Acne, do this before you spend a lot of money for treatments.

What is acne?

Acne is when the skin’s pores get plugged causing blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples on the face, neck and other parts of the upper body. It is most common in the teenage years but can affect adults in their, 20s, 30s and 40s. Once the pore gets plugged bacteria can invade and cause inflammation and redness. This is an oversimplified explanation but the point is there is bacteria involved.

Treatment

There is only a handful of active ingredients to teat acne. They work by killing the bacteria involved or by correcting abnormal skin shedding. There are a lot of over the counter medications available but only a few active ingredients. My focus today is to highlight just a couple of of active ingredients to get you on the path to clearer skin. If you do not see improvements in your acne in 7 to 10 days or you have side effects or worsening conditions then I defer to a dermatologist. Do not waste a lot of money trying every product available on the shelf.

First

Wash the affected area twice daily with a product containing salicylic acid 2%. Read the ingredients. Some products with this ingredient are inexpensive and some very expensive. Purchase the least expensive one you can find. If you need a brand name to look for try Noxzema Triple Clean Blackhead Cleanser. This one can be found for under $5.00 at the local pharmacy or grocery store.

Second

Apply a benzoyl peroxide cream to the affected area twice daily after the above wash. There are several strengths of benzoyl peroxide on the market starting at 2.5% up to 10%. You should probably start with a 2.5% strength initially as this can be drying and sometimes irritating to the skin. If this strength is tolerated you could advance to the 5% or 10 % strengths. If you need a brand name to look for Clearasil Ultra Acne Treatment Cream is available as a 10% product.

Third

Apply a light moisturizer to the areas treated above. A good choice is Olay Complete Sensitive Skin.
Try this treatment plan for 7 to 10 days. You should see some improvements by this time. Continue this plan for several weeks and you should see a lot of improvement. If this basic plan does not produce visible results or you cannot tolerate the side effects, contact a dermatologist. Don’t spend a lot of time and money with all the different products available.

Try this and leave a comment to let me know how it has worked for you.