There are two categories of ointments that people apply on acnes. The first one I am here to explain is antibiotic, including erythromycin, benzyl peroxide and clindamycin. The other one will be anti-inflammatory agents from natural ingredients.

Before we delve into all the amazing facts of getting treated, it is best that we learn more about acnes. Acne outbreaks are mostly caused by touching our face with dirty hands, cloths or any other means of getting into contact with bacteria carriers. The most sensational irritation is when you are hugged by someone you love, with your faces touching each other. As our faces are exposed to all sorts of contamination, these bugs simply get transferred so easily that we do not have ways to block them. Unfortunately, we do not get to wash our faces very often, bacteria that stayed on our faces can hijack our pores and eat up anything in there to grow. P. acne and S. aureus can both give us very pussy acnes, not just small pimples.

The formation of pus indicates that our skin cells and white blood cells died. A lot of cell debris is dead. It then blocks the small venules and lymphatic ends, so the plasma that got flushed into the infected pore simply cannot get drained. If we do not apply antibiotics to kill the causative germs, more white blood cells will follow the plasma flooding into the bacterial colonies, and make our acnes even more pussy. When enough pus accumulates, our acnes erupt. Failing to apply antibiotics in time can thus lead to unsightly changes on our clogged pores.

That is not the end. When lots of cells die, our immune cells produce huge amounts of cytokines, also known to be natural toxins that our bodies produce to select our immune cells to eradicate pathogens. These toxins can stimulate our nerve endings and make us scratch. Consequently, our acnes become itchy or even painful to touch. If this condition goes on and on, our skin may not be able to heal perfectly, such that acne scars become apparent even after the pussy materials are digested and eventually got drained away.

Although antibiotics resistance is widespread, it is proper to apply topical antibiotics in a correct way when acnes are not self-limiting. They should be applied to huge and pussy acnes at least twice a day until the infection is gone.

What do I mean by “properly”? Well, some people simply apply topical antibiotics like moisturisers. They got it all wrong! Antibiotics cannot prevent acne outbreaks, they merely allow bacteria to evolve and become resistant to the antibiotics molecules on faces if people keep applying these medicines on normal skin. In other words, they are killing off normal flora and strengthening pathogens. If these people are infected again, pathogens can be harder to kill, and their acne problems can persist!

When we do not see any pus, or that the acne is not a fast growing one, our treatment option is not antibiotics, but antioxidants.

Our skin can be quite resilient against some bacteria that cannot adhere to our cells or those that cannot produce toxins. In these cases, our skin cells and white blood cells can be killing themselves off after fighting with this group of bacteria. Being utterly victorious, our cells are not killed. After getting their job done, they become senile and have to commit suicide neatly, so that pus do not form. The only drawback is that we can be producing a lot of free radicals that cause long-lasting inflammation. As they are milder and self-limiting, these acnes are more like pimples. We only need to deal with the free radicals, not the pathogens. Therefore, applying antioxidants to eradicate free radicals can be quite powerful in eliminating red spots completely. These anti-inflammatory agents are mostly manufactured from plant extracts, such as ferulic acids, resveratrol, flavonoids and phenolic acids.

Next time when you decide what to do, simply look at the presence of pus and the growing speed of the acne. If your acne doubles within a day, chances are you need to consult a dermatologist to get your tub of topical antibiotics. If not, please try out some plant extracts ointments that you can get from a well-trusted skincare store.