What I Know Now About Doxycycline + Why I'm Going Back On
If you would like to know my acne story, watch the video above!!
|
I can say that one of the many things that my acne journey has taught me is to really pay attention to what you're putting into your body. Like I said in my acne journey video, I was put on doxycycline in my sophomore year of high school. I just followed what the dermatologist told me to do.
Now looking back at it, I wish that I would have done more research on doxycycline. When I was taken off after 5 months, I didn't know why my acne came back. Fortunately, I have learned more about the antibiotic from the help of the internet & an acne specialist, & that's why I decided to go back on it with Apostrophe.
|
Some information before I explain what I have learned:
So what is Doxycycline?
Doxycycline is an antibiotic pill that is taken orally. It helps breakouts by killing acne-causing bacteria and by reducing inflammation in the skin.
What is an antibiotic?
An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of such infections. They may either kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria.
What are some side effects?
increased sun sensitivity
nausea
stomach upset
|
What I have learned from an acne specialist:
It’s not permanent
Doxycycline will work... while you're taking the actual pill. In my experience, I was on doxycycline for 5 months. When I was taken off it after two weeks, my acne came back worse. At the time I didn't understand it. Now that I learned more about the actual antibiotic, the effects are temporary.
Take a probiotic as well
Like I said before, doxycycline is an antibiotic. What antibiotics do to your body is they take out all the bacteria in your gut. Good and bad. We do have good bacteria that help our bodies. Taking a probiotic while taking an antibiotic will help increase the good bacteria & keep your gut. It's recommended to take the antibiotic in the morning, then take the probiotic in the afternoon. If you have to take another antibiotic take it at night. If you take an antibiotic and a probiotic at the same time, you will get nauseous.
Good bacteria help our bodies digest food and absorb nutrients, & they produce several vitamins in the intestinal tract, like vitamins B6 and B12. When we take antibiotics to treat an infection of harmful bacteria, we also kill helpful bacteria. This can cause an imbalance of bacteria in the body that can lead to diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems.
Use tretinoin or retinoid
Like I said prior, doxycycline is a temporary fix. What my online dermatologist, @hi_apostrophe, recommended to me was taking tretinoin while taking doxycycline. Tretinoin is a derivative of vitamin A. It is used on the skin (topically) in the treatment of mild to moderate acne and on the skin that has been damaged by excessive exposure to the sun. Tretinoin cream is something that you have to get prescribed from a doctor. From the Apostrophe website, online dermatologist, mine cost around $90. Even though I wanted to try their Tretinoin cream, I wasn't able to spend that much money on it. So my dermatologist said that I can use Differin gel. Differin gel is a retinoid that is now over the counter. it ranges from $13 to $30.
Always take with a meal
In my past experience, I would sometimes take a doxycycline pill in the morning without eating breakfast. That resulted in me feeling nauseous until I ate something. So never take a doxycycline pill on an empty stomach
Switch up your diet
I'm going to be recording my journey a lot on my Instagram stories. I'm going on a low glycemic diet. Basically no sugar, soy, gluten, dairy, & low carbs. I was recommended this from an acne specialist & my apostrophe dermatologist. I sometimes still get confused about what to eat. So when I figure it all out, I want to make a blog post about some of my favorite recipes. I know eggs, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, whole wheat & oatmeal are good. Also, a lot of fruits & veggies so that's what I'm trying to keep in mind.
|
My experience with Doxycycline before wasn't all that bad. This is why I decide to go back to it. Now that I am well educated in the antibiotics and what I have to do to remain healthy, I'm excited to start this new chapter in my skincare journey. Like I said before I'm going to be updating everybody on Instagram so make sure to follow me on there.
Imani King
