Neutrogena

Acne Treatment

What Causes Acne

To understand what causes acne it is important to define acne and have an understanding of the functioning of normal healthy skin. Acne is a medical condition of the skin related to the sebaceous glands of hair follicles of the skin. Normal healthy skin naturally produces a certain amount oil (sebum) to help keep the skin moist. When this natural skin oil is produced in excess amounts pores can become clogged and blackheads and whiteheads may develop. The exact cause of acne may be different in each individual case. Stress, changes in diet, elevated blood sugar levels or hormonal changes may act to stimulate the sebaceous glands and exacerbate a case of acne. Quick acne treatment may not always be possible and will depend on acne severity.

Best Acne Treatment

Top acne treatments work better and are more effective to clear skin and get rid of acne. The best acne treatment should begin with attempting to identify what brings on or aggravates a case of acne for each individual patient. Hormonal changes in adolescents and teenagers may increase the chance for acne to develop. For mild cases of acne topical skin treatment in the form of skin lotion will often help to get rid of acne. Depending on the acne severity, stronger acne treatment containing synthetic forms of vitamin A or antibiotics to treat infection may be prescribed or recommended by your doctor or dermatologist.

Acne Medicine

Acne products and topical treatments for acne include cosmetics, over-the-counter medications and prescription drugs. Pimples are small infected areas of the skin that can develop when comedones rupture the follicle and can often be treated with acne medication without prescription. Benzoyl peroxide, resorcinol and salicylic acid are common ingredients found in acne medicine sold over the counter. Benzoyl peroxide is acne medicine that works to dry up the excess oil and promote minor peeling of the skin. Severe acne cases may need to be medically treated by a doctor or dermatologist. On the advice of your physician, antibiotics may be prescribed to first clear the infection as part of an acne treatment in severe cases of acne skin disease.

Acne Vitamins

Eating a healthy diet with vitamins and minerals is one of the best acne skin care tips and should play a role any acne treatment. Vitamins for acne includes both vitamin A and vitamin B for healthy skin and zinc for its anti-inflammatory properties. Vitamin A and vitamin B are essential for healthy skin cell reproduction and some acne products such as Retin-A and Accutane are derivatives of vitamin A used to treat severe acne. The best way to get the proper amount of vitamin A is by eating foods containing beta-carotene which the body then turns into vitamin A and the B vitamins including riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamine (vitamin B1) and biotin (vitamin B7).