Pimples Treatment in Nellore: Why Online and Parlour Products Backfire, and Why It Takes 3 Months

By the time most people book an appointment for pimples treatment in Nellore, they have already tried a few things. A face wash ordered online. A cream that worked for a cousin. A facial at a beauty parlour, often with a product that has no name on the label. The pimples settle for a week or two, then come back, and sometimes the skin looks worse than when they started.

Ask Dr. Pavan Kumar which of these causes the most trouble, and his answer is specific: online products and unnamed beauty parlour products.

This guide to pimples treatment in Nellore explains what acne actually is and why self-treatment so often backfires.

It also covers how treatment is planned at Pavan Skin and Hair Clinic, and how long it realistically takes.

Quick answer : Treatment begins with an assessment of the type and grade of your acne, and of everything you have already been applying.

At Pavan Skin and Hair Clinic, pimples treatment in Nellore usually begins with prescribed creams, with tablets added where needed.

In Dr. Pavan Kumar's experience, you can see a difference in about one month, but the full course needs around three months.

Procedures such as peels, extraction or injections for painful cysts are added once medical treatment has started, not at the first visit.

Are pimples and acne the same thing?

Not exactly. Acne (acne vulgaris) is the skin condition. It affects the oil glands and hair follicles.

It produces several kinds of spots: blackheads and whiteheads (comedones), red bumps (papules) and pus-filled spots (pustules).

In more severe acne, it also causes deep painful lumps (nodules and cysts). A pimple is one of those spots.

So one pimple before a wedding is not necessarily acne. Repeated crops of pimples, along with blackheads, whiteheads or painful lumps, usually are. In India, "pimples" is how most people describe acne, which is why this article uses both words.

How acne is graded

Dermatologists in India commonly grade acne from 1 to 4 (Adityan et al., 2009):

The grade matters because it decides the treatment, including whether tablets such as isotretinoin are needed.

What do patients try before they come in?

Online searches from Nellore and across India suggest what people look for when pimples appear: pimple creams, face washes, soaps, home remedies and tablets.

Of everything patients try, the ones Dr. Pavan Kumar says cause the most trouble are products bought online and unnamed products used at beauty parlours.

The problem is simple. When a product has no name or ingredient list, nobody can tell what is in it, including whether it contains a steroid.

A cream that seems to calm pimples quickly can be doing so for the wrong reason.

If you have been using anything on your face, bring it with you to your consultation, in its packaging if you still have it. It is far easier to plan treatment when the doctor can see exactly what your skin has been exposed to. For everyday products that suit acne-prone skin, see our guide to a skincare and makeup routine for acne-prone skin.

Can a cream make pimples worse?

Yes, and steroid creams are a common reason. Corticosteroids, whether applied to the face or taken as tablets, can trigger an acne-like eruption often called steroid acne.

Many over-the-counter "fairness", "pimple" and multi-purpose creams contain a steroid mixed with other ingredients.

A study across 12 dermatology outpatient departments in India found that 14.8% of patients with facial skin problems were using steroid creams on the face. Most had started them without a doctor's advice, often on the word of a friend, relative or pharmacist. Of all the patients using them, 90.5% had at least one side effect on the skin (Saraswat et al., 2011).

Dr. Pavan Kumar does see this at the clinic. Patients whose pimples got worse on steroid-mixed creams or tablets often walk in with redness across the whole face and visible skin damage.

In his experience, steroid acne is something patients do not accept easily. Many believe it is an allergy, not a reaction to the cream they have been relying on.

If you suspect your cream contains a steroid, do not simply keep refilling it, and do not stop and restart it on your own either.

Stopping a steroid cream that has been used for a long time can cause a flare, so the change is best planned with a dermatologist.

How is acne treated at Pavan Skin and Hair Clinic?

Treatment follows a set order rather than starting with a procedure.

Step 1: Assessment. The doctor checks the grade of your acne and where it appears, and goes through everything you have been using. He also looks for signs that hormones may be involved (see below).

Step 2: Medical treatment. Treatment begins with medicines. Published guidelines strongly recommend creams and gels containing benzoyl peroxide, retinoids or antibiotics, often in combination. Tablets such as doxycycline or isotretinoin are added where the acne calls for them.

Antibiotic creams are not used on their own, because the bacteria can become resistant to them. They are generally combined with benzoyl peroxide, which helps limit that resistance, often alongside a retinoid (Reynolds et al., 202403389-3/fulltext)) Which medicine, at what strength and for how long is decided at your consultation.

Step 3: In-clinic procedures, if needed. At the clinic, Dr. Pavan Kumar uses three procedures for active acne:

• Chemical peels: a solution applied to remove the outer layers of skin in a controlled way.
• Extraction: removal of blackheads and whiteheads with sterile instruments.
• Injections for painful cysts: a small dose of medicine injected directly into a large, painful lump to settle it.

None of these is done at the first visit. Dr. Pavan Kumar adds them only after medical treatment has started. Procedures support the medicines; they do not replace them.

Acne guidelines list injections into large lumps as a useful add-on. They also note that the evidence is not yet strong enough for a formal recommendation on peels

(Reynolds et al., 202403389-3/fulltext))

How long does pimples treatment take?

"Can I remove pimples in three days?" is one of the questions people search most often about acne.

Dr. Pavan Kumar's answer to patients is honest: you can usually see a difference in about one month, but treatment needs around three months.

The reason is that acne treatment works by stopping new pimples from forming, not only by drying up the ones you can see today.

Each pimple starts developing under the skin well before it appears on the surface. Stopping treatment as soon as the skin looks better is one of the most common reasons pimples return.

How quickly your skin improves differs from person to person. It depends on the grade of acne, any hormonal factors, what has been applied before, and how regularly the treatment is followed.

When are hormones behind the pimples?

Pimples that start or continue in adulthood are not always the same problem as teenage acne. Dr. Pavan Kumar looks for a hormonal cause in patients with adult acne.

He looks harder when it comes with excess facial or body hair (hirsutism) or hair loss, and in patients who are overweight. He also asks about their menstrual history.

These signs together can point to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common condition in which the body produces more androgens (male-type hormones) than usual.

Androgens increase oil production in the skin, which feeds acne. If PCOS or another hormonal cause is suspected, further tests may be advised, and treating the acne then goes hand in hand with managing the underlying cause.

When is isotretinoin needed?

Isotretinoin is a tablet for more severe acne. Dr. Pavan Kumar considers it for Grade 3 and Grade 4 acne, the grades where pustules, nodules and cysts dominate and scarring becomes a real risk.

Guidelines also recommend it for severe acne, for acne that is causing scars, and for persistent acne that has not responded to other treatment (Reynolds et al., 202403389-3/fulltext))

• Drink plenty of fluids. Isotretinoin dries the skin and lips.
• Use a lip balm regularly. Dry, cracked lips are a common side effect.
• Avoid sun exposure. The skin becomes more sensitive to the sun during treatment.

Isotretinoin must not be taken during pregnancy, because it can seriously harm an unborn baby.

Women who are prescribed it are asked to take a pregnancy test before starting and to use reliable contraception during treatment and for at least one month after it ends. The exact precautions follow the prescribing doctor's protocol.

Treatment also involves regular follow-up visits. Before and during the course, the doctor may order blood tests such as liver function tests and cholesterol and triglyceride levels (Reynolds et al., 202403389-3/fulltext)). Never take isotretinoin bought without a prescription, or one prescribed for someone else.

Should you pop pimples?

If Dr. Pavan Kumar could give every pimple patient one line, it would be this: don't pop out pimples.

Squeezing a pimple can push the inflammation deeper into the skin. That raises the chance of a dark mark after it heals, or a permanent scar. In darker Indian skin, those marks can last for months. You can read more in our guides to acne scars and pigmentation and acne marks.

Extraction at the clinic is different from squeezing at home. It is done with sterile instruments, on the right kind of spot, and only after medical treatment has started.

Does food cause pimples?

Patients ask about milk, sweets and oily food often. Dr. Pavan Kumar's view is measured: a few patients do notice their pimples flare with certain foods, and he advises avoiding high glycaemic index foods.

These are foods that raise blood sugar quickly, such as sweets, sugary drinks and foods made with refined flour (maida).

There is some evidence behind this. In a 12-week trial of 43 young men with acne, those on a low-glycaemic diet had a larger drop in pimples than those on a standard diet. They also lost more weight, which may have contributed (Smith et al., 2007). The 2024 acne guidelines found the overall evidence on diet not yet strong enough for a formal recommendation (Reynolds et al., 202403389-3/fulltext))

In practice, cutting down on high-glycaemic foods is reasonable, but diet alone rarely clears acne. It works alongside treatment, not instead of it.

When should you see a dermatologist for pimples?

It is worth booking an assessment if:

• Pimples have kept coming back for more than a few weeks despite creams and face washes
• You have painful lumps or cysts under the skin
• Pimples are leaving dark marks or pitted scars
• Your face has turned red, thin or more spotty after using a cream
• Pimples started in adulthood, especially with irregular periods, excess facial hair or hair loss
• You are thinking about taking pimple tablets, including antibiotics or isotretinoin

Pimples treatment in Nellore

Dr. M. Pavan Kumar is a dermatologist (MBBS, MD DVL) at Pavan Skin and Hair Clinic in Pogatotha, Nellore. The clinic offers pimples and acne treatment in Nellore with prescribed medicines, chemical peels, extraction and injections for painful cysts.

It sees patients from across Nellore district and nearby towns including Gudur, Naidupeta, Kota, Sullurpeta, Tada and Venkatagiri.

The clinic's approach is evidence-based treatment over trends. For acne, that means assessing the grade and the cause first and starting with medicines.

Procedures are added only when needed, and the plan covers the full course rather than a quick fix.

If pimples have been bothering you, you can book a consultation online or call the clinic on 94917 76545 or 83096 96943. Pavan Skin and Hair Clinic is on the 4th line from S2 Cinemas, in the Anil Diabetes Centre building, Pogatotha, Nellore.

At your first visit, bring every cream, face wash and tablet you have been using, and a list of any other medicines you take.

About the reviewer

Dr. M. Pavan Kumar, MBBS, MD (Dermatology, Venereology and Leprosy), is a dermatologist at Pavan Skin and Hair Clinic, Nellore.

He has worked as a Senior Resident and as an Assistant Professor, and has published in indexed medical journals.

Professional Memberships / Certifications: IADVL LM/AP/8453

This article is for general information and does not replace a consultation. Acne has many causes, and treatment should be planned after an assessment by a qualified dermatologist.

How this article was prepared: The medical content in this article is based on Dr. M. Pavan Kumar's own clinical experience and the reliable published sources cited below.

Sources

1. Reynolds RV, Yeung H, Cheng CE, et al. Guidelines of care for the management of acne vulgaris. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2024;90(5):1006.e1-1006.e30. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2023.12.017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2023.12.01703389-3/fulltext)

1. Adityan B, Kumari R, Thappa DM. Scoring systems in acne vulgaris. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2009;75:323-326. doi:10.4103/0378-6323.51258. https://ijdvl.com/scoring-systems-in-acne-vulgaris/

1. Saraswat A, Lahiri K, Chatterjee M, et al. Topical corticosteroid abuse on the face: A prospective, multicenter study of dermatology outpatients. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2011;77(2):160-166. doi:10.4103/0378-6323.77455. https://ijdvl.com/topical-corticosteroid-abuse-on-the-face-a-prospective-multicenter-study-of-dermatology-outpatients/

1. Smith RN, Mann NJ, Braue A, Mäkeläinen H, Varigos GA. A low-glycemic-load diet improves symptoms in acne vulgaris patients: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;86(1):107-115. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17616769/