Key ingredients in Over the Counter Medications

If you have mild acne or only occasional outbreaks you may find an acne treatment easily and quickly in your local drugstore. The following ingredients are often found in over the counter medications and are effective in treating acne:

• Sulfur: Sulfur helps to unclog pores and remove bacteria. It also reduces inflammation.
• Tea Tree Oil: Tea Tree Oil kills acne and is a common ingredient found in cleansers and toners.
• Benzoyl Peroxide: Benzoyl Peroxide provides oxygen to the pores causing the acne to die. However, it is very drying to the skin.

Prescription Medications

If you want to have clear skin quickly and take the guess work out of finding the right medication, consult with your dermatologist. Your dermatologist may prescribe you certain medications to clear up your acne. The following prescription medications are often effective acne treatments:

• Antibiotics: Antibiotics can be effective in treating acne but be careful not to use them for too long so that you do not build up a resistance.
• Retin A: This prescription medication is derived from Vitamin A and applied topically. Retin A is highly effective and can be used for extended periods of time. However, it does thin the skin so be sure to use proper sun protection at all times.
• Accutane: This is a prescription form of Vitamin A that is taken internally. While it is highly effective, it also has dangerous side effects including severe birth defects. It is best to only use this for short periods of time when you have severe outbreaks.
• Differin: Differin is similar to Retin A in that it is a topical prescription medication derived from Vitamin A. It is less drying than Retin A and a good alternative if you find that your skin is irritated by the Retin A. As with Retin A, be sure to use proper sun block.

You may find that you have to use different acne treatments at different times in your life. This may be because the severity of your acne has changed or a once useful treatment is no longer effective. There are so many acne treatments on today’s market that you should have no problem quickly finding a suitable treatment for your particular needs.

I Know I Have Acne. So How Can a Dermatologist Help me?

First, a dermatologist can tell you what type of acne you have. This will be important in finding an effective acne treatment. Some of the different types of acne include:

• Acne Vulgaris: this is the most common form of acne. It includes whiteheads, blackheads, papules, and pastules. In severe acne vulgaris nodules and cysts are usually present.
• Acne Rosacea: although this is not technically a form of acne, it is often mistaken for acne. It is most common in people over the age of 30. It appears as a red rash on the face. While blackheads are not present, there may be bumps, pimples and other skin blemishes.
• Acne Conglobata: This is the most severe form of acne vulgaris. It can cause severe scarring and damage to the skin. It is most common in males between the ages of 18-30.
• Acne Fulminans: This is the sudden onset of acne conglobata. This type of acne also includes a fever and aching joints. Scarring can be so severe that it is disfiguring.
• Pyoderma Faciale: This type of acne is most common in women ages 20-40. It is a severe, often painful form of acne that occurs on the face.

Next, a dermatologist can perform some procedures during your office visit that can immediately improve your complexion. There are many procedures available including:

• Acne Surgery: This is a simple in office procedure to remove blackheads and whiteheads.
• Mircrodermabrasion: This removes the upper levels of skin to generate new, healthier skin
• Chemical Peels: This removes blackheads and whiteheads and allow new skin growth

Finally, there are a great many medications available to treat acne. A dermatologist may prescribe one of the following types of acne treatment:

• Topical Creams or Lotions: Some of these creams contain Vitamin A, some contain benzoyl peroxide, and some contain antibiotics.
• Oral Antibiotics: Oral medication may be useful in clearing some types of acne by reducing the amount of bacteria in the skin.
• Birth Control Pills: Some birth control pills may help control the level of hormones in the body

Given all of these variables, it is best to consult with your dermatologist to determine the acne treatment that is best for you.

The Bottom Line

To fight acne you have to know what causes acne. Acne is basically an infection of the skin. It is caused when the pores get blocked and bacteria are allowed to grow. The pore then fills with pus and the result is acne on the surface of the skin.

Keeping the face clean is the best way to combat acne, but sometimes even the cleanest face can still develop acne. That is because acne can also be directly related to excess oil production of the pores due to hormonal changes. When the skin produces too much oil even the best skin care regimen can fail. This is when treatments acne can not stand up to come in.

Treatment Methods

The first thing to remember is that even when you have already developed acne, keeping your skin clean is important. Keep up your skin care routine daily.

Topical medications are the most common types of treatments. Acne is treated at the surface with these methods. The downfall of this type of treatment is that it often dries out the skin and produces a less than favorable look. They should be used as spot treatments and excess use is to be avoided. You can do such treatments without consulting a dermatologist, however, for better solutions you might want to turn to him for advice and solutions.

Sometimes acne is treated with topical medicines and oral medications. This combination is usually handled by a dermatologist and is better for moderate to severe cases.

Another thing a dermatologist may do is offer acne surgery. This is usually reserved for the severe cases. It involves removal of blackheads and whiteheads with an extractor. The results are quite amazing.

A dermatologist may also be willing to provide intralesional corticosteroid therapy. This is used for one or two cysts. The cysts are injected with a cortisone solution and they will quickly disappear.

Dermatologist treatments are going to be the best solution to an acne problem. It can be hard to handle the situation yourself with over the counter treatments. Acne can be difficult t clear up on your own without having side effects from OTC medications that just make things worse. For treatments acne can not fight you should see your dermatologist.

Is It Really that Big a Problem?

Acne is not life threatening. However, breakouts that are not properly treated can cause scarring. Breakouts and scarring can damage a person’s self esteem. So, it is important that it be properly treated. In order for that to happen it is important to understand what really causes this skin condition and consider some tips for effective treatment.

Common Misconceptions About This Common Skin Condition

You may have heard all kinds of stories about what causes acne. Stories have been past down from parent to child and circulated in the hallways of most middle schools. However, the following four stories are simply myths and do not contribute to skin outbreaks. They include:
• Poor Hygiene: Acne is not caused because people do not wash their faces. In fact, frequent face washing may contribute to it. The best plan is to wash your face gently twice a day.
• Poor Diet: There is no evidence to support that eating pizza, French fries or chocolate contributes to pimples. Eating a well balanced and healthy diet is always a good skin care option, however.
• Stress: Again, there is no scientific evidence to support the fact that stress causes acne.
• Sun Will Improve your Skin: This is just not true. However, there is a lot of documentation about the harmful effects of the sun on skin. A tan may mask acne symptoms but it does not cure it.

What Does Cause This Skin Condition

Basically, pimples, whiteheads and other blemishes occur when the skin’s pores are clogged and oil and bacteria are trapped within the pores. The body sends white blood cells to the clogged pore resulting in inflammation.

Treatments

There are many treatments on the market and finding the right one to use will involve some trial and error. Whichever treatment that you find works for you, can be made more effective with these simple tips: gently wash your face with a mild cleanser, do not touch, pick, squeeze or otherwise play with the blemishes and, use cosmetics labeled noncomedogenic. Also, whichever treatment you choose needs to be used as directed and for enough time to determine if it works. If you do not see an improvement in about 8 weeks, it is time to look for a different solution.

So, now that you know what really causes acne and how to get the most from your skin treatment you can look forward to clear beautiful skin.