How To Find Acne Treatments That Work

The fact that 85% of teenagers get acne doesn't make you feel any better when you are one of them -- when you have to walk out the door and face the world with red, swollen acne pustules, when deep acne lesions cause physical pain, and when stares and ridicule cause emotional pain. You don't have the time and money to waste on ineffective acne cures. But how do you find an acne treatment that works?

Finding an acne treatment that works is a matter of matching the right remedy with the acne-causing factors in your particular case. If your skin produces too much oil, gentle washing and use of an astringent will help to control it. If too many dead skin cells clog your pores and trap oils inside, an exfoliant or a peel will help to remove the cells, allowing the oils to escape. If you still have problems, you may need an antibacterial to attack the P. acne bacteria that proliferate in the oil-filled pores.

Once you know the factors you need to treat, there are treatments at various levels of  sophistication you can try. Many people start out with the simplest method, using homemade acne remedies. Items from your kitchen have properties that can help in your fight against acne. Oatmeal, for instance, absorbs oil and serves as a gentle exfoliant to remove dead skin cells, while honey is a natural antibacterial.

The next method is over-the-counter acne treatments. These are more likely than the homemade methods to have side effects. You can get a single solution product to address just one acne-causing factor, but it is more effective to buy a multi-step system. These systems are designed to work together to fight every facet of acne formation. They include a special cleanser, an exfoliant, and an antibacterial agent.

If the simpler acne treatments don't work, a dermatologist can prescribe stronger medicine. This is often just a pill to swallow or a solution to apply to the skin. They can have side effects, so it's important to consider them and your lifestyle carefully with the help of the doctor to determine the best medication for you.

Arming yourself with knowledge of how acne forms and the various remedies available may take some time, but in the long run it will save you time and money in your search for a cure. When you know the issue to attack, you can quickly choose the treatment most likely to succeed. Finding the acne treatment that works for you will let you face the world with your best face forward.