Acne Fact #1
Creams, topical solutions, lotions, and gels don’t work, and never will work, as they do not treat the root cause of acne. A kitchen ingredient such as baking soda is more likely to help you than a topical solution prescribed by a dermatologist.

Acne Fact #2
Antibiotics don’t work over time. They kill the bacteria that form acne in the last phase of acne formation. As time goes by, the bacteria mutate, and become resistant to the antibiotics.

Antibiotics also kill the good bacteria in your stomach which help with the fight against acne. This entails you to get worse acne had you not taken the antibiotics in the first place.

Acne Fact #3
Vitamin B5 is not a cure for acne. High doses will create an imbalance of the other Vitamin B types which will cause you to suffer from various symptoms like headaches etc.

Acne Fact #4
Herbs work, but only in the short-term. They can clear acne fast, but you’ll lose the battle because they don’t treat the root cause of acne.

However, olive leaf extract can be very beneficial in the short term.

Acne Fact #5
Ingesting expensive anti-oxidants won’t cure your acne. Free radicals do not cause acne. Anti-oxidants are good for your overall health, but they won’t help your acne much.

Acne Fact #6
Avoid Accutane, which is prescribed by doctors and dermatologists. It is really bad for the body over the long term, and has some nasty side effects that can last a lifetime.

Acne Fact #7
Overwashing and underwashing your face can be just as detrimental.

Overwashing your face can cause the skin to become too dry and you could age prematurely. Underwashing could lead to more acne-forming bacteria to form on the face. In proper skin care, moderation is the name of the game.

Acne Fact #8
Acne is not about genetics. It is not normal, and should not happen at any age. It’s a sign that something is wrong with the body. Fix the route cause instead of the acne itself, and your skin care efforts will be rewarded. The acne will disappear.

Acne Fact #9
Celebrity endorsed acne skin care cleansing and herbal systems are just as ineffective.

They are both superficial and do not fix the root of the problem.

Acne Fact #10
Greedy acne skin care treatment companies do not want you to know the root cause of acne, which has very little to do with hygiene or bad genes.

So what is the cause of acne? Simple, really. It’s all to do with a hormone imbalance. Rectify this hormone imbalance and acne skin care will be a cinch! In fact, you won’t believe how fast those zits will disappear. In future posts, I will show you how to eradicate acne with very little effort by balancing your hormones, leading you to experience an acne free life forever!

However, you can support your acne treatment efforts with proper acne skin care in order to reduce the recurrence of acne flare-ups and not aggravate existing acne.

Knowing What You’re Doing

One of the first pieces of advice is to make sure that you understand and follow the directions for any acne remedy that you are using.

If you are taking a prescription acne medicine, read the patient leaflet that accompanies the medication carefully. Typically for moderate to severe acne a dermatologist may prescribe several acne medicines, each with its own treatment protocol and directions.

In order to achieve the acne free skin that you desire, it is important to use all the acne treatments properly and in the correct order. Consider bringing a tablet of paper, a pen, and a friend or relative with you to your appointment with your dermatologist.

Simply jot down some notes about the order and time of day for applying each acne medicine and what its purpose is.

Remember, just because the acne clears with the use of your acne medicines doesnย’t necessarily mean that you have succeeded in curing acne. Most people with moderate to severe acne must continue to use their acne medicine long-term to prevent any recurrence of their acne problem. Using the acne treatments properly should translate to clear skin and freedom from acne scars.

What About Over-the-Counter Remedies?

Besides using medications prescribed by a doctor, there are a large number of products on the market labeled as skin cleansers, facial cleansers, pore cleansers, and facial pore cleaners that can be used in curing acne.

When cleansing skin that is afflicted with acne, an important point to remember is not to scrub the skin; never scrub your face with a washcloth. It is a misconception that acne is caused by dirt clogging the pores of the skin. You donย’t scrub away the offending dirt; you canย’t scrub away the offensive acne and achieve acne free skin.

Over-washing or scrubbing skin afflicted with acne only serves to aggravate the condition. Rather use only a gentle skin cleanser, lukewarm water, and a gentle motion with your fingertips as your primary acne skin care regime.

When you wash your face with your hands, be sure to first thoroughly wash your hands.

Do Natural Treatments Really Work?

Look for gentle cleansers that are sold as acne solutions. When you’re evaluating skin cleansers for acne, include natural acne treatments in your search as well. For example, a soap made from Echinacea and other herbal ingredients is an effective antibiotic facial cleanser that helps fight acne and restore clear skin. Tea tree oil also has known antibiotic properties and serves as a mild anesthetic that will soothe the irritated skin.

Oily skin is implicated as a one of the causes of acne. It doesnย’t necessarily make sense to use a moisturizer on oily skin as a means of achieving clear skin. But many of the acne treatments, whether they are prescribed or available as over-the-counter products, have a tendency to irritate the skin while curing acne.

A moisturizer is a boost to irritated skin and keeps skin from becoming overly dry due to the acne treatments that have been applied. Look for a moisturizer with the following properties:

- oil-free

- wonย’t clog pores (non-comodogenic)

- containing a sun-screen

Besides a great desire to just scrub away the acne, many people try to remove the acne pimples by hand as a way to get clear skin.

People who are afflicted with acne should avoid touching their face except to gently wash it with mild cleanser as already discussed.

By trying to remove pimples by hand you run the risk of creating acne scars that will last for a lifetime. Instead, have patience and rely on your prescription or over-the-counter acne treatment to work. Acne remedies usually take 6 to 8 weeks before curing acne.

For male acne sufferers, the daily ritual of shaving can be a problem. One acne sufferer has recommended the Gillette Sensor Excel as a gentle and effective razor to use.

Other males prefer to try an electric razor. The advice is to shave delicately to avoid nicking the skin and to shave only as often as necessary. Finding a moisturizing shave gel may be one way to enhance your acne skin care program.

Female acne sufferers have their unique problems too, in finding the right cosmetic products to use. Females who are accustomed to using a foundation product may find that the foundation is difficult to apply smoothly if the facial skin becomes irritated due to the acne treatments being applied.

You may have to abandon the use of some cosmetics during the acne treatment period. Be sure to select only oil-free cosmetics and ones that are labeled as non-comodogenic (wonย’t clog pores) to use on your road to clear skin.

Proper acne skin care is a necessary addition to your arsenal for fighting your battle with acne and achieving clear skin once again.

It is still a fairly new procedure so long-term negative effects have not been determined. It does benefit people who do not want to risk prolonged use of antibiotics for their acne. For some people, laser acne treatment does not work as desired. In others, it has been a great success. The technique involves the application of a yellow light to destroy acne causing bacteria. The light works with a substance in the bacteria to create the oxygen your skin needs. A laser has also proven to increase the growth of natural collagen to prevent scars from forming.

A V-beam is a laser that is designed to lower the appearance of redness in acne or its remaining scars.
Laser resurfacing of the skin is performed after the scars are present. This is usually done for people who have endured severe cystic acne in the past. Cystic acne will often rupture or burst and result in permanent scarring. This is because this type of acne starts from deep below the surface of the skin. Laser acne treatment for scars is expensive and sometimes requires more than one treatment.

The actual procedure entails the application of topical anesthetic and then a laser vaporizing the layers of damaged skin. This allows for new cells to form so smoother, younger-looking skin can appear. However, in some cases, it caused the skin pigment to decrease and make the face appear much lighter than the rest of the body.
The advantages of laser acne treatment for scars is that it is easier to be control the depth of treatment than most other treatments. Some people undergoing this procedure only have surface scars and do not require deep treatment to fix.

Other people have very deep scars and need a deeper laser penetration. Laser acne treatment is the most successful way to treat your scars uniquely.
The recovery period for laser acne treatment all depends on the amount of treatment you required. Most people will experience swelling and some redness. The swelling usually goes away a lot faster than the redness, which can last for weeks after the treatment. Commonly, your doctor will also give you a topical ointment to apply to your skin following the laser treatment.

An additional advantage to laser treatment on acne is that it could smooth wrinkles. You could get the effect of expensive Botox injections as a side effect to getting rid of the appearance of acne scars. The reason is because the laser increases the production of collagen in your face. So while you get clear skin, you are also getting a rejuvenated and younger effect as well.
John Wellington is from AcneHelpZone.com which provides people who are suffering from acne with quick, relevant and free acne resources that they can download and take away with them for easy reference.