Which Acne Treatments Work Best

Millions of people around the world suffer with acne, and if you're one of them you may find yourself wondering which acne treatments actually work best, and which ones are just wasting your time and money.

Contrary to the popular myth, acne is not just an affliction of pubescent teenagers.  Adult acne is also very common, and can cause breakouts not only on the face, but also on the shoulders and back.  There are also different types of acne, though in general they are all caused by the same thing: an underlying bacterial infection of the skin.

If you are one of the millions of acne sufferers around the world who have tried various over-the-counter treatments and products to cure your acne without success, maybe it's time to try a different and more natural approach to eliminate the problem.

The first thing you will want to be aware of is cleaning your skin thoroughly on a daily basis, or preferably, two or three times a day.  Although there are hundreds of products available that are designed to clean the face, a regular Hypo allergenic soap is often recommended by dermatologist.  It is important not to use a regular soap, which can irritate and dry out the skin; but instead, use a moisturizing soap that is gentle enough to not aggravate your acne while cleaning your pores.

It is also important when cleaning your face to not bear down too hard or scrub severely.  Although you may think that you are cleaning the trouble spots thoroughly, in reality you will only cause more redness by irritating the acne breakouts in this way.

After cleaning your skin thoroughly, you will want to use an acne fighting solution.  Although there are many kinds of products on the market, the benzol peroxide solutions such as Clearasil have a longer proven track record of curing acne than many of the newer products on the market.

Simply apply the topical ointment to the affected areas of your face before going to bed at night.  However, it is always important to thoroughly read the warning information, and avoid any exposure to the eyes, mouth or the inside of the nose.  If you notice any swelling or exacerbated redness when using these treatments, discontinue using them immediately and see your physician.

There are also dozens of home remedies that you may wish to try for acne, especially if the over-the-counter medications have not been particularly effective in your case.  One common remedy is to apply regular toothpaste with fluoride to the acne breakouts.  You want to make sure that you use standard white fluoride toothpaste, and not one of the more modern gels.  Other than this disclaimer, all brands of regular toothpaste should work about the same.

Simply apply a few small dots of toothpaste to your face on the affected area before bedtime.  Many individuals report a decrease in swelling in the area by the following morning.

Another home remedy is to dab a little spot of egg white on the affected area before bed at night.  It will quickly dry, and many people report that they find the acne is already beginning to fade the following morning.

There are many other kinds of home acne treatments, including applying ice to pimples before bedtime to reduce swelling and minimize scarring after the pimple is gone. 

While there is no empirical evidence that these home acne treatments work for everyone, by trying a few for yourself you will quickly find out which are the most beneficial to you.