OVERVIEW
Do you feel embarrassed and self-conscious about your acne? Are you seeking acne treatment online? We’ve got you covered. Acne is a common skin condition that affects more than 45 million people in the United States. Fortunately, with the advancement of telehealth services, you can now receive effective acne treatment from the comfort of your own home.
MyInstantMD connects you with board-certified family medicine professionals who can provide personalized acne treatment plans and prescription medications to help clear your skin.
Available in 50 states. No insurance needed.
Common Symptoms of Acne
Acne symptoms can range from mild to severe and usually affects people between ages 11 to 30 with having outbreaks at some point in their lives. Symptoms include small red bumps that are painful or pustular (pus filled bumps), whiteheads, blackheads, painful nodules and cysts. Sometimes there could be scarring of the skin. Acne can also cause emotional distress, low self-esteem, poor self-image, anxiety, depression, and decreased quality of life.
Common Causes of Acne
Acne or Acne Vulgaris is a common skin condition that is caused by clogged pores within the hair follicles of your skin. Many adolescents and young adults suffer from having breakouts of mild acne to severe acne. Main factors that cause clogging of the pores include excess oil production (too much sebum), dead skin cells, inflammation and bacteria. Hormones or hormonal changes can also lead to hormonal acne. Food allergies can also cause an acne flare by causing a heightened immune response leading to more irritation and swelling of the skin.
Acne typically occurs on the face, but can also occur in other areas of the body such as the back, shoulders, upper arms, and chest. This is because these areas have the most oil glands or sebaceous glands, which are connected to hair follicles. Whiteheads are caused by the hair follicle swelling up and bulging. When the pores become clogged with bacteria and oil, blackheads can develop. Pustular lesions occur when there is inflammation or an infection with bacteria. Inflammation and clogging deeper within the hair follicle can cause nodules and cysts. Factors that can worsen acne include certain medications such as steroids and stress.
Contrary to popular belief, eating chocolate or greasy foods, having dirty skin or poor hygiene, and cosmetics may have little effect on acne. However, age, hormonal changes, family history, oily substances on the skin and friction or pressure on the skin can be risk factors for acne. Complications may develop such as acne scars, pitting of the skin, hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation of the skin. Sometimes these complications may depend on your skin type.
Other therapies that people have used alone or in combination with medications include:
Light therapy, chemical peel, drainage and extraction, and steroid injections. Downsides to these approaches include multiple visits to the doctor’s office, only short term improvements, skin scarring, skin thinning, and skin discoloration.
Available Treatment Options
At MyInstantMD, we offer online consultations for acne treatment with Board-certified doctors who have experience in treating acne. Our medical professionals will create personalized acne treatment plans that may include topical creams, oral antibiotics, or other acne medications to help you have clearer skin.
Prescription Medication
Our experienced doctors will create personalized acne treatment plans tailored to your unique skin needs. Your doctor will develop an effective treatment plan that may include topical medications like retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or topical antibiotics to clear existing acne, reduce inflammation, unclog pores, and prevent new breakouts.
Mild acne can be treated with topical treatments like tretinoin, adapalene, and benzoyl peroxide that reduces inflammation and unclog pores. Topical tretinoin such as Retin-A, Avita or adapalene (Differin) can be applied to the skin once every evening. Do not apply these at the same time as benzoyl peroxide as it can decrease the effectiveness of the prescription medication. These topical medications can increase sensitivity to the sun, cause irritation as well as dry skin. Topical antibiotics can help reduce redness and inflammation by killing off excess bacteria on the skin. Topical antibiotics, such as clindamycin may be prescribed to use in combination with benzoyl peroxide.
For more moderate to severe acne, your medical provider may prescribe oral medications such as birth control pills and oral antibiotics may be necessary. Birth control pills, such as Ortho Tri Cyclen, help decrease the number of androgens your body makes and helps diminish the lesions that often appear as deeper cysts in the lower parts of the face, such as the jawline, cheeks, chin or neck. Oral antibiotics such as doxycycline and minocycline are effective forms of acne treatment that can help fight acne-causing bacteria.
Both topical and oral medications can be used in combination to treat acne.
Our doctors will work with you to give you the best acne treatment plan and recommendations for your unique needs.
Available in 50 states. No insurance needed.
Over the Counter Medications and Self-Care Tips
To help improve your skin health and have clearer skin, your personalized acne treatment plan will include using gentle skin care products, including a gentle facial cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen daily, as well as avoiding certain triggers. Other recommendations and practices that may help you gain the best results for your acne include:
Keeping your skin clean with a gentle wash twice daily and after sweating. Make sure to look at the active ingredients to your skin care products and avoid using abrasive products. It may cause more skin irritation and worsening of your acne.
Choosing gentle skin care products that are free of alcohol, astringents, toners, and exfoliates will be important to help treat your acne.
If you have oily hair, shampoo regularly and try to keep your hair away from your face. Oil from your hair can trigger acne on your forehead.
Touching your face can also cause a flare up of your acne. Picking, popping or squeezing your pimples can cause your acne to take longer to heal and increase your risk for scarring and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Tanning your skin can also worsen acne. Make sure to apply broad-spectrum water-resistant sunscreen with SPF of 30 or higher to all skin not covered by clothing when you are outdoors to further prevent breakouts of your acne. In addition, use “non-comedogenic” or “won’t clog pores” sunscreen.
Other therapies that people have used alone or in combination with medications include:
Light therapy, chemical peel, drainage and extraction, and steroid injections. Downsides to these approaches include multiple visits to the doctor’s office, only short term improvements, skin scarring, skin thinning, and skin discoloration.
Please keep in mind it can take several weeks or months for your acne to clear up.
Available in 50 states. No insurance needed.
Recommendations for further acne treatments when necessary
If you have a severe acne, stronger oral acne medications or treatments may need to be prescribed by a dermatologist. Cystic acne or painful acne, is considered one of the most severe forms of acne. Strong acne medication such as isotretinoin (Accutane) may be prescribed by a dermatology provider if no other acne treatments have worked well. Accutane is used to treat severe acne by increasing the turnover of cells and shedding of dead skin cells. This decreases clogged pores and the size of the oil glands reducing the production of oil by up to 90%. Being a potent medicine, it does have some serious side effects to consider such as changes in vision, hearing loss, headaches, liver damage, changes in mood and behavior, GI symptoms, pancreatitis, joint pain, and muscle pain. Speak to a dermatologist for your severe acne for best acne treatment options.
Benefits of Online Treatment
Consulting with experienced doctors for acne treatment from home saves time and effort. Based on the information you provide, our doctors will develop a personalized acne treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. This plan may include prescription medications like tretinoin gel or clindamycin, as well as recommendations for over-the-counter products and lifestyle changes.
Convenience and Accessibility
Online acne treatment offers unparalleled convenience and accessibility. With just a few taps on your smartphone or clicks on your computer, you can connect with a licensed healthcare provider from the comfort of your own home, anytime.
No more waiting in crowded waiting rooms or taking time off work for appointments. Our telehealth platform makes it easy for you to get the care you need, when you need it, without the hassle of traditional office visits.
MyInstantMD’s user-friendly interface and secure online portal ensures that your personal health information is protected while you receive high-quality care. Our board-certified doctors are experienced in treating acne and can provide personalized treatment plans, including prescription medications if necessary.
We’ll consider factors like the severity of your acne, age, and medical history to recommend the most effective medications, such as topical retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, or oral antibiotics.
These treatments target the root causes of acne, such as excess sebum production, clogged pores, and bacteria. Your doctor may also suggest lifestyle changes and skincare routines to complement your treatment.
We understand that dealing with acne can be frustrating and emotionally challenging, which is why we prioritize convenience and confidentiality throughout the entire process. Our secure online portal allows you to easily message your doctor with questions or concerns within 24 hours of you receiving your treatment.
Avoiding exposure to other illnesses
Online acne treatment reduces your risk of catching other illnesses. Waiting rooms can expose you to germs from sick patients. Telehealth lets you get care from home.
Our team is dedicated to providing convenient, accessible healthcare options that help you achieve clearer, healthier skin without the hassle of traditional office visits.
Protect your health and get started now to experience relief with the right treatment for your acne without leaving your couch.
Get Your Acne Medication Refills Online with MYInstantMD
If you need acne medication refills online, MYInstantMD is here to help. Our platform offers a quick and convenient way to get the medication you need without the hassle of visiting a doctor’s office.
Simply log in or create an account, complete a brief online assessment, and a licensed provider will review your information to provide an appropriate treatment plan. With MYInstantMD, you can manage your acne treatment easily and efficiently from the comfort of your home.
Available in 50 states. No insurance needed.
Fast and secure Telehealth platform
Our telehealth platform is fast and secure. It only takes about 5 minutes to complete our online questionnaire for our providers to review and send you a personalized treatment plan.
We use HIPAA-compliant technology to protect your personal health information.
This ensures only authorized individuals can view sensitive medical details. You can feel confident your privacy is safeguarded when using our platform.
Get Started Today
Ready to start feeling better? Get started now with MyInstantMD and get the relief you need from your mild to severe acne symptoms. Our secure telehealth platform makes it easy to connect with a board-certified doctor who can provide personalized treatment options tailored to your needs.
Available in 50 states. No insurance needed.
Acute medical treatment in
3 easy steps
1
Answer a few simple questions
2
Provider will then review your information
3
Send prescription to the pharmacy of your choice
Frequently Asked Questions
Our providers can prescribe acne treatments like Retin-A, Benzaclin, Aczone, topical and oral antibiotics, and provide advice on the best over-the-counter products and skin care routines for your specific type of acne.
Acne is caused by clogged hair follicles and pores due to excess oil or too much sebum production, dead skin cells, and acne-causing bacteria. Hormonal changes during puberty, menstrual cycles, or menopause, as well as certain medications and food allergies, can also trigger breakouts
Symptoms of acne include small red bumps (pimples) that are painful or pustular, whiteheads, blackheads, painful nodules and cysts. Sometimes there could be scarring of the skin, dark spots (post-inflammatory inflammation), hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation.
Yes, our online doctor can provide prescription acne treatment for various types of acne, including hormonal acne, cystic acne, and acne scars. Our providers may recommend topical medications, oral antibiotics, or other therapies as options to treat acne.
Maintaining a consistent skin care routine, using non-comedogenic products, avoiding touching your face, and managing stress can all help improve acne. Some people may also benefit from avoiding potential food allergens.
Acne can cause significant emotional distress, low self-esteem, and even depression. If you’re struggling with the mental health impact of acne, talk to your regular doctor or a mental health professional. They can provide support and recommend strategies for coping with the psychological effects of acne.
