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Getting acne....Q&A............(part 3 of 5)

I’ve started getting acne spots. How long do they last? This depends on what type of spots they are and, even then, it can be very difficult to predict what will happen. Some spots will appear and then disappear during the course of a day but others will evolve more gradually through the various stages. Comedones can be very persistent if they don’t get inflamed. Mildly inflamed spots will last 5–10 days before settling down, but can leave a flat red mark (macule) for several weeks. Nodules and cysts may last for weeks or months unless you get some treatment. What is the difference between a whitehead and a yellow- head spot? These two common terms describe quite different types of spot. A whitehead is a closed comedone where the pore is blocked and not open to the air. There is no inflammation (redness). A yellow- head suggests a spot with pus in it. The medical term is a ‘pustule’. Whiteheads may become yellowheads if the blocked pore becomes infected. My daughter is only 9 but she seems
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Combining benzoyl peroxide with topical antibiotics


Benzoyl peroxide is the mainstay of over-the-counter acne treat- ment (and I provide a full rundown of these benzoyl peroxide products in Chapter 7, along with all the other OTC acne medications).

In addition to using benzoyl peroxide alone to treat your mild acne, benzoyl peroxide is also often used in conjunction with topical or systemic antibiotics. This treatment option is referred to as combnation therapy.

In fact, combination therapy is used to treat most cases of acne because it’s caused by a combinations of factors. I explain these factors in Chapter 3.Combination therapy can refer to using combination products,such as those in Benzamycin, Duac, or BenzaClin, or by using the
in addition to a topical retinoid and an oral antibiotic, for example By using drugs that have different means and modes of activity, your acne is attacked on many fronts.

Combining benzoyl peroxide with erythromycin or clindamycin has the following advantages:
  • In contrast to topical antibiotics used alone, adding benzo peroxide to the mixture prevents P. acnes from becoming resistant to them.
  • The combination also appears to have a synergistic effect ( combination works better than either agent used alone).

TIP If you’re on the go — for instance traveling or camping, or you’re a teen that splits time between two homes — the Benzamycin Pak comes in foil pouches, which are easier to deal with.
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