Most Common & Effective Treatments for Teenage Acne | Ask Saint Peter's

Saint Peter's pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist Susan Brill, MD, talks about the most common and effective treatments for teenage acne.
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So we know that acne can be very effectively treated and there are number of medications that have come out in the last several years that really worked well for kids and teenagers. One of the main hurdles is explaining to parents that there are good treatments for acne. Most parents remember, when they were kids, there really wasn't much effective treatment or the treatment was very uncomfortable to use. And I like explaining to parents that there are newer treatments that readily available, often covered by insurance and really can help get rid of just about all their children's acne within the first couple of months of treatment.
Probably the #1 over-the-counter products are either benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. These are in a variety of face washes and face creams. They're in several mass-marketed products, marketed through say, dermatologists' office and they're very effective for mild or what we call comedonal acne. Once acne gets more severe, prescription products are usually necessary. These are usually topical antibiotics, sometimes used in combination with benzoyl peroxide or other agents that help to dissolve the little, we call, keratin plugs in the skin and reduce new acne lesions form forming.
Finally, there are oral medications that we use for acne. Often, oral antibiotics are used to just cool down inflammation and reduce the amount of P. acnes on the skin. There are also other oral medications that can be used to reduce the sebaceous gland activity. One of the most commonly known as Accutane or isotretinoin. This is a medication that is taken orally for a period of say, 16 to 20 weeks. It's usually prescribed through a dermatologists' office because there are several restrictions about prescribing this medication. So often, patients would need to see a dermatologist to access this type of medication. Thank you for choosing Sain Peter's.