Say Goodbye to Acne

If you are looking for an acne medication solution, there are many over the counter treatments to choose from. But what is the best acne treatment? This gives you a quick OTC acne treatment comparison, so you can choose the OTC acne skin care product that works best for you.

Over the counter acne products should be used for mild, or Grade I acne. If you treat acne during this stage, you have a better chance of controlling it before it progresses to the next stage.

It is typical to find blackheads and whiteheads with mild acne. There may be some papules and pustules at this stage, but they are more infrequent. Mild acne can improve quite a bit by the application of over the counter topical treatments.

Benzoyl Peroxide

Benzoyl Peroxide is probably the most common acne medication. It works by killing the bacteria that causes breakouts. It also unclogs pores and can reduce inflammation. You can purchase Benzoyl Peroxide over the counter in strengths from 2.5% to 10%. It is the main ingredient in many popular acne treatments, including Proactiv.

Benzoyl Peroxide is extremely drying to the skin, so you should always use it along with acne face moisturizer. It is always best to get your skin used to it gradually by using lower strengths, and applying very small amounts to begin with. You may even want to only use it every other day in beginning. Over a few weeks time, you should be able to build up to using it more frequently and can opt for a strength that is stronger, if you think you need it.

Resorcinol and Sulfer

Recorcinol and sulfer are typically found together in acne products. Resorcinol helps remove dead skin cell buildup. Sulfer has been used for a number of years to prevent acne. Resorcinol usually comes in strengths of 2% and surfer usually comes in strengths of 5% to 8%. These ingredients are found in some Clearasil products.

Salicylic Acid

Salicylic Acid corrects abnormal shedding of skin cells that block pore openings to reduce breakouts. This product works very well for those who have blackheads and whiteheads. The typical strength is .5 to 2%. Some Oxy, Noxema and Stridex products contain salicylic acid.

Alcohol and Acetone

Alcohol and acetone are typically found together in many treatments for oily skin. Alcohol helps reduce bacteria and acetone removes excess oil in your skin. You typically will find these two ingredients in astringents, toners and cleansers.

Now when you are looking for an acne medication solution, you will be better prepared with this quick OTC acne treatment comparison.

By: Eileen Childs

About the Author:

Solve your acne & skincare problems at http://www.acnepimplezits.com

Acne, sometimes known as Zits, is a menace to people who suffer from this condition; but there are now many treatments available which can help the condition so it is more bearable. The number of people afflicted around the world is huge so science research is making advances; the result of this effort is new, more effective, treatments are becoming available. We can classify acne skin care products into 3 broad categories:

*Preventive

*Drugstore or Internet: Treatments that do not require a prescription

*Prescription only: Requires visit to doctor

Those that fall into the preventative category are based around general skin conditioning to help stop acne from forming; these include cleansers, make-up removers and other similar products that can help prevent the condition. Whilst many sufferers use these products there are even more who just want to keep their skin clean and conditioned; in many instances the user has never had a skin condition to worry about.

Some of these products are designed to act like an acne skin care product and act against the causes of this complaint; they are formulated to reduce and limit the amount of oil in the pores of our skin. When the pores become clogged with this oil, bacteria which can cause the problem begin to grow.

This type of skin care treatment also includes those which exfoliate such as skin peels; most can even be purchased over the Internet in addition to normal outlets. These work towards removing dead skin cells, reducing the possibility of pore-clogging and bacteria development.

There is a huge market for these types of acne skin care products as they don’t require a consultation with a dermatologist. These formulations contain the chemical benzoyl peroxide and the naturally occurring salicylic acid; these include creams, cleansers and peels that slow down acne formation.

It is often a good idea to start with a product that has lower concentration of benzoyl peroxide (e.g. 5 percent) to see how the skin responds; alpha-hydroxy-acid based moisturizers are a safer skin care regime alternative if there is a problem. You might have to try a few different creams or lotions before you find the acne skin care product that is effective for you’re skin; if nothing you use is effective then speak to your dermatologist for advice.

There are benefits of seeing your doctor or dermatologist, they can prescribe you with a prescription for treatments not available over the counter, for example a course of antibiotics.

Your dermatologist may suggest a minor surgical procedure to remove the contents of pustules; specialists never recommend the sufferer tries this themselves as it can cause permanent skin damage.

Another effective course of skin care treatment is hormone therapy; hormone changes can be responsible for acne but hormone therapy can be very effective when used under prescription. The end result is dealing with this skin complaint is not the problem it once was, there are now a huge range of products specifically formulated for the task.