Simple Over the Counter Acne Treatments That Work!

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Title: Simple Over the Counter Acne Treatments That Work!

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Author: Tony Buel

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Simple Over the Counter Acne Treatments That Work!

Copyright 2006 Tony Buel

Everyone deals with acne at some stage in their life. Some

will experience it worse than others. Some forms of acne

will be more mild than others. The vast majority of people

will, however, be in the middle somewhere.

Although there may not be a direct linkage, acne may be

aggravated by factors such as stress, diet, air quality and

life-style choices. But the main factors causing acne are:

hormonal imbalances and genetics. Everyone, at some time in

their lives will go through a period of time when their

hormones seem to get messed up (puberty and pregnancy are

prime examples) and if acne is your genetic trait -- you're

stuck with it.

Fortunately, there are many over the counter (OTC)

medications available to help people deal with acne. How

well they work for you will pretty much be determined by

three factors: the product's active ingredients, the cause

of the user's acne and the user's skin type.

Not all acne products will work the same way because of the

different ingredients used. The active ingredient salicylic

acid works by reducing the amount of dead skin. The active

ingredient benzoyl peroxide works by reducing the P.acnes

bacteria (a naturally occurring bacteria in the skin).

Following are descriptions of the active ingredients you

will find used in most over-the-counter acne medications:

Benzoyl peroxide: Benzoyl peroxide is the 'wonder drug' in

the acne treatment industry; it works by reducing the

natural P.acnes bacteria and reduces the quantity of dead

skin cells. By performing these two actions, benzoyl

peroxide manages to lessen the effects of two of the main

causes of comedones (the large, deep, pus-filled pimples

that are the trademarks of acne). Benzoyl peroxide has been

used for years in acne treatment medications since being

discovered to be very effective in treating mild acne.

You will find (on the Internet) many 'personal'

recommendations for benzoyl peroxide and details about how

it was used to successfully treat acne. But as with all

medications, use an acne product with benzoyl peroxide as

instructed on the product label or as instructed by a

physician. Benzoyl peroxide, when over-used, has the

side-effect of drying out your skin and can also discolor

any fabrics or materials it comes into contact with, e.g.,

shirts, towels, sheets, etc.. Benzoyl peroxide is available

as a lotion or gel and can be used as a preventative acne

treatment even after your acne has cleared up.

Alcohol and acetone: Alcohol and acetone are used together

in some over-the-counter acne medications. The alcohol

kills external bacteria while the acetone makes the skin

less oily.

" Herbal " , " organic " and " natural " products: You will find

some OTC products with labels such " herbal, " " organic " and

" natural; " these products are generally put on the market

to appeal to the people who are attracted to products with

those labels. The products themselves may or may not be

beneficial for acne and actual results have proven

inconclusive.

Resorcinol: The active ingredient resorcinol has been found

to work well on small acne blemishes and can be found in

some OTC products combined with sulfur.

Sulfur itself has been used in a number of OTC medications

for decades. You will find this usually in combination with

active ingredients such as alcohol, salicylic acid and

resorcinol. Sulfur has been found be an effective acne

treatment for some people but it does not seem to be known

exactly how it works to clear up acne. Also, products with

sulfur will tend to have an unpleasant smell.

Salicylic acid: The active ingredient salicylic acid is

generally effective for acne blemishes when there is no

inflammation present. Salicylic acid acts by unclogging

clogged-up pores to reduce the number of acne blemishes

formed -- it does this by minimizing the amount of dead

skin cells; it has no known effect on the production of

sebum or the production of the P.acnes bacteria. Just as is

recommended with products containing benzoyl peroxide,

products with salicylic acid as the active ingredient

should be used even after the acne clears up to prevent its

return. One possible side-effect of salicylic acid is skin

irritation in some people.

Remember -everyone's skin is different! Some people have

generally dry skin, some have generally oily skin and most

people have a combination of the two on different areas on

our bodies. Acne in areas of oily skin will respond better

to a gel based acne product. Acne on dry skin will respond

better to a cream.

Those with sensitive skin should not use real strong acne

medication. It may lead to skin irritation or even make

your acne worse!

Some of the milder acne treatments can be used as a

preventative measure and some (like those with benzoyl

peroxide and salicylic acid) are recommended as post-acne

preventative measures but many are too strong and will

irritate your skin.

If you have anything but a mild, seemingly manageable case

of acne, an OTC medicine may control it and eventually get

rid of it. If, however, your acne seems out of control or

painful or too stressful to handle by yourself, be sure to

see a get to a dermatologist!

About the Author:

This article written by Tony Buel may be found at:

http://www.acnetreatment-101.com/Simple-Over-the-Counter-Acn

e-Treatments.htm

Much more information on this subject can be found on his

website:

http://www.acnetreatment-101.com