Acne is a very frequent inflammatory skin disease at all ages. Even though it is more common during puberty and usually decreases during the early twenties, it is not unusual for a person in his late thirties or forties to still have it. Fortunately, almost any acne case can be treated. The key for treating and preventing acne problems is following a few basic guidelines. You have to keep in mind that resolution takes time, what works for someone else may not work for you and in some cases you might need a dermatologist.

What Works For Someone Else May Not Work For You

Most people forget the simple truth that everyones skin is different.

If one of your friends recommends you an acne treatment that has done wonders on him, don’t expect it to have the exact same effects on you. You need to follow a treatment that fits your skin type. There are also several types of acne, each requiring a different treatment. The choice you make should be based on your skin type, the causes of the acne problems and the lesions you have at the moment.

Resolution Takes Time

The resolution of your skin condition does take time. Don’t get fooled by medications that claim miraculous, overnight results. Generally, the first effects can be noticed after 6 to 8 weeks. After you have achieved some results, you need to continue treatment to prevent acne from reappearing. If you don’t notice anything different after 8 weeks, the treatment probably needs some adjustments. This is where it can be very beneficial to look to our next point…

You Might Need a Dermatologist

Given the fact that there are many factors that may lead to acne problems, deciding which treatment would work best for you is sometimes a tough call. There’s a wide range of acne treatment products available on the market nowadays and if you don’t choose wisely, you might even get the opposite of what you had expected. This is why it is sometimes best to seek professional help.

Dermatologists have the necessary knowledge to examine your skin type and what sort of acne you suffer from. Before prescribing a treatment, they take many things into account, such as how severe the problem is, the type of lesions you have, as well as your age, lifestyle, motivation and skin type. Based on these factors they create an individualized acne treatment to fit your specific characteristics.

This is the most effective form of treatment because it takes into account the obvious differences in your skin and caters specifically for your skins needs and complexities.

A dermatologist often combines several acne treatments, asking you to use one medication in the morning and another in the evening. However, it’s not safe to do this on your own, because there are several side effects that might make matters worse.

As any other health problem, it is easier to cure if treated earlier. This way you will get better and faster results. An early acne treatment is also helpful for preventing scars that sometimes remain from pimples. As always, it is much easier to prevent than treat, so it’s best to take care of your skin even before suffering from any acne problem.

This can be done by maintaining a consistent and healthy hygiene routine in the morning and evenings. This should consist of cleansing the skin daily with good products (avoid soaps for your face) and exfoliating 2 or 3 times a week.

Moira Jones is an acne treatment experts and operates several blogs discussing the management, prevention and treatment of many forms of acne. For more information please see http://acne—-medicine.blogspot.com

To get rid of acne, you have to understand what causes it in the first place. All in all, the formation of acne pimples a pretty complicated process that even scientists and dermatologists don’t fully understand. What is known though, can be summed up in a fairly simple manner – Acne bacteria (p. acnes) get trapped inside a pore (hair follicle). The bacteria then feed upon the sebum (oil) trapped inside the pore, and multiply, causing an infection. The body spots this infection, and tries to protect itself from it, leading to inflammation, which makes for a huge, red, inflamed “spot”.

Using this basic information, we can come up with three to-the-point ways to combat acne.

1.) Kill the bacteria. If there’s no bacteria to cause an infection, then there will be no acne.

2.) Reduce the oil on the surface of the skin. Since oil can clog pores, and gives “fuel” for the bacteria to thrive off of, less oil means less acne.

3.) Stop the pore from getting clogged in the first place. If you can keep dead skin cells from clogging up a pore, you’ll reduce the number of spots.

With that said, we’ll move on to the basic regimen.

Step 1 – Washing your Face

In this step, we will be trying to accomplish two goals – Removing excess oil from the surface of the skin, and killing the bacteria on the skin.

To do this, we will need a gentle, non-comedogenic, non-irritating antibacterial cleanser. These are few and far between, and I have only found one cleanser that can do the job: Noxzema “Triple Clean” Cleanser. This is a gentle cleanser that contains an antibacterial ingredient called “triclosan”.

First of all, splash your face once or twice with warm water. Then, squeeze about a dime sized amount of the cleanser into your hands. Work into a rich lather, and then apply to the face, being extra careful to be gentle. There is no need to scrub or rub it hard, as this will NOT help with acne, it will only make it worse. With that said, very gently, using no pressure at all, and only the tips of your fingers, rub it onto your skin for one minute straight. This is to make sure that all of the bacteria are killed off. Then rinse the cleanser from your face, and gently pat the skin dry with a clean towel.

Step 2 – Benzoyl Peroxide

Benzoyl Peroxide is a very common over-the-counter acne treatment product. BP works by creating an oxygen rich environment within the skin, interrupting the metabolic process of the p. acnes bacteria, causing it to die off. It is also antiinflammatory, helping to reduce redness.

Avoid anything that is 10% BP, unless it won’t be staying on your skin for long. Go for 5%, or better yet, 2.5%. The two products I recommend are Neutrogena’s “on-the-spot” acne treatment cream, and Stridex’s BP pads. Both contain 2.5% benzoyl peroxide.

No matter which product you choose, apply it gently to your skin after cleansing.

Step 3 – Salicylic Acid

Salicylic Acid is a beta hydroxy acid – meaning it is an exfoliant, and will help your skin to shed dead skin cells faster. This prevents the dead skin cells from forming a clog inside pores, trapping bacteria and leading to a pimple.

The salicylic acid product I recommend is Clean & Clear’s “advantage” acne spot treatment. It is a sort of gel, that contains 2% salicylic acid. It goes on smooth, is invisible once it has dried, and stays on all day to provide protection against acne.

After the benzoyl peroxide has dried, gently apply the salicylic acid. I use about a quarter sized amount for my face, but if your skin isn’t “used to it” yet, start with less.

And that’s it! You’re now protecting your skin from three major causes of acne, and hopefully your skin will begin to clear up!

This regimen is meant to be done twice per day – once in the morning, and again at night. Since both benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid are irritating to the skin at first, don’t jump right in. Your skin has to get used to the products before you can use them to their fullest extent. Be patient, and at first, only apply benzoyl peroxide, and only apply it once per day. Then work up to twice per day. Once your skin is used to that, add in the salicylic acid slowly. Eventually, you should be using quite a bit of both products. Definitely remember to wear a sunscreen if you’ll be venturing out into the sun.

Ryan Bauer is a former acne sufferer from Springfield, MO. He runs an acne information website called Acne Elimination.