Although there are many acne treatments available on the market today, what might be deemed an effective acne product varies from person to person. Some factors involved during search for acne treatments include a person’s body chemistry, skin type and the severity of the acne. The search may be frustrating and disheartening at times, but once a person does find the right treatment, the results are well worth the effort.
How to Become Acne Free
To become and stay acne free, especially in the teenage years, proper skin care habits are an absolute necessity. The most important thing is to keep your skin clean so that your pores do not become clogged, infected, and become pimples.
Pimples are a type of skin irritation, so while you do want to wash your face with soap and water once or twice a day, you must be careful not to over do it. Washing your face too often can dry it out, or damage your skin with excessive scrubbing
Blackheads are not pores clogged with dirt, but instead are open pores that have become infected. No amount of washing will cure a blackhead, so there is no need to scrub away at them.
A reasonable amount of sunlight can help improve acne, but getting a sunburn damages your skin, just like over washing. Using water based sunscreen will help protect your skin.
Likewise, if you wear makeup, make sure it is water based and not oil based, as oil based makeup is much more likely to clog your pores and cause break outs.
Benzoyl Peroxide Treatment for Acne
Beyond keeping your skin clean, over the counter acne treatments are sufficient for most cases of acne. Some of the most popular over the counter acne products contain benzoyl peroxide. This acne product helps to dry your skin while also cleansing it.
Sulphur is another acne product that can help many people become acne free. Sulphur helps to unclog pores and promotes healing; it can also be combined with other ingredients to help speed the healing process.
Prescription Acne Treatment
For severe cases, acne treatments may need to include prescription medication or treatments performed by a dermatologist to become acne free.
Many of the prescription medications used to treat acne is very harsh and can be painful, in addition to having other side effects. If a dermatologist does prescribe a medication, you should discuss the potential side effects, as they are quite serious in some cases.
Many dermatologists have turned to dermabrasion therapy, which removes dead skin cells, and possibly scar tissue, to help unclog pores and give you a clearer complexion.
Dermatologists also use light therapy to combat acne-causing bacteria underneath the skin, as well as laser therapy.
Unfortunately, there is no cure-all for acne, but with the multitude of acne treatments available, there is something out there for everyone.
Most of the over-the-counter treatments are designed to be used primarily against mild to moderate cases of acne, which consists mostly of whiteheads and blackheads, while pimples that are big lumps are considered severe acne.
Some people try several acne treatments before finding the one that will make them acne free.