Effective Acne Treatment Options

Many teenagers around the world probably share this sentiment as they discover with horror their first pimple on their freshly scrubbed face. As teenagers enter into puberty, they are faced with new and exciting discoveries and challenges. Puberty though is also fraught with frustrations and changes, including physical changes in their bodies that often leave the teenagers with less than desirable pimples on the face.

Acne commonly occurs during the adolescence period. It is often caused by excessive secretion of oil from the glands. The typical acne lesions that appear on the face and body are comedones, papules, pustules and pimples.

Aside from the physical scar that acne leaves on your skin, it also inflicts an emotional toll, negatively affecting teenagers’ self-esteem and confidence. For some, acne can become so severe that they shun social contact, leading to social insecurity and sometimes even depression.

With the advanced acne treatments and acne products available today, acne need no longer have such a crippling impact on the sufferers’ life. Once the outward symptom of acne first becomes apparent, that is, inflammation and lesion on the skin, it is important that you treat it right away so as to slow down or stop further inflammation.

It is a good idea to pay the dermatologist a visit and to have the doctor recommend the best acne treatment for you. The treatment recommended will vary on skin type and also your age.

Acne can be treated much more effectively if it is treated along with acne products, be they over the counter or prescribed. There are numerous acne products sold over the counter currently for the prevention and treatment of acne, with many of these products scientifically proven to be effective in the treatment of acne.Acne is the most prevalent skin disorder that usually afflicts first the adolescent population. With 70% of the adolescents affected with this skin disease, it is considered one of the most menacing disease especially during this transitional period of an adolescent’s life since, though it may not be that fatal, it could cause some serious emotional trouble to a person ridiculed because of his or her not so clear complexion.

The medical community to help resolve this skin dilemma presents various acne medications and therapeutic methods. Formulation of various medications and solutions are being studied cautiously to finally come up with the most effective acne treatment. But the question is, which among these medications is or are really effective acne treatments?

Here’s a rundown of the various acne treatments that claim to be successful in dealing with the troubles of acne according to the type or severity of acne:

Mild or juvenile acne. This type of acne, also known as teenage spots, may be treated with over-the-counter (OTC) topical medicines available in drugstores. They are considered to be easiest to treat. Some prescription topical medicines are also effective acne treatments. They include antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide, adapalene and tretinoin. These acne treatments help stunt the growth of bacteria and reduce inflammation. Depending on the skin type of the person, a doctor will prescribe the appropriate effective acne treatment. For instance, if one is with an oily skin, creams and lotions will not be advised since they are oil-based medications. Gels and solutions will suit more the oily skin since they are usually alcohol-based and tend to dry the skin. These medications are often subject to testing first before one could really consider them as effective acne treatments for their skin problem. As a case-by-case basis, side effects from topical medicines may surface. These side effects may include rashes, stinging, redness, burning, scaling and discoloration.

Moderate to severe acne. Those with oily skin and used to have mild acne (often in their late teens or early twenties) may worsen into a moderate condition of acne. Moderate severity is often characterized with the presence of more whiteheads and redness on the affected spots due to the vessels rupture. Severe acne is when acne has already reached the entire face, back and neck of the person. Usually severe acne conditions translate to bigger spots. This kind of acne is often treated with oral antibiotics. Oral means taking them by mouth. These effective acne treatments work by curbing the reproduction of bacteria and reducing inflammation. With dealing with moderate to severe acne conditions, a combination of prescription topical medications and oral acne medications may be combined. Some topical medications like sulphur drug preparations are considered extremely effective acne treatments. Sulphur has a peeling effect on the skin, thus loosens it and dislodges the blackheads from the pores. Sulphur, as an effective acne treatment, has no known major side effects. But still, it is always advised to test any medication before applying or taking them. Samples of effective acne treatments in the form of oral antibiotics are tetracycline, minocycline, isotretinoin, doxicycline and erythromycin. Most of these effective acne treatments taken orally are hazardous to a pregnant woman’s and her child’s health. Only erythromycin is reported to be safe to use for those who are either expecting a baby or breastfeeding.

In severe cases, it is best that you consult the dermatologist for advice and get a prescription for stronger acne products. These acne treatments and products require a higher degree of monitoring, as they tend to have more side effects.

The acne product recommended depends on the type and severity of the acne. There are acne ointments and acne creams containing benzyl peroxide to treat both mild and moderate acne. For more serious acne, there are topical antibiotics that kill the bacteria in the blocked follicles. For even more serious cases, oral antibiotics are effective. And for extremely severe cases, laser surgery can cut the root of the acne.

Aside from treating acne with products, a proper diet is also very important. Teens should avoid eating foods that are too oily, too spicy or too acidic.

So with all these acne treatment options available, you can rest assured that acne will never be an ugly and permanent fixture on your face. When acne rears its ugly head, do not let it ruin your life. With the right acne treatment and right acne products you can get rid of acne for good!