Ways to Eliminate Acne Using Products Available Over The Counter
Effective treatments for acne vary from one person to another. An acne treatment that effectively works for one person may not work for another. There are many ways to eliminate acne including using various acne products that are available over the counter. While there are effective prescription drug therapies that are great for fighting acne, the first step should be to determine whether over the counter acne treatments can solve acne issues before reaching for a prescription which can be quite expensive and also have serious side effects.
Unless you suffer from serious acne that may only be treated with prescription drug therapies, most mild persistent cases of acne can be effectively treated with over the counter products that contain some of the following active ingredients that can help eliminate acne.
Benzoyl Peroxide
Most acne gels, creams, lotions, etc, that are available over the counter or with a prescription rely on this active agent to eliminate acne. Benzoyl peroxide is excellent for fighting acne because it helps reduce the bacteria associated with the development of acne as well as unclogging pores and drying excessive oil on the surface of the skin.
An acne product that contains 2.5% to 5% of this ingredient is the best way to start. A higher percentage may be too drying for the skin. Because skin differs, it is prudent to test the product on a small area of unexposed skin to ensure that you are not allergic or irritated by products that contain benzoyl peroxide.
Sulfur
Sulfur helps to eliminate acne by exfoliating the skin and unclogging pores. It also helps to fight acne causing bacteria. A product that contains sulfur usually features concentrations between 3% to 10% of the ingredient. Drawbacks in using sulfur when fighting acne is that it gives off an unpleasant odor and some people may be allergic to this ingredient.
Hydroxy Acids
These include the common salicylic acid or glycolic acid which are included in the betahydroxy family. These acids also reduce acne causing bacteria in addition to sweeping away dead skin cells and eliminating excessive oil. Using products containing these acids to control or eliminate acne usually involves using the product once or twice a day. Any more usage will usually be too drying on the skin which may only make acne worse when the oil glands overcompensate by producing more oil clogging oils is order to combat the excessive dryness.
Vitamin A
Most Vitamin A that is used to eliminate acne is mainly used in prescription drug therapies. This is an antioxidant that is very effective at fighting acne because it deals with the cells underneath the surface of the skin that cause pores to become clogged. It also helps with skin exfoliation thereby preventing dead skin cells from clogging pores that could lead to the development of acne.
An over the counter formulation of vitamin A used to eliminate acne is Retinol. It can be found in various lotions, creams or other ointments but can be irritating on the skin as is common with many exfoliators, so testing on a small area of skin prior to use on acne prone skin may prove beneficial.
Unless you suffer from serious acne that may only be treated with prescription drug therapies, most mild persistent cases of acne can be effectively treated with over the counter products that contain some of the following active ingredients that can help eliminate acne.
Benzoyl Peroxide
Most acne gels, creams, lotions, etc, that are available over the counter or with a prescription rely on this active agent to eliminate acne. Benzoyl peroxide is excellent for fighting acne because it helps reduce the bacteria associated with the development of acne as well as unclogging pores and drying excessive oil on the surface of the skin.
An acne product that contains 2.5% to 5% of this ingredient is the best way to start. A higher percentage may be too drying for the skin. Because skin differs, it is prudent to test the product on a small area of unexposed skin to ensure that you are not allergic or irritated by products that contain benzoyl peroxide.
Sulfur
Sulfur helps to eliminate acne by exfoliating the skin and unclogging pores. It also helps to fight acne causing bacteria. A product that contains sulfur usually features concentrations between 3% to 10% of the ingredient. Drawbacks in using sulfur when fighting acne is that it gives off an unpleasant odor and some people may be allergic to this ingredient.
Hydroxy Acids
These include the common salicylic acid or glycolic acid which are included in the betahydroxy family. These acids also reduce acne causing bacteria in addition to sweeping away dead skin cells and eliminating excessive oil. Using products containing these acids to control or eliminate acne usually involves using the product once or twice a day. Any more usage will usually be too drying on the skin which may only make acne worse when the oil glands overcompensate by producing more oil clogging oils is order to combat the excessive dryness.
Vitamin A
Most Vitamin A that is used to eliminate acne is mainly used in prescription drug therapies. This is an antioxidant that is very effective at fighting acne because it deals with the cells underneath the surface of the skin that cause pores to become clogged. It also helps with skin exfoliation thereby preventing dead skin cells from clogging pores that could lead to the development of acne.
An over the counter formulation of vitamin A used to eliminate acne is Retinol. It can be found in various lotions, creams or other ointments but can be irritating on the skin as is common with many exfoliators, so testing on a small area of skin prior to use on acne prone skin may prove beneficial.
Source...