Azelaic Acid For Treating Acne

Acne has always been a problem in many teens and adults alike and the ‘perfect cure’ in treating mild to severe cases of acne varies from one person to another.

But then, different acne medications offer solutions to individuals who suffer from acne. From topical gels or creams, pills to expensive dermatological procedures are made available to cure this longstanding skin problem in people regardless of sex, age, and status in life.

Some people prefer to wait for acne to go on its own, thinking it would be best that way. Unfortunately, moderate to severe cases of acne do require special attention that, if left untreated, can surely damage one’s appearance and self-esteem.

What’s more, some people who have acne resort to self-medicate, not even aware of the kind of medication they use. Some also tend to jump from one acne medicine to another, if the other does not work. There are some who try and experiment mixing medications they think would cure acne instantly. However, these are only a few known possibilities (and disasters) they would do.

It is very important that you should be knowledgeable about acne. Treating acne by impulse and not knowing which medicine you should use would only result to permanent acne scars and worst of all, infection.

On the other hand, one of the most commonly used treatment in acne is azelaic acid. A generic name in acne medication, azelaic acid is found in various topical medicines and has been found useful and effective in treating mild to moderate cases of acne.

What is azelaic acid?

The human skin has yeast that lives on it which produces natural acid known as azelaic acid. This natural acid works as a topical medication commonly used in treating mild to moderate acne, and treatment is normally combined with oral antibiotics, or with hormones.

Azelaic acid also acts as an antibacterial in the skin as it lessens the chances of bacteria in the follicle to grow further; Keratolytic and comedolytic as azelaic acid helps normalize the expanded cells lining the follicle inside the skin.

Azelaic acid is the generic name for Azelex, a popular topical cream in treating acne. Like most topical medicines, azelaic acid should be applied as instructed. Too much application on the affected areas on the skin may lead to skin irritation, rashes, and infection.

Risks of using azelaic acid on your skin

Even though many have tried using topical creams with azelaic acid, some people still combine acne treatments with it, resulting to reports of having skin irritation which only made acne worse. Pregnant women with acne should never use azelaic acid as this material goes into the bloodstream which can be harmful to both mom and her fetus.

Azelaic acid is not recommended to individuals with sensitive skin; it can cause redness and itchiness on the skin that can quite go on for long periods, and counteracting sensitivity to a product that contains azelaic acid can be costly.