An acne treatment plan should focus on both treatment of existing blemishes and prevention of new ones. This twofold anti acne approach allows acne sufferers to see rapid progress in their complexions and maintain clearer skin over time. There are a variety of non-prescription and prescription anti acne medications on the market; understanding the active ingredients is a valuable first step to deciding on a personal anti acne regimen.

Non-prescription Anti Acne Products

• Benzoyl peroxide is the active ingredient in a number of different anti acne products. An organic peroxide, it reacts with skin to break down into oxygen and benzoic acid; these compounds together produce an oxidizing effect. This oxidation causes drying of natural oils and sebum within the skin. This drying action is responsible for a portion of benzoyl peroxide’s anti acne effects, along with its antimicrobial properties. Benzoyl peroxide also has a tendency to cause peeling, which can aid in healing existing break-outs and preventing new ones.

• Alcohol-based astringents basically cleanse the skin, removing oils and impurities. The most common active ingredients in these anti acne products are various forms of alcohol and acetone; both have significant drying properties. While these astringents can help prevent acne, they have little or no effect on existing blemishes.

• One of the beta hydroxyl acids, salicylic acid is often used in anti acne products as a chemical exfoliant. Salicylic acid is a keratolytic agent; put simply, this means that it causes the outer layer of the skin to thin and flake off, preventing it from remaining on the skin’s surface to clog pores. This can help prevent further outbreaks and even help speed healing.

• Sulfur is often used as a secondary anti acne agent along with other active ingredients; since it is a keratolytic compound like salicylic acid, using the two compounds together is not recommended.

• Topical anti acne products containing retinol are becoming more common. Retinol is best known as an anti-wrinkle treatment, but its ability to increase the production of collagen in the skin may be helpful in conjunction with other anti acne medications.

• Alpha hydroxy acids, much like previously mentioned retinol, are best known as ingredients in anti-aging creams. Their utility in fighting acne is still unproven; however, as an additional step in a complete anti acne regimen, these collagen-building compounds are unlikely to do any harm.

Prescription Anti Acne Medications

• Isotretinoin, better known as Accutane, is a very effective anti acne product. Isotretinoin occurs naturally in the body, and is a retinoid, a class of compounds instrumental in regulating the growth of skin cells. Retinoids are derivatives of Vitamin A and, as such, play an important role in ensuring a healthy immune system and proper functioning of cells throughout the body. Isotretinoin can have serious effects if used improperly, so it’s essential to use this anti acne product only under a doctor’s supervision.

• Minocycline is an oral antibiotic that shows significant success in treating serious cases of acne. Like other tetracycline antibiotics, minocycline reduces the P. acnes bacteria that cause acne. This allows the body’s natural immune system to fight off this bacteria, preventing acne and clearing up existing break-outs. Doxycycline is also sometimes used for this purpose.

• Hormone-adjusting medications, such as birth control pills and antiandrogens, are among the more effective anti acne skin care products available. These therapies work by suppressing the production of androgen, a hormone associated with overactive oil production in the sebum glands. Because these medications work directly on the body’s hormonal levels, they produce significant improvements in most cases of acne. However, these anti acne treatments can have serious side effects, and should only be used under the supervision of a physician.

The right combination of prevention and treatment can produce amazing results, virtually eliminating acne symptoms in many cases. Understanding the effects of anti acne medications and how they interact with each other will allow acne sufferers to achieve the best results possible for their condition, no matter how mild or severe.

If you have acne you probably feel like you are bombarded with ads for a cure every minute of everyday. Whether it’s celebrities pitching a product they’ve never used or an ad that just shows people with perfect skin, it’s nearly impossible to know what is a good product for acne on your own.

Acne medicine isn’t cheap, and it can cost a fortune experimenting to find the right one for you. Here is a checklist you can use when

trying to find a good acne product.

1. Is the product doctor approved?
2. Have others used the product successfully?
3. Does the product attack bacteria, or just clean the surface of the skin?
4. Does the product attack acne from the inside out?
5. Does the product help prevent pores from clogging during the day?
6. Does the product offer a money back guarantee if it doesn’t work?

If you can answer yes to each of these questions then chances are you’ve found a very good product for acne. Sure, this is a strict list, but if a product doesn’t do all these things it’s probably going to be a waste of money.

Very few products meet these standards, but one I’ve found gets a big YES for each one. The ClearPores Skin Cleansing System is the #1 acne treatment system in our rankings. It is a 3 part system which attacks acne from all angles in order to product results in a very short period of time.

ClearPores provides everything you need to get the beautiful clear skin that you deserve.

Pimples are the bane of many a teenager’s life, and there are as many products on the market as there are people. All these products promise to do the same thing, rid you of pimples. For some people they either do not work or are cost prohibitive. So what to do when you get up and find a zit on your face? Get out the toothpaste? It seems this has become a favorite home remedy for many people. The question is will it work? So far, the results seem to be mixed.

There are those who swear by its effectiveness and others who say loudly, no way! First, let’s look at what everyone does agree on.

• Toothpaste will dry a pimple out
• It is best used as an overnight treatment
• It can irritate the skin
• Use only white paste no gels
• Try a small area first for 15-20 minutes

The idea to use toothpaste as a spot treatment is probably because many types of toothpaste contain triclosan. Triclosan is an antibacterial ingredient often added to personal care items like soap and even acne treatments.

Toothpaste also acts like a mask in that it will draw impurities from the skin, including the bacteria that make up a pimple. Inside the pores are sebaceous glands, which produce sebum. When the outer layers of the skin shed as they often do they can become glued together and block the pore. More sebum is produced behind the blockage, that sebum contains bacteria. Hence, the reasons so many find toothpaste to be so helpful.

It seems to me the verdict is this, toothpaste can help but if you have very sensitive skin or allergies, it may cause more problems than it fixes. People with sensitive skin have reported that the use of toothpaste made their skin dry, red and in some cases more irritated than it was with the acne. If you fall into this category, you may need to stick with commercial products or see your physician.

Most teens will experience acne at one time or another. In fact, about 8 out of 10 teenagers will get acne outbreaks. The common age that acne begins to occur is at thirteen years of age.

Every year, millions of teenagers will be getting acne and trying to fight it. Acne has been a sore spot for teenagers since the beginning of time.

Acne is a very common condition for teenagers to have. Still, it can be a real struggle trying to get rid of it. In fact, many will only be fighting an ongoing battle and here is why.

The pores in your skin have oil glands. These oil glands make “sebum”, an oil that is a natural lubricant for your skin and hair. When a teenager’s body starts to mature, a hormone imbalance starts taking place. The teen’s hormones begin stimulating the oil glands to produce more sebum, and then the oil glands become overactive.

When these oil glands are overactive, pores will become clogged from dead skin cells and bacteria, which the body naturally tries to eliminate through these glands. When everything becomes trapped like this, then the pores will get red and swell up from being infected. These are pimples.

Some areas of the body are more prone to getting acne outbreaks. The face, back, shoulder, neck and chest areas are the most common areas of the body, for acne to thrive.

The most common variety of pimples that teens get are referred to as “whiteheads” and “blackheads”. The whitehead variety of pimples push out against the infected pore with puss, causing it to look white. The blackhead is a pimple that is pushing the clogged dead skin cells and bacteria inward. This causes the pimples to look smaller and darker at the center of the pimple.

The whitehead variety of acne is by far the most common. They itch and hurt. It is important not to squeeze these pimples, trying to pop them. The urge to do this is strong, yet it is the wrong thing to do.

Squeezing these pimples, can actually cause the pimple to become more infected and also spread the bacteria, infecting other skin pores.

As much as you might feel that you have no control over the acne, you actually have more control over the outbreaks than you might think. Sometimes what your body needs, is the right balance and proper skin care.

Try taking multi-vitamins. Your acne could be caused by not getting the proper nutrients for your skin. Skin is the largest organ of the human body. When the body is not being provided the right nutrients, one of the ways the body reacts to this is by producing more sebum.

If you want to properly cure your acne you should consider investing in an acne treatment system. As we’ve explained in this article acne isn’t just a surface problem. That means that treating it with your everyday acne face wash that you buy at the local store isn’t actually going to solve the problem.

We have reviewed many different acne products and come up with a list of what we believe are the top acne treatment systems available today. These reviews are designed to cut down the amount of time it takes to find the right acne product for your personal needs. Take a few minutes to check out our reviews and then make a decision on which of those products will work best for you.

Once you have your acne treatment system use the soap it comes with, warm water, and a clean cotton wash rag to clean your acne infected area. Clean it gently, without scrubbing hard, as this will only irritate the skin more.

Harsh scrubbing will also stimulate your oil glands to begin over-producing sebum. Clean your area two, to three times a day like this. Always use a fresh clean wash cloth for this ritual.

If your system comes with any other steps (such as a supplement pill or face lotion) make sure to keep up with them as instructed by the manufacturers.

This alone, will help to keep your acne from spreading and also help speed up the healing process. Even after the physical signs of the acne have disappeared, stay with your system. This helps keep the oil glands clean from dead skin and bacteria, waiting to breakout into acne.