Understand the science behind the ingredients in prescription acne treatments.

Everyone with acne has been there — you start a treatment routine but don’t see results soon enough, so you abandon it. Or your acne gets better so you get lazy about your skincare routine, only to see breakouts come roaring back. To help you find an acne treatment routine that works, and stick with it, understand the options that Nurx prescribes and the science behind them.

This retinoid (vitamin A-based) cream speeds up turnover of the top layer of your skin, preventing dead skin cells from accumulating and clogging pores.

A topical antibiotic that kills bacteria on the skin’s surface so it can’t multiply in clogged pores and cause inflammation.

Available as a cream or wash, benzoyl peroxide zaps bacteria and prevents inflammation. (It’s available combined with clindamycin in a prescription gel called Benzaclin and in over-the-counter washes and creams).

Sometimes excess sebum (aka oil) in pores is caused by the hormone testosterone, so this daily pill is often prescribed to women to block excess testosterone production and stop over-production of pore-clogging sebum.

By regulating hormones and reducing the amount of androgens (including testosterone, see above) circulating in the body, birth control pills containing both estrogen and progestin significantly reduce acne in many people with periods.

Taking antibiotic pills prevents the little skin infections that lead to big breakouts. Nurx usually only prescribes antibiotics for a limited time, but they can be helpful to get acne under control while giving other treatments a chance to start working.