Help! What Really Works For Acne?
By Melanie Vasseur
Those who have never suffered with acne (Zits) cannot possibly understand the stress it causes; however, medical science continues to look at new remedies. This is a skin complaint that affects many people around the world so scientific research to find a cure is fierce; in fact many new remedies are proving very effective. Although the number of acne skin care products and treatments might at first seem endless, they can actually be categorized into three areas:
Internet or Drugstore: Treatment that helps prevents condition
Over-the-counter: Treatment
Prescription only: Requires visit to doctor
Preventative products are formulated to treat the skin in an effort to control the occurrence of acne; these products can be anything from skin cleansers to makeup removers. This is a market where many people use this type of product every day to condition their skin; in many instances the user has never had a skin condition to worry about. There are acne skin care products that are more specialized in there approach; they work by limiting the production of sebum/oil and prevent clogging of skin pores. These types of products are reducing the chance of oil staying in the pores and aiding the growth of harmful bacteria which assists the formation of the skin condition.
Skin care treatments such as exfoliation skin peels, clean the skin and help control the spread of the condition; most can even be purchased over the Internet in addition to normal outlets. This type of peel helps reduce the chance of oil clogging up the pores as well as removing other skin impurities; this can reduce the bacterium growth on your skin. There are specialized acne skin care products available over-the-counter, they do not require the need of a prescription. These formulations contain the chemical benzoyl peroxide and the naturally occurring salicylic acid; these include products which extract the unwanted oil from the skin.
Although benzoyl peroxide works well, reactions can happen so it is suggested that any skin care product containing this should not have more than 5.5 percent of the active ingredient; should a reaction occur, products containing alpha hydroxy acid are generally safer. It might just be a case of trial and error to find an acne skin care product that works; however, if finding an effective remedy it is proving to be a problem then consult with your doctor, or skin care specialist. On-prescription treatments are prescribed by a dermatologist and can include ointments that can be applied on the affected area or oral antibiotics or just any topical ointment.
Your doctor can recommend that in order to extract the contents of the pustules that a small surgical procedure could be carried out; although this is a minor procedure, if it were performed by the person themselves it could result in skin damage. Your doctor could prescribe a hormone-based treatment to treat your skin problem; studies show that hormone based skin care treatments often prove effective. With all the treatments available, tackling acne is not that difficult as there are many new products available to help.
Esthetician, chemist and spa owner, Melanie Vasseur has been producing her own line of skin care products for over 25 years. For more information on her holistic line of skin care products please visit www.vsskin.com. She may be reached at Melanie@vsskin.com or 619-236-9095.