I've been on those antibiotics, and now I have IBD.
I know very well what it is like to have acne. I still have acne, and I'm 49. I had very severe acne--large patches of clear liquid under my skin with boils on top of that, basically boils on top of boils.
Don't use any antibiotics, not even topical ones, which get absorbed through the skin! Antibiotics kill bacteria in the colon. My dermatologists will still try to get me to use antibiotics even when I tell then I have UC. Don't do it!
The acne is bacterial. So you will need to have everything as clean as possible.
Change pillow cases and towels daily.
Do not touch the inflamed areas.
Do not apply heat to the inflamed areas.
Keep the inflamed areas as dry as possible.
Bacteria love hot, moist areas. I could actually feel my acne growing when I had lived in a topical climate.
Use Retin-A if possible. It will reduce scarring. If it causes the skin to become red, which is common, then apply it less often.
Sterilize all
open boils with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Some may say not to do this because it's not good for the skin, but neither is acne.
Post Edited (subdued) : 4/10/2011 1:43:46 AM (GMT-6)