You can get rid of pimples. If you have really bad acne, then ask your doctor about tetracycline. If you just have a few pimples, then get a pimple popping tool at the drug store. To help prevent getting pimples in the first place, wash your hair every day, along with the rest of yourself.
I had really bad acne as a teen. It started when I was 12, and I didn’t get rid of it until I was 16. I didn’t just have it on my face, either. My whole back was covered with pimples, too. Even though I was really skinny, I felt self conscious wearing a swimsuit. I love to swim, and we lived near the ocean, so this was a real hardship for me. All my friends hung out at the beach all summer. I went with them, because I’m too smart to be a loner, but I felt really ugly. I had good friends, though. No one teased me about my pimples.
Grownups were another story, though. They meant well, but they didn’t understand just how badly I wanted to get rid of the pimples that were all over my face and back, all the time. Most of the women my mom knew told me they wished they could get pimples instead of gaining weight. I told them, “No, you don’t.” One family friend told me once, “Ooh! You are sunburned so bad that you have blisters!” I told her, “No, those are pimples. I heard sunburn might get rid of them, but it didn’t work.”
I read Teen Magazine every month, with all the advice they had. I tried all kinds of ways to get rid of my pimples. I tried Noxema. I tried Clearasil. I tried rubbing alcohol. I tried putting toothpaste on my pimples. I tried not eating chocolate. I tried not eating fried foods. None of these remedies worked for me.
Finally, when I was 16, my doctor noticed my acne at a routine check-up. He prescribed tetracycline. I took it for a few months, and then my pimples just disappeared! They didn’t come back either. Oh, I still get a pimple now and then, even at age 46, but I’ve never had more than a few pimples at a time after the tetracycline made them go away. I only had to take the tetracycline pills for six months, total. I hear now you can take liquid tetracycline.
The only side effect my doctor warned me of with tetracycline is it makes your skin more sensitive to the sun. So, you can’t be tan while you are on it. Big whoop! It was totally worth it to me.
When I do get a pimple – and like I said I’m 46 and I still get one now and then – I get rid of it quick with a pimple popper. My husband showed me one of these, for my first time seeing one, when I was already 30 years old. I have included a picture of one, so that you will know what to look for in the drug store. All the drug stores have them. I just hadn’t ever noticed them. You just put the circle of the popper tool over the pimple, and press. The pimple pops cleanly every time. Pimples are much less noticable when they are popped. Mine go away more quickly after they have been popped, too.
For all I know, by now they have even better drugs to treat acne. Your doctor should be able to tell you, but you can suggest tetracycline and have him go from there.
The Mayo Clinic says that pimples are caused by bacteria, and by hormonal changes that cause your oil glands to overproduce, and your skin to shed irregularly. They say it is most common in teens and in women who are pregnant or on their periods.
Here is a shortened summary of what Drugs.com says about tetracycline:
Brand names for tetracycline are Ala-Tet, Panmycin, and Sumycin. Tetracycline is an antibiotic that fights bacteria. Besides acne, tetracycline is also prescribed to treat gonorrhea, chlamydia, urinary tract infections, and more.It is dangerous for pregnant or nursing mothers to take tetracycline. It can also make birth control pills less effective. It is not for children under 8. Do not take expired tetracycline. Tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney disease. Some people are allergic to tetracycline and drugs related to tetracycline.
