Acne and its treatment
Acne is a menace. However, it’s not something that
cannot be tackled. There are loads of acne skin care products
around. We can classify acne skin care products into 3 broad
categories –
* Preventive or general acne skin care products
* Over-the-counter, specialised acne skin care products
* On-prescription acne skin care products.
The general acne skin care products are the ones that are
used as acne-prevention measure. These include cleansers,
make-up removers and similar products that help prevent acne.
In the real sense, these acne skin care products are just
those that should anyway be part of your daily routine. However,
some of these are more oriented to act like an acne skin care
product. These acne skin care products act against the causes
of acne e.g. limiting the production of sebum/oil and preventing
clogging of skin pores. Basically, these acne skin care products
prevent the oil from getting trapped in pores and hence hamper
the growth of bacteria that lead to acne. The general acne
skin care products also include exfoliation products like
skin peels. These work towards removing dead skin cells, hence
reducing the possibility of pore-clogging and bacteria development.
Then there are specialised acne skin care products that are
available over-the-counter i.e. without the need of a prescription.
These include products like vanishing creams which extract
the extra oil from the skin. Most of these acne skin care
products are based on benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid,
both of which are the enemies of bacteria (and hence acne).
You should start with a product that has lower concentration
of benzoyl peroxide (e.g. 5%) and see how your skin responds
to it. Alpha-hydroxy-acid based moisturizers are also popular
as acne skin care products. You might have to try a few, before
you zero-in on the acne skin care product that is effective
for you. If nothing seems to work, you should contact a dermatologist.
On-prescription acne skin care products are the ones that
are prescribed by a dermatologist. This can include ointments
that can be applied on the affected area or oral antibiotics
or just any topical treatment. Dermatologist could also suggest
a minor surgical procedure to remove the contents of pustules.
However, never try to squeeze or do this by yourself, it can
lead to permanent damage of your skin. Your doctor could also
prescribe a hormone-based treatment (since hormonal changes
are also known to cause acne). Such acne skin care products
are known to be very effective in some cases.
So, with all those acne skin care products, tackling acne
is not that difficult.
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