pores are over producing and shedding skin cells at an extremely quick pace. Your body cannot keep up with this excessive shedding and your dead skin cells are mixing with your natural oils to cause growth in bacteria. Your pore becomes the ultimate breading grounds for micro-comeodones. These are the beginning of zits.

If antibiotics are not treating your acne, what are they doing to your body?
The worst part about prescribing these antibiotics for acne is not that they actually don't work in clearing your skin, but that they can cause harm to your body. Some side effects of taking antibiotics include, stomach and intestinal problems, continuous vaginal yeast infections in women, permanently stained teeth, nausea and diarrhea. We are also seeing new, serious bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotics. Staph infection and MRSA are becoming more common and harder to treat because of over prescribing antibiotics.

Ultimately, you do not need antibiotics to clear your skin. We see results with every one of our clients and we highly suggest staying away from antibiotics. We would love to
help you clear your skin in a safe and healthy manner. Please visit our website to schedule a consultation UtahAcneClinic.com.
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