An acne treatment is out there
People are different, that is why there are a number of acne treatments available
When researching a specific acne treatment the first thing I noticed was the large number of people saying this product was great while others said the same product did not work for them. While all of these posts were unscientific and only people’s impressions, there must be some truth to their statements.
There could be a number of reasons that one acne treatment would work for someone and not someone else. Here are a few explanations.
1. The level of consistency the product was used for
2. Skin type: oily, dry, normal
3. Length of time used - for instance someone might use an acne treatment product
for two weeks and see no changes (which is not surprising) while another person
could use it for two months and see a change
4. Skin color
5. Lifestyle
6. Diet
7. Climate
8. Type of acne
9. The way the product is applied
10. Many other factors that the users may not have considered.
Thus, it becomes clear that the best acne treatment for one person may not work for you. As an example that is easy to explain, if you have oily skin and your friend has dry skin you will likely need a gel or lotion while they may need a cream or ointment based product. This is more fully described in Healing Adult Acne by Richard Fried.
As with any skin disease you should make at least one trip to your local doctor or dermatologist to see what they have to say about your acne. As there are many different types of acne you want to be sure you are treating acne vulgaris or common acne and not some other serious problem.
Acne Treatment Products
There are many different areas you can look at when it comes to treatments for your acne. The most common would be the use of either benzyl peroxide or salicylic acid or using a combination of both. Both of these products are available in over the counter formulations. Note that while the active ingredient may be the same between various products the carrier or inactive ingredients can have a large influence on the results you will see.
Salicylic acid is an exfoliating agent which means that it cleans the acne area by removing the dead skin. Once this skin is removed it is easier for the benzyl peroxide which is an antibacterial agent which kills the bacteria responsible for acne. Salicylic acid generally comes in concentration around 0.5 to 2% while benzoyl peroxide is generally available in concentrations of 2.5%. Concentrations higher than these are generally not recommended as for most people in most situations the extra strength will only provide minimal extra benefit. These products are available from many manufacturers without a prescription.
Caution – Salicylic acid is an organic acid and is corrosive to the skin while Benzoyl peroxide is a bleach and will bleach your cloths. Be carful when handling these over the counter products.
Alternate Acne Treatments
Simple changes to your lifestyle can produce improvements to your level of acne. Stress has been found to cause changes to hormone levels which affect your acne and thus identifying ways to reduce the stress in your life may help reduce your acne. Exercise is one way to reduce stress so instead of watching two hours of TV watch one and exercise or go for a walk for the other hour.
Your diet may also be affecting your acne. In an attempt to reduce your acne you may want to try a natural acne treatment by changing or improving your diet and start to eat more fruits and vegetables, omega 3 fatty acids, less processed foods and less sugar. Other new acne treatments, which you may want to look into involve: light, heat and cognitive therapy.
Remember, acne is not a curable disease but with the correct acne treatment it can be a preventable disease.
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