Mature Skin and Acne (#5)

Dr. Irwin
March 11, 2011

In this 5th tip on mature skin and acne, I’ll give you a quick overview on oral prescription solutions for mature acne. Because these are available only by prescription, you’ll need to discuss these with your doctor.

Really there are 3 options – oral contraceptives, oral antibiotics, and spironolactone. In general, oral contraceptives aren’t recommended for women over 35. But your doctor can discuss this with you because there are now some very low dose options for some perimenopausal women.

I don’t usually recommend long-term oral antibiotics use for the reason that it changes the balance of our healthy intestinal bacteria and can also breed antibiotic resistance.

Spironolactone can be a good choice. It has been around for 30+ years and has a good safety profile. It reduces our “male” hormones (androgens) just slightly but keeps them in the normal range still. This is often enough to control the acne. It has the nice side effects of lowering blood pressure a little and preventing pre-period bloating. You won’t be happy on this if your blood pressure runs very low. Talk to your doctor to see what might be best for you.

See skin care products selected by Dr. Irwin for mature skin that is oily and acne-prone

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

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