While dozens of acne products are available over the counter, people with more serious conditions will want to purchase a prescription medication. Fortunately, there are several excellent ACNE treatment and products available from the pharmacy. Here is the ones that doctors most prescribe:

Isotretinoin is a product reserved for treating the most serious cases of cystic acne and severe acne if it appears to be resisting other medicines. It's quite potent and should be used as a last resort.

For those who have moderate to severe acne problems which tend to reappear, oral antibiotics are a good option. They do a good job at decreasing inflammation. Because the purpose is to reduce the number of flare-ups you have, these are generally prescribed for six or fewer months.

A medication that has proven useful to fight a broad variety of acne-causing infections is Erythromycin. The down side, however, is that it has a known side effect of irritating the gastrointestinal tract.

Tetracycline is designed to reduce the inflammatory lesions caused by acne, and is quite popular among adolescents because it takes care of their biggest concern: appearance. However, doctors are reluctant to prescribe it for kids under 8, because it can hinder growth and stain the teeth. It's also not prescribed for pregnant women, because of damage to the unborn child's teeth or other bones.

Surprisingly, a good option for women with acne treatment are oral contraceptives. They clear up a female's acne by hindering secretions from overactive sebaceous glands. Oral contraceptives have been proven to be a good long-term acne solution, although no woman should use it for that purpose without first consulting her gynecologist.

There is a topical antimicrobial known as Azelaic Acid which occurs naturally in the skin. Some doctors prescribe it to treat moderate inflammatory (and sometimes non-inflammatory) acne, because it reduces the populations of P. acnes and also decreases the shedding of skin cells. There are a few side effects, though, such as dryness in the skin and sometimes a lightening of the skin where the medicine is applied.

You can't buy any of these medications yourself. But if you find that your current acne product is not working, ask your doctor about any of the above products that you think you might like to try. He'll discuss with you the pros and cons of each, and together you can come up with a good solution.