Anti Aging Skin Care » Over the Counter Acne Treatments That Work

Best Over the Counter Acne Treatments

Everyone deals with acne at some stage in his or her life. Some will experience it worse than others. Some forms of acne will be milder than others. The vast majority of people will, however be in the middle somewhere.

Although there may not be a direct linkage, acne may be aggravated by factors such as stress, diet, air quality and life-style choices. However, the main factors causing acne are hormonal imbalances and genetics. Everyone, at some time in their lives will go through a period when their hormones seem to be messed up (puberty and pregnancy are major examples) and if acne is your genetic trait then you are stuck with it.

Luckily, there are many over the counter medications available to help people deal with acne. How well they work for you will pretty much be determined by three factors: the product's active ingredients, the cause of the user's acne and the user's skin type.

Not all acne products will work the same way because of the different ingredients used. The active ingredient salicylic acid functions by reducing the amount of dead skin. The active ingredient benzoyl peroxide works by reducing the P.acnes bacteria (naturally occurring bacteria in the skin).

Following are the active ingredients you will find used in most over the counter acne medications:

• Benzoyl peroxide : Benzoyl peroxide is the 'wonder drug' in the acne treatment industry; it works by reducing the natural P.acnes bacteria and reduces the quantity of dead skin cells. By functioning these two actions, benzoyl peroxide manages to lessen the effects of two of the main causes of comedones (the large, deep, pus-filled pimples that are the trademarks of acne). Benzoyl peroxide are been used for years in acne treatment medications since being discovered to be very effective in treating mild acne. With the help of internet, you will find many 'personal' recommendations for benzoyl peroxide and details about how it was successfully used to treat acne. However, as with all medications, use an acne product with benzoyl peroxide as instructed on the product label or as instructed by a physician. Benzoyl peroxide, when over-used, has the side effect of drying out your skin and can discolor any fabrics or materials it comes into contact with, examples : shirts, towels, sheets, etc. Benzoyl peroxide is available as a lotion or gel and can be used as a preventative acne treatment even after your acne has cleared up.
• Alcohol and acetone : Alcohol and acetone are used together in some over the counter acne medications. The alcohol kills external bacteria while the acetone makes the skin less oily.
• "Herbal", "organic" and "natural" products : You will find some over-the counter products with labels such "herbal," "organic" and "natural;" these products are generally put on the market to appeal to the people who are attracted to products with those labels. The products themselves may or may not be beneficial for acne and actual results have proven inconclusive.
• Resorcinol : The active ingredient resorcinol is been found to work well on small acne blemishes and may be found in some over-the-counter products combined with sulfur. Sulfur itself is been used in a number of over-the-counter medications for decades. You will find this generally in blend with active ingredients such as alcohol, salicylic acid and resorcinol. Sulfur is been found be an effective acne treatment for some people but it is not known how it works to clear up acne exactly. In addition, products with sulfur will tend to have an unpleasant smell.
• Salicylic acid: This active ingredient is generally effective for acne blemishes when there is no inflammation present. Salicylic acid performs by unclogging clogged-up pores to reduce the number of acne blemishes formed .It does this by minimizing the amount of dead skin cells; it has no known effect on the production of sebum or the production of the P.acnes bacteria. Just as is suggested with products containing benzoyl peroxide, products with salicylic acid, as the active ingredient should be used even after the acne clears up to, prevent its return. One likely side effect of salicylic acid is skin irritation in some people.

Keep in mind that everybody's skin is different. Some people have generally dry skin, some have generally oily skin and most people have a combination of the two on different areas on our bodies. Acne in areas of oily skin will respond better to a gel based acne product. Acne on dry skin will respond better to a cream.

Those with sensitive skin should not use real strong acne medication. It may lead to skin irritation or even make your acne worse.

Some of the mild acne treatments can be used as a preventative measure and some (like those with benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid) are recommended as post-acne preventative measures but they are too strong and will irritate your skin.

If you have anything but a mild, seemingly manageable case of acne, an over-the-counter medicine may control it and eventually get rid of it. However, if your acne seems out of control or too stressful to handle by yourself, be sure to look for a dermatologist.