years ago, dermatologist had had me on tetracycline as well as minocycline, after things like metrogel (topical antibiotics) failed.
works "OK", certainly wasn't any magic bullet, that's for sure. In fact, on a scale of 1-10, i'd give them about a "4.5". oral anti-biotics are kinda out of favor for acne, anyways. The problem is that the antibiotics are spread throughout your whole body, when the problem is really on the surface of your skin. Kind of like using a shotgun to kill a fly. Plus, it doesn't work all that well. If you use the anti-biotics, though, MAKE SURE you eat a little bit with them. If you don't, you can get sick and puke. Has happened to me more than once. And it sucks when you're somewhere like on the subway.
There's a gel out there called "Differin"--it's related to retin-A, but easier on your skin as well as more effective. you can buy it from places like mexmeds for about $25-30 a tube, and a tube lasts upwards of 2 months. It takes about 2 weeks to really kick in...in the meanwhile, acne can actually get a bit worse.
It says to use the stuff 1x day, i use it morning and night.
If you got "it" real bad, you can try a 10% solution of salicylic acid, which will make your skin peel like a sunburn. Do this first, and then start using the Differin gel.
www.glycolicsolutions.com has great prices, and have a 2-4 day t/a. A $30 bottle of their 10% salicylic acid will last for months, as you only use it every few weeks.
I been suffering from zits since I was 14, and I'm now old enough to be a grandfather, and have tried just about everything in the book. For me, I use a bit of everything.
1) daily 2% salicyclic acid wash (like neutrogena)
2) 2x daily differin gel
3) 10% salicyclic acid peel every 3-4 weeks
4) occasional use of benzoyl peroxide 10% if the above doesn't take care of it all.
Oh, btw, the the differin and the salicylic acid will keep your face looking younger. might not be important to you now, but in 10 years, it will.
And use a sunscreen on your face, as your skin will be ++++++sensitive to UV rays when you use the above.
