Warning: ‘Super Acne’ Is Real, Rising and Impossible To Treat!

Warning: A new strain of impossible to treat acne is raising its ugly, bumpy, gross head. You too can be a victim!

Are you a victim of something called ‘super acne’? No you won’t die but might have to live with the godawful zits for longer! (Photo: iStock)

You own 25 creams, 50 face washes, 12 medicated potions, 5 different kinds of pills but still have pimples. You’ve probably tried every antibiotic in the market and still get excited when your skin doctor mentions a new regimen for the bumpy skin but nothing, nothing at all seems to calm down those zits.

And there is more breakout-inducing bad news in store. British scientists have found that because of overuse of antibiotics, a new strain of bacteria, called ‘super acne’ is emerging which could leave your skin blighted and will be impossible to treat.

Oh good Lord!

As if the regular one wasn’t creepy enough, super acne is a real thing because doctors are incessantly prescribing antibiotics people for longer duration of time instead of a short-term solution.

Before you flare-out with stress, read what you can do about it below because you didn’t choose the pimple life, the pimple life chose you.

Drug-Resistant Zits Are On the Rise

Acne flares up when the dead skin cells clog the pores of tiny hair follicles instead of flaking off. (Photo: The Quint/Nikita Mishra)

Acne can be a crippling skin disorder affecting a majority of teens but it’s no longer just their scourge. Most skin specialists in Mumbai say they see more people with red, bumpy faces in their 20s than teens.

A course of antibiotics, spanning a couple of months to years is the most common way to treat acne. Over a period of time, the micro-organisms in acne which respond to antibiotics adapt to the drugs, becoming stronger and harder to kill.

Dermatology isn’t the field when you think of antibiotic resistance but a study done by the British Association of Dermatologists on 1000 patients has found that acne is increasingly becoming antibiotic resistant acne which will be impossible to treat, mainly because of excessive pill-popping.

Mild acne usually clears up with over-the-counter creams and lotions but when suckers are more stubborn, doctors prescribe antibiotics in pill, cream of gel form. And it usually works.

Until now.

Some patients really benefit from antibiotics and just don’t want to stop popping these pills for the fear of their acne coming back. But we’ve observed that over the years, the success rate of treating acne with antibiotics is diminishing. We’ve had to try newer, more radical methods like light-based peels, chemical lasers etc. 

<b>Dr Sanjay Chopra, Dermatologist</b>

The situation is far from ideal and antibiotic resistance in acne isn’t the only pressing concern for doctors. An Antimicrobial Review done by the UK government found that by the year 2050, superbugs will kill someone somewhere on Earth every three seconds.

Also Read: Why Do You Keep Getting Pimples at the Same Spot?

Should You Worry?

Yes. Very much.

The post-antibiotic apocalypse is on the horizon.

Exaggeration? Unfortunately not.

In the last century, antibiotics have always made us recover in sickness but imagine the scenario where a simple cut on your finger can leave you fighting for your life. An appendix can become as deadly as an organ transplant. Childbirth can kill women.

There is a genuine fear in the scientific community that after 70 years of indiscriminate use, the world is heading into a post-antibiotic era.

Here’s What You Should Do

Antibiotic resistance is often thought only in terms of tuberculosis, pneumonia and life-threatening deadly bacteria but it’s in skin conditions too. (Photo: iStock)

• Stop being reckless with antibiotics.
  
• Diet trumps treatments. True story. If you eat grease, it is bound to spill out of your skin.
• If you are zit-prone, keep salicylic acid cleansers in your arsenal which gets inside the skin pores to reduce acne-causing bacteria.
  
• If you get mild flare-ups once in a while, it’s a good idea to avoid antibiotics for your zits.
• But if a doctor writes a prescription, finish it dutifully and don’t over pop pills.
• Acne-prone people should avoid hair styling products - the oils and chemical content are often responsible for your bumpy skin.

The good thing is that acne is not a life-threatening situation, it’s more of a quality of life situation. So doctors still have other weapons in their arsenal besides antibiotics to help people look and feel better.

Also Read: 5 Scary Facts About Your Makeup