Question Dr. Fisher,
I have had moderate acne for at least a century. I'm eighteen years old and
get black heads mainly on my t zone but a little bit everywhere else as well. I
also get tons of small bumps on my forehead. I rarely get cystic acne. I have
seen three dermatologists, I've been on minocycline, retin a and even
erythromycin. It's not severe enough for accutane nor would i consider using
it. I cleanse twice daily with hypoallergenic and non comeodogenic cleansers
and use benzoyl peroxide, I've also tried salicylic acid. I eat healthy, drink
water, exercise and wash my face after exercise. I look up acne constantly and
have talked to many people. The minocycline worked for a few months
beautifully then stopped working. I've been off and on it for about two years.
Now it's been a couple months. Should I try again? Is it possible for retin a to
have adverse effects? Can my skin become dependent on any of these
products? I was on the retin a for about two months and stopped when I saw
no results. Should I try again for a longer period? Any options? Thanks so so
much for whatever help you can provide.
Answer I would not try minocycline again because your body has developed an immunity to the medication. You could try Doryx 150mg but not the generic doxycycline because of increased sunsensitivity. You could try the oral antibiotic Keflex. Accutane is not out of the question for you since you have failed one antibiotic. 80% of the people who go on accutane never have acne again. You might want to consider accutane. There is a new topical called Epiduo. The company that makes this product has a voucher for a free tube.
