Doxycycline for acne

2023 Author: Alfred Shackley | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 13:14

Acne appears to be a common occurrence associated with blockage, inflammation of the hair follicles. A pimpled face is often associated with adolescence, when hormonal changes in the body occur. But this problem affects many from birth to old age. And the reasons for the unpleasant condition of the skin, the appearance of acne, is the increased activity of the sebaceous glands, when their secret becomes denser, forming plugs, blocking the pores and ducts of the epidermis.

Bacteria, which live in large numbers on the skin of a healthy person, tend to these places. Getting into the favorable environment of sebaceous horny plugs, they multiply intensively, leading an active lifestyle. The tissue response to them is inflammation in those places where the sebaceous glands are most abundant: on the chin, nose, forehead, back, chest.

Severe forms of acne manifestation, when the amount of inflammatory elements is constantly increasing, are especially dangerous. And if you start squeezing out pimples yourself, blood poisoning may occur. Severe forms of acne are characterized by the huge size of pimples that bleed, their clusters turn into cysts, nodules. In this case, serious treatment is required, which includes antibiotics that can cope with serious inflammation.

Doxycycline for acne: properties

The antibiotic of the tetracycline group has a bacteriostatic effect on the human body. Its activity against pathogenic microorganisms is based on the suppression of protein synthesis, which leads to a halt in the process of bacterial reproduction. The drug is prescribed for infections of the genitourinary system, gastrointestinal tract, pathologies caused by parasites, purulent rashes on the human body, acne.

After taking the drug inside, two hours later, in the blood plasma, where it binds to proteins, its maximum concentration is determined. The active substance doxycycline is excreted from the body after fifteen to twenty hours. Compared to other tetracyclines, this antibiotic is active against bacteria of different types, is completely absorbed, exerting a long-term effect on the foci of inflammation. Only regular consumption of alcohol can delay this process.

An antibiotic is produced in the form of capsules, lyophilisate and solution for intravenous infusion, tablets.

Doxycycline for acne: benefits and harms

Like any antibiotic, Doxycycline is able to cope with many pathogens, even trying to hide in human tissue cells. And even strains of microorganisms that are resistant to other antimicrobial drugs, such as penicillins, cephalosporins, are sensitive to the active ingredient of the drug.

Many people know the ability of antibiotics to negatively affect the intestinal microflora, inhibiting it. In this sense, Doxycycline is less dangerous. Its antibacterial activity is ten times higher than natural tetracyclines.

It is necessary to use an antibiotic against acne for a long time with caution, conducting control studies of the liver and hematopoietic organs. Since tetracyclines form stable complexes with calcium in bone-forming tissues, taking them during the period of the appearance of teeth can provoke staining of tooth enamel in a yellow, brown, gray tone.

The toxic effect of the antibiotic on the fetus is known, in which a delay in the development of the skeleton of the unborn child is possible.

It is also dangerous to take an antibiotic against acne with medicines containing iron, sodium bicarbonate, aluminum, calcium, magnesium salts, with laxatives, since the complexes formed are difficult to dissolve in the body. If a woman uses oral contraceptives, the antibiotic will reduce their effectiveness.

Recommendations for the use of the drug to combat acne

As a remedy for acne, it is recommended to take Doxycycline according to the instructions:

• Capsules or tablets for acne treatment should be taken orally after meals, fifty milligrams daily;
• It is better to take the medicine with a sufficient amount of water to reduce possible irritation of the esophagus;
• You can not use it with milk and dairy products;
• The dose is taken once, when it is increased to one hundred milligrams, it is divided into two doses, after twelve hours each;
• It is possible to completely eliminate acne after six to twelve weeks of treatment;
• In severe cases of purulent-septic inflammation, when it is necessary to increase the concentration of the antibiotic in the blood, its intravenous administration is used. One milligram of active substance per milliliter of solution is the maximum dose for drip infusion. When administered, it is necessary to protect the solution from the action of sunlight and electric light;
• Intravenous infusion for acne is carried out for no more than seven days, then switching to the oral method of therapy;
• For children under twelve years of age, the dose of the drug is calculated depending on body weight: over 45 kilograms, four milligrams per kilogram of weight on the first day, reducing to two milligrams in the following days;
• It is necessary to reduce the dose if the patient has severe liver disorders due to the gradual accumulation of the antibiotic.

Results of acne treatment with Doxycycline

Treatment with the drug is started only with advanced forms of acne, when the inflammatory process has engulfed most of the face and back. The use of an antibiotic allows you to see an improvement in the condition of the epidermis in two to three weeks. The areas of purulent inflammation begin to decrease, wounds begin to heal.

In order to speed up the process, do not forget about personal hygiene, cleaning the skin every morning with special lotions and special liquids. This will help remove accumulated fat, peeled off epithelial cells. During the treatment period, it is necessary to take care of proper nutrition, excluding sweet, fatty, smoked dishes from the menu. It is better to replace coffee, alcohol with juices, compotes, cigarettes with fruit candies for this time.

After a month and a half, acne should completely disappear, and then after such a long intake of Doxycycline, it is necessary to improve the intestinal microflora. For this, probiotics are used, which include Linex, Bifidumbacterin, containing bifidobacteria. The drugs are produced in the form of powder sachets, which are diluted in water or juice before use. It is advisable to take them with meals.

Who shouldn't treat acne with Doxycycline

There are contraindications for taking an antibiotic. These include:

• pregnancy in the second and third trimester;
• lactation period;
• leukopenia;
• severe violations in the liver.

For children under eight years old, it is also better not to prescribe the drug due to its negative effect on the bone skeleton, tooth enamel.

Taking this medicine can cause side effects. The most severe of them can be stool disorders in the form of constipation and diarrhea, allergic rashes similar to lupus with itching, anaphylactoid reactions. Sometimes patients during antibiotic therapy may feel dizziness, headache, accompanied by decreased appetite, vomiting.

With the control of the hematopoietic system, neutropenia can be detected, when the number of leukocytes in the blood, necessary to fight pathogenic microorganisms, decreases, hemolytic anemia, similar in appearance to jaundice. The agent can cause an increase in eosinophils in the blood, which leads to defects in the epidermis, anemia, enlargement of the liver, spleen.

The emergence of serious pathologies during the initiation of antibiotic acne treatment should prompt the patient to consult with a specialist and stop taking the medication.