So, you struggle with acne. You go to the Dermatologist looking for answers and they send you home with a pink slip and date with your pharmacist. Now what? Will it help? What are the side effects? Will you receive long-term relief? I truly believe food and proper treatment outside of medicine can be just as important.
Antibiotics are understandable in certain aspects and it plays a role in many areas. However, I want to inform you on what exactly the antibiotics do to your body and in the end your skin. In my personal experience, it only brought temporary relief to my skin - but it didn’t heal or treat the long-term issue. This is the same for all skin types who never look at nutrition, lifestyle or treatments beyond the rounds of medications sent home from the pharmacy.
Catch my IGTV over this topic here!⬇️
The Pros
- Temporary relief
- Affordable
- Reduced oil (in some cases)
- Easily accessible
The Cons
- Antibiotics strip bad bacteria to help get rid of the acne, also taking the good bacteria with it. You are getting rid of vital immunity in the gut that make up your sustaining ecosystem.
- Your skin will become hypersensitive and photosensitive, dry, flakey and sensitized due to lack of oil and water (the super important barrier).
- This can effect your autoimmune disease, worsen infections, create antibiotic resistance and multiply other health concerns already present. (One pro is equivalent to multiple cons!)
- Other side effects include- lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, vertigo.
- Acne worsens later due to lack of nutrients, oil, water and homestasis in the body.
- When combined with other medications there is a potential of sudden death. Yikes ?
As you can see the con’s list is a littleee long compared to the the pro’s list! Not only in quality but also quantity.
To put it scientifically Springer.com says-
"Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), the microbe that resides and can be abundant in the pilosebaceous unit, is associated with the severity of acne. P. acnes is an anaerobic organism that is part of the normal skin flora 3>. Obstruction of the follicular opening of the pilosebaceous unit provides an ideal environment for these bacteria to grow. Obstruction of the follicular opening is associated with the inflammatory component of acne through various suggested mechanisms. P. acnes can metabolize sebaceous triglycerides into fatty acids. P. acnes, along with sebum and keratin, generate proinflammatory mediators that recruit T lymphocytes, neutrophils, and foreign body giant cells 3>. It activates TLR2 (toll-like receptor 2) on monocytes and neutrophils, which activates the innate immunity pathway, generating proinflammatory cytokines including interleukin-12 (IL-12), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)." OK ?
Acne Einstein says "Even a one-week course of clindamycin – a type of antibiotic – can create antibiotic resistance that lasts for up to two years. Now consider the fact that most antibiotic courses prescribed for acne patients are long-term. Many treatments last for six months or more."
This dermalogical study performed in the UK revealed that 82% of the study patients failed multiple courses of antibiotic treatments. Around a third of patients who used isotreninoin (Accutane) relapsed after treatment. We have to wonder if, due to their low success rate, doctors often prescribe several antibiotics, one round after another.
ONE round, meaning one week, of a popular antibiotic on the market called Clindamycin has been shown to cause antibiotic resistance for 2-4 years. That is an average of 18 years after an average 6 week round of this medication.
The side effects, in my professional opinion, are not worth jumping right to antibiotics.
Things like good, quality, skin product, enzyme therapy for oxygen and healing internal functions can all be the solution to your acne as well as creating homeostasis in the skin. The key here is a balanced, healthy skin that is capable of standing the test of time!
Homecare products combined with in-person treatments creates a beautiful balance of healthy glowing skin. HOLLA ??
That, I can stand behind. Feeling lost? Unsure of what products to use or what treatments are best for you? Whatever skin condition you suffer from, acne or not, I am here to help virtually or in-person. Feel free to start with a skin consult or Enzyme Therapy. Let me do the rest, it's my superpower ?
Much love ❤️ - A