Hot water compresses help soften comedones, making them easier to remove. A doctor can show either the person with acne or a family member how to remove comedones carefully once or twice a week, preferably with a sterile needle or a Schamberg loop extractor. A pimple should be opened with a sterile needle only after a pustule has formed. Other treatments depend on the severity of the acne. Other antibiotics taken orally, such as tetracycline, minocycline, erythromycin, or doxycycline, can reduce or prevent superficial acne, but a person may have to take the drug for months or years to control acne.
Sunlight can help because it dries the skin and causes slight scaling, which accelerates healing.
However, in people using tretinoin, exposure to sunlight can cause severe irritation. Tretinoin applied as a cream, liquid, or gel dries the skin, but it must be used cautiously. If irritation develops, tretinoin should be applied only nightly or every other night. Also, a person should apply it lightly over the face, avoiding the eyes, the creases of the mouth, and the folds just around the nose. The acne may appear worse during the first few days of tretinoin treatment and take 3 to 4 weeks to improve.