How to treat acne

This guide provides a comprehensive list of acne treatments ranging from acne medication prescribed by a doctor to over-the-counter acne treatments to natural remedy for acne. It also considers treating the causes of acne.

It will consider the cost, and more importantly, the effectiveness of these acne treatments. For more information on the individual treatments, please click on the appropriate link.

Acne is the condition of the skin in which pimples or spots - from black heads to red nodules that are often painful - are noticed on your skin. These spots are in general noticed in chest, back, arms and most importantly, the face.

Acne makes its appearance during puberty. The reason is, as one can guess, the changes in the level of hormone. This change in hormone level triggers the increased production of sebum from sebaceous glands. This sebum if combines with the dead cells of skin clogs the hair follicle, thus resulting in spots.

Acne treatments

Acne that appear at the time of puberty, disappear on its own after some time as the body is used to the hormonal changes in most cases. In some people the acne does stay even after a year, which requires treatment.

There are various treatment options available for acne. Let us go through some of the most popular ones here.

Benzoyl Peroxide

The most popular for of acne treatment is Benzoyl Peroxide. This can be obtained from a pharmacy at different strength levels starting from 2.5%. Benzoyl Peroxide helps to unplug blocked pores which reduces the activity of the sebaceous glands thus resulting in lower levels of sebum.

Retinoid treatment for acne

Retinoids are vitamin-A derivatives. These are very effective in curing black heads, white heads and comedonal acne. Retinoid do increase the turn over of the skin cell. This promotes the removal of the clogged material in the hair follicle. Thus the root cause of the acne is thwarted resulting in the disappearance of the spots.

Adopting suitable acne treatment will definitely help an individual not only have a healthier looking skin, but also your over all health will be improved.

Prescription acne treatments

There are popular acne medication that are prescribed by doctors.

• Mynocyline
• Tretinoin (Retin a) is derivative of vitamin-A. It has been shown to be highly effective when applied lightly on the effected area of the skin. It is highly advisable that sunscream of SPF 30 (minimum of 15) is used to avoid sunburn when retin a treated area is exposed to sunlight.
• Tetracycline
• Accutane

For more on acne medication

Over-the-counter treatments for acne

There is a host of acne treatments that can be bought with or without a doctor's prescription from a pharmacy. It should be remembered that many of these acne treatments are relatively weak. If you have severe acne, this may not be the right solution for you. Lot of the treatments low strength retinoic acid, salycic acid.

Natural acne remedy

Natural treatments for acne emphasize the need for clean diet and and exercise. Although the effectiveness of natural treatments for acne is often debated, there is evidence from sufferers that cutting excess fat, oily food, does in fact help in reducing acne breakouts and help reduce acne.

There are also other natural acne remedies. There are acne medications that contain nutuarl ingredients.

Treating the causes of acne

One of the best ways to treat acne is to actually treat the causes of acne. This way acne will be much more under control and fewer breakouts as a result.

Treating acne scars

Chemical peels

• Home chemical peel
• Doctor administered chemical peel

Chemical peeling is used remove the top layer of the skin thus getting rid of spots in acne. These chemicals peel also guarantee even color to the face. Chemical peels are of immense help for superficial and hollow acne.

The chemicals are applied with help of applicator all over the face. The applicator is in general cotton tipped. Light peels heal faster while the strong peels require up to two weeks to heel completely.

For more on treating acne by a chemical peel procedure

Laser acne treatment

This is a yet another successful acne treatment. Laser is primarily used to treat acne scars rather than acne itself. Light laser [dye yellow pulsed], YAG laser [erbium], and carbon did-oxide laser [undulated] are the most commonly user lasers. These lasers are very effective to treat superficial acne. In this technique, high-energy light that is amplified is used to vaporize the top layer of the skin, thus removing the unwanted spots.

Ketoconazole

Since acne is often a result of increased sebum production from the sebaceous glands that leads to breakout of spots, pimples, it stands to reason that treating the cause will help reduce acne. Nizoral , which contains Ketoconazole 1% or stronger Ketoconazole 2%, is regarded as one of the best treatments there is in reducing sebum production.