It sounds like the stuff of teenage nightmares: super strong, freakishly clever, mutant acne.
But dermatologists say the bacteria that causes acne is increasingly developing resistance to some commonly prescribed antibiotics, including tetracycline and erythromycin. And while the superbug MRSA is a widely known threat in the general medical community, some patients are surprised to learn that the P. acnes bacterium is equally capable of rebelling against drugs and developing superpowers. It’s acne gone wild.
“There’s been so much attention to MRSA and other kinds of resistant bacteria which truly can kill you, whereas acne doesn’t kill you,” says Dr. Alan Fleischer, a professor and chair of dermatology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. “And yet we doctors see patients who have resistant acne, and we do need to be cognizant of changes. The bacteria are changing, are adapting and becoming resistant.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30143726/I had some acne that didn't respond to abx 30 years ago. More than once, the derm injected cortisone directly into my face, into a huge zit (yes, it is as bad and gross as it sounds) - like a joint injection, I guess???? One whopper took more than one injection.