You’ve just started taking a new course of medication, and while you may be feeling better physically or mentally, there’s something going on with your skin: acne. It’s only been a week or so, but it feels like you have a minefield of angry red bumps all over your shoulders or deep, painful cysts taking up residence on your chin.
Unfortunately, some medications and supplements can trigger breakouts, which can be pretty upsetting for someone trying to make a positive difference in their health. “Acne due to a medication is usually driven by increased oil production, hormonal signaling, increased inflammation, or altered turnover of skin cells,” explains Olivia Tomasco, DO, a board-certified internist and primary care physician at Houston Methodist West Hospital.
Medication-related breakouts generally show up fast, often within two weeks of starting a new drug, though they can take a month or longer to crop up, says Debra Luftman, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in Calabasas and Beverly Hills, California. But don’t worry, you likely won’t be breaking out forever.
“One important reassurance I give my patients is that medication-related acne may not be entirely avoidable, but it is very treatable,” Dr. Luftman says. “The goal is never to stop an important medication prematurely but to support the skin while the body adjusts from any number of vantage points.”
Ahead, learn more about which medications may cause acne breakouts and how to handle them.
Meet the experts:
- Debra Luftman, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in Calabasas and Beverly Hills, California.
- Anetta Reszko, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York City.
- Olivia Tomasco, DO, is a board-certified internist and primary care physician at Houston Methodist West Hospital.
In this story:
Medications that commonly cause acne
Doctors note that if you’re experiencing medication-related acne, you’ll likely notice a lot of activity all at once, versus just one or two zits. “Drug-induced breakouts are often more uniform in size and shape across many areas, appearing rapidly after a medication cycle begins,” explains Dr. Luftman. Doctors refer to these as acneiform eruptions. You’ll typically see uniform papules (small, solid, raised bumps) and pustules (small, inflamed, pus-filled bumps) versus blackheads or whiteheads, she notes.
However, not all drug-related breakouts are acneiform eruptions. Some medications that affect hormone levels can cause true acne (with blackheads or whiteheads) and may require slightly different treatments to resolve. Here are some common culprits of both types of skin freak-outs.
Steroids
Steroid-related acne is pretty common, so much so that doctors often simply call it “steroid acne.” Frequently prescribed oral steroids like prednisone and dexamethasone may trigger “monomorphic inflammatory papules,” or small, uniformly sized red bumps, explains Anetta Reszko, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. Sometimes papules can develop into pustules, which have a white or yellow pus-filled tip, so you may notice both are present in the affected areas. If you’re dealing with a steroid-related breakout, you’ll typically see red, inflamed bumps across the arms, shoulders, back, and chest, Dr. Reszko says, calling that a “characteristic inflammatory breakout pattern.”
“Steroids such as prednisone or anabolic steroids stimulate the oil glands in the skin, which leads to acne formation,” explains Dr. Tomasco. Anabolic steroids, which are used to treat conditions like endometriosis and osteoporosis, are more likely to cause acne due to increased hormone activity, which in turn impacts your oil glands, she notes. “Think of when during puberty, hormones start to change and fluctuate, which often results in the acne so many of us experience as teenagers,” Dr. Tomasco says. “This is also the reason many women experience hormonal acne depending on where they are in their cycle.”
