Antibiotics are one of the most commonly prescribed medications for acne today. While it doesn't make logical sense that an antibiotic would clear your face up, it does nonetheless have it's merits as an acne treatment. But how healthy is it really, to be taking antibiotics of any sort for long periods of time, simply to fight acne?

There are many proponents of the antibiotic method of acne treatment, but at the same time this common prescription for patients with mild to moderate acne is also at the heart of controversy. Why? Well, taking antibiotics long term, for anything, not just acne, can actually cause your body to have what's called a yeast imbalance.

Before we get into the yeast imbalance disadvantages to taking antibiotics for your acne problem, let's discuss what common acne antibiotics can do for your skin. Keep in mind, they do not work on everyone's skin. Some people may take these medications for acne, and get very little results, and yet have subjected themselves to the possibility of yeast imbalances.

 

The idea behind antibiotic treatment for acne is that they help to reduce the bacteria count in the hair follicles and underneath the facial skin, and also help to reduce inflammation.

The most commonly prescribed antibiotics for the treatment of acne are Tetracycline, Doxycycline, Minocycline, Clindamycin, and Erythromycin. They are prescribed in varying dosages, usually to patients with mild to moderate acne, and usually take at least 4-6 weeks to see the full effects.

This, in my opinion, is way too long to be on an antibiotic for something that can be treated easily through alternative remedies and supplements that are not harmful to your system, and have no residual or long term effects, like candida infections or antibiotic resistance.

While yeast imbalances are not well understood or even accepted yet by the medical community or conventional medicine, it is something that the alternative and unconventional medicine community is raising more and more awareness on.

A yeast imbalance can be caused, aggravated, or brought on by the long term use of antibiotics. A yeast imbalance, or an overgrowth of the "bad" bacteria called candida albicans is when a person's body is over run with the unfriendly flora which permeates the whole digestive tract, causing a wide reaching array of health problems.

These health problems can range from digestive problems like IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, mental fogginess, depression, chronic indigestion, headaches, and more. The problem with antibiotics is that they kill both the good and the bad bacteria in our intestines and digestive tract, but not the yeast.

Add this to the fact that you probably already get a hefty dose of antibiotics in the meats and cheeses that you consume, and you've got a case of unhealthy yeast overgrowth.

If you have acne, and you're considering professional treatment, either consider asking your dermatologist about non-antibiotic treatments and alternatives, perhaps something like laser therapy or another method unrelated to taking drugs. Either that, or get online and surf - there are lots of alternative methods to treating acne, without the use of antibiotics or other drugs with potentially harmful side effects.

Danna Schneider, Acne Magazine: Acne News and Treatments  

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