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Severe Acne

Severe acne is the deep, inflamed end of acne vulgaris. Instead of blackheads and whiteheads, the skin carries cysts and nodules. The deeper lesions can leave scars if the inflammation is not brought under control.

Medicines used to treat Severe Acne

Isotretinoin

Isotretinoin

10 · 20mg

Isotretinoin capsules contain isotretinoin for severe acne; they are never taken in pregnancy. You can choose from several strengths and pack sizes. You see the price per capsule for each option.

FromUS$1.17/ tabletView

Tretiva

Isotretinoin

5 · 10 · 20 · 30mg

Tretiva is isotretinoin in soft capsules for severe and nodulocystic acne. It comes in the widest range of strengths here, and each option lists its price per capsule.

FromUS$0.98/ tabletView

Isotroin

Isotretinoin

10 · 20mg

Isotroin supplies isotretinoin as soft capsules for acne vulgaris and severe acne. You can choose from several strengths and pack sizes; you see the price per capsule for each.

FromUS$1.17/ tabletView

Key points

  • Each lesion begins in the pilosebaceous unit: the hair follicle and its oil gland.
  • The face is the usual site, and the neck, chest and back can also be involved.
  • Most spots settle within two weeks, but papules and nodules that sit deeper may last for months.

How it appears

Acne produces a mixture of lesions rather than a single kind. Inflamed and non-inflamed spots often sit side by side, so bumps and red papules can appear on the same area of skin.

What drives it

Acne starts when the follicle and its oil gland become blocked, and bacteria on the skin then provoke inflammation around them. Androgens, hormones that both sexes produce, drive the oil output behind this. Close relatives with cystic acne make the same pattern more likely. Heat, sweat, stress and diet can aggravate acne that is already there.

How it is treated

For deep acne, or acne resistant to other treatment, oral isotretinoin is used. It acts on the oil glands, reducing sebum output and interrupting the blockage that forms deep in the follicle. A course runs for months and needs monitoring, as the medicine works throughout the body. Isotretinoin tablets come in 10 mg and 20 mg strengths, and the active ingredient is isotretinoin. Pharmacy partners in India ship to Malaysia in discreet packaging.

When to see a doctor

Rapidly worsening acne, acne that causes real distress, or scarring that has already begun are reasons to seek advice promptly. Once deep nodules have been present for some time, the damage they leave may not be reversible.

What the sources say

  • Acne affects both sexes and all racial groups, and although it is commonest in adolescence it appears across a wide age range (DermNet).
  • On darker skin, redness is less visible and brown post-inflammatory pigmentation can persist long after the lesion has healed; it is often the main reason help is sought (DermNet).
  • Mild acne is treated with topical anti-acne preparations, lasers and light, while oral antibiotics and hormonal treatment are used for moderate acne (DermNet).

Further reading

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