subject: 5 Steps For Getting The Acne Treatment You Need [print this page] Because acne is such a common problem, it is not hard to obtain the countless magazine
articles explaining how to get rid of acne, often referred to as pimples or zits. Nor is it
hard to come across infomercials on television featuring acne treatment products. Despite
this wealth of information, it can still take some effort to find the best acne treatment for
you. Finding the best acne treatment will require you to learn as much as you can about
your options, as acne treatments are continuing to evolve and improve. Finding the best
acne treatment for you might also require you to try certain treatments for a period of
time, as most acne treatments may take several weeks or months to be effective.
Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take in order to get rid of your pimples.
First, many doctors believe that inflammation plays a key role in the formation of acne.
Therefore, the best acne treatments in the future will most likely include improved
medications that target the inflammatory aspects of acne outbreaks. In the meanwhile,
there are a large number of acne treatments to choose from. One type of acne treatment
can be described as a "pore cleanser". These pore cleansers are typically over-the-counter
medications that contain ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, or both.
For the majority of people with acne, pore cleansers may be the best acne treatment for
them, especially if their acne is not causing scarring.
To increase the effectiveness of a pore cleanser medication, you may want to consider
purchasing two or three products and alternate between them every two to three months.
The reason for this is that it is possible to develop a resistance to a particular over-the-
counter acne treatment. Once you have developed a resistance to this medication, your
acne outbreaks will return, and what you once believed to be the best acne treatment is no
longer as effective as you would like. However, alternating your use of several treatments
can solve this problem. It is also important to remember to follow the regimen described
on the product's package carefully, because doing so is the only way your treatment will
work the way it should.
If your over-the-counter acne treatment is not as effective as you had hoped, especially if
it is moderate or severe, your local skin doctor, or dermatologist, will be able to
determine the best acne treatment for you. Very often they will prescribe an antibiotic
because they work relatively quickly, especially if they are used with another product
containing benzoyl peroxide. Some of the newer antibiotic medications work by releasing
a continuous, low dose of an antibiotic such as minocycline. Other medications contain a
very low dose of antibiotics such as doxycycline, along with an anti-inflammatory
medication that has traditionally been used to treat inflammatory skin conditions such as
rosacea.
The best acne treatment for some teenage girls and young women may be an anti-
androgen, a hormonal treatment that reduces the amount of testosterone, a male sex
hormone that all females produce. In some other cases, a dermatologist might prescribe
birth control pills. Birth control pills help regulate a girl or woman's menstrual cycle as
well as the hormonal shifts that trigger acne outbreaks.
In short, the steps outlined above are meant to help you make an informed decision on the
best acne treatment for your individual skin condition.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, and is not meant to serve as
medical advice. For medical advice, please consult your doctor.
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