What is the Most Effective Acne Treatment

Ugh, everybody hates acne. When I was a teenager, I�d always assumed my acne would go away by the time I reached my twenties. But of course, it didn�t. As I grow older, I�m worried that it will never go away. I feel like I�ve tried every acne treatment in the world. Luckily there is effective acne treatment. But there is no magic pill (no matter how much I wish there were).

Actually, that�s not entirely true. There are pills you can take to treat your acne. There is Isotretinoin, also known as Accutane, which in an extremely effective acne treatment. Isotretinoin must be prescribed by a doctor, and is only for the most severe acne. Doctors can also prescribe oral antibiotics, which treat acne internally. These treatments can really help if your acne is out of control. Most insurance won�t pay for them, however, and they can be quite expensive. I�ve never had severe enough breakouts to justify this type of prescription, but if your acne is very bad, and you can afford the medicine, this might be the most effective acne treatment you�ll find.

Doctors can also prescribe topical acne treatments, like Retin-A. Again, these creams can be quite expensive and they�re not effective for everybody. Personally, I�ve used retinoid creams and they tend to dry out my skin and have not treated my acne very effectively. On the other hand, my sister had great success with Retin-A, and her breakouts were always much worse than mine. It can be an effective acne treatment, so you might want to discuss it with your dermatologist.

If your acne isn�t quite severe enough to require a prescription, or if you�re looking for something more affordable, there are a few effective over-the-counter treatments for acne. But you can�t necessarily believe all the claims made on every product! Basically, there are two effective OTC drugs for acne treatment. One is benzoyl peroxide, the active ingredient in Oxy and other popular acne treatments. Benzoyl peroxide is an extremely effective acne treatment. It is basically a bleach � although it won�t alter the color of your skin! You can find products which contain 10% or 5% benzoyl peroxide. The 10% is only if you do not have sensitive skin. It will dry you out and leave you with redness and itching. The popular Proactiv line of products is made with benzoyl peroxide, but in a much lower concentration.

The other effective acne treatment which you can buy over the counter is salicylic acid, also known as beta hydroxy acid. It is a lot less harsh on your skin than benzoyl peroxide. Salicylic acid causes the skin to shed dead cells and renew, keeping your pores clean and preventing acne. It also makes a great spot treatment that you can use overnight on single blemishes.

If what you�re buying contains benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, you know you�re getting an effective acne treatment.