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Acne usually appears on the face, neck, chest, back and shoulders. It comes in different forms from mild to severe. Mild acne includes blackheads and whiteheads. They are the most familiar types of acne that plague us. Moderate acne usually includes red inflamed pimples (or papules) and red pimples with white centre (pustules). Nodules are the common form of severe acne. They are pus-filled, painful cysts or lumps that appear under the skin.

MILD ACNE TREATMENT
Mild acne can usually be controlled at home, by washing the area with a gentle, acne-fighting cleanser. Once the skin is clean and free of dirt your acne-fighting regime can be followed up with the application of a topical anti-acne cream, lotion or you can use an acne-strip to clear potentially clogged pores. Another option is taking oral acne medication, prescribed by a medical doctor or dermatologist.

The most popular over-the-counter drugs for mild acne treatment include are:

Acne Cleansers
Cleansing is the first and most vital step to maintaining clear, healthy skin – especially if your skin is acne-prone. A good cleanser, with acne-fighting properties, will not only remove makeup, but it will also wipe away pore-clogging sebum, dirt and other irritants and debris from the skin’s surface.

There are three types of anti-acne cleansers. They include salicylic acid cleansers, benzyl peroxide cleansers and antibacterial cleansers. Each cleanser has medicinal properties and is known for their ability to kill bacteria and prevent blackheads and whiteheads from infection.

Natural skin cleansers that contain natural essential ingredients – such as lavender, lemon, chamomile, aloe vera, green tea and honey or tea tree oil are also effective for treating acne-prone skin due to their mild properties.

Acne Creams
Acne creams are designed to fight existing blemishes, as well as to diminish the frequency of potential breakouts. Acne gels are formulated to provide a clear protective barrier around pimples. Most acne creams contain benzoyl peroxide; an ingredient that helps clear obstinate and re-occurring blemishes. Benzoyl peroxide also unblocks bacteria-filled pores, controls sebum glands and reduces redness to improve the overall look and texture of acne prone skin. But remember that benzoyl peroxide can dry the skin rapidly, so it should only be used on existing blemishes as a spot treatment. Some acne creams combine both medicinal and natural ingredients – such as tea tree oil – to form a unique antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent. Acne Strips
Acne strips work by removing unwanted dirt and blackheads with their special adhesive abilities. They are commonly applied on the face – particularly the nose. Their acne-fighting formula soaks into the pores; while harmless glue adheres to sebum plugs and draws out clogging oil, dirt and debris.

Apply an acne strip firmly to your skin when the skin’s surface is still damp. This is most effective after a shower or facial cleansing. Approximately15-minutes after application, the strip will turn dry and harden. Simply peel off the strip to lift the grime and excess oil completely from your pores.

Over-the-counter acne medications
Most mild acne can be managed with over-the-counter medications. The four most effective anti-acne ingredients contained in over-the-counter acne medications are:

Benzoyl peroxide kills the bacteria and dries up any excess sebum (or skin oils). Benzoyl peroxide is available in creams, gels and lotions, and in concentrations of 2, 5 and 10-percent. Oil-based benzoyl peroxide-based lotions and water-based gels are less irritating than alcohol or acetone-based gels.

Salicylic acid helps to slow down the development of the skin cells lining the sebum glands. It’s also a powerful keratolytic antiseptic; which means that it helps dissolve the top layers of skin. Dead skin cells often cause blackheads by settling into the pores and causing blockage. Salicylic acid removes dead skin before it has a chance to clog the pores.

Resorcinol and sulfur are both topical anti-bacterial disinfectants that work to exfoliate the skin and eliminate pimples. Resorcinol is also often used as an ingredient in dandruff shampoos.

MODERATE ACNE TREATMENT
Whiteheads and blackheads are symptoms of mild acne. However, if acne covers your face and other parts of your body, and if it leaves light but visible scarring, papules and pustules, you probably suffer from moderate acne. Treatments for moderate acne can include:

Oral Antibiotics
Antibiotics consumed orally to treat moderate to severe acne include tablets, capsules and elixirs. Oral medications affect acne by reducing the number of bacteria both on the skin’s surface and within the hair follicles themselves.

One anti-inflammatory agent, tetracycline, is the most widely prescribed antibiotic used to treat severely acne-prone skin. Tetracycline diminishes the population of P. acnes; which is the skin bacterium responsible for producing chemicals that cause inflammation. As a result, tetracycline will reduce the amount of red and yellow pimples. Tetracycline treatment usually begins with a high dosage (500-miligram per day) twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening. As the skin improves, you can reduce the dosage to 250-miligram every day.

Unfortunately taking tetracycline has some risks and side effects. Since this medication can cause permanent discoloration of teeth in children that are still growing, it should never be taken by kids under ten or pregnant women.

Oral Contraceptives
Adult women and teenage girls whose acne still remains after trying every acne-fighting antibiotic or topical medication available can be considered for hormonal therapy.

Oral contraceptives are normally called birth-control pills or simply “the pill”. They contain two types of synthetic female hormones – progestin and estrogens. Low amounts of estrogens have been known to suppress the androgens produced by the ovaries. Oral contraceptives also reduce the amount of testosterone produced by ovaries and the adrenal glands.

Studies have proven that women with comedones, papules, pustules and nodules have observably improvement after taking oral contraceptives for six months. By adding the hormones to your body in an oral contraceptive, the male hormones are effectively lessened and acne is prevented from forming.

Prescription Acne Creams
Prescription acne creams are topical antibiotics used to treat moderate to severe acne. Acne creams commonly prescribed by doctors often include Retin-A (the acid form of vitamin A), Differin (or adapalene), Azelex (or azelaic acid) and Tazorac (or tazarotene).

Retin-A is the most popular topical acne treatment recommended by doctors. It encourages the release of plugged dirt or oil from the hair follicles. Meanwhile, it increases skin cell turnover and promotes the healing process of any developing pimples.

Differin, Azelex and Tazorac are also effective acne treatment creams.

If your doctor has prescribed Retin-A, Differin, Tazorac or Azelex to treat your moderate acne, it will take between 6 and 8 weeks before you see any signs of improvement. When using any medicinal treatments there are risks, and since these contain powerful acne-fighting ingredients all can increase your skin’s sensitivity to irritation and sunlight.

SEVERE ACNE TREATMENT
Severe acne is characterized by inflammation, deep cysts, extensive damage to the skin and unsightly scarring.

The latest treatments for severe cases of acne include a combination of physical treatments combined with the use of prescription acne medications, for example Accutane. Physical acne procedures include surgical procedures (Drainage & Extraction, Intralesional Corticosteroid Injections and laser technology) and non-surgical therapeutic options (light therapy).

Severe acne requires aggressive treatment measures and should be always be professionally treated by a dermatologist. Acne treatment therapies are determined by several factors such as:

- The major types of acne lesions present on the skin
- The skin’s tolerance and condition
- Your acne’s reaction to previous therapies
- Concurrent medical treatments you may be undergoing
- Your personal lifestyle

Drainage and Extraction
These are two techniques used for severe acne treatment when inflammation, nodules and large deep cysts haven’t yet responded to medication. These procedures are often referred to as “acne surgery” because they drain or surgically extract acne cysts from the skin while decreasing the chances of cyst recurrence and scarring.

During acne drainage surgery, 2 iodine crystals are placed in the centre of the cyst and during the next few weeks, the cyst will turn into a dark brown, hard mass. The hard nodule can then be expressed easily from the skin without causing scarring.

Acne extraction surgically removes epidermoid cysts from the skin. It also ensures that the pus-filled sacs never reappear. Like drainage, the extraction technique is also time consuming as it requires each opening to be sutured. The minimal excision consists of a 2 to 3-milimeter incision through the cyst wall to remove the cyst contents.

Intralesional Corticosteroid Injections
When topical or oral medicine is not effective enough to combat your severely inflamed nodulocystic acne, you might consider taking intralesional corticosteroid injections to prevent deep-seated scarring.

Intralesional corticosteroid injections are considered a type of acne surgery. This procedure is basically series of drug injections administered directly into each skin lesion for faster action and results. During the procedure, the dermatologist will insert a tiny needle filled with diluted corticosteroid directly into each nodular or cyst. Through each injection the drug passes through the skin’s surface and deep into a sub-epidermal reservoir. This allows a higher concentration of the drug to act directly on the site of infection, where other oral acne medications can’t penetrate.

Corticosteroid is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory drugs used by dermatologists, but other drugs such as bleomycin, 5-flurouracil, interferons and stibogluconate are also sometimes used. An injection of corticosteroid is believed to quicken the healing process and lessen the swelling to the injection zone.

Laser Acne treatment technology
Laser technology, or laser therapy, is a painless acne surgery that’s intended to smooth irregular acne scars and tighten the underlying skin tissue. Laser therapy has also been recommended for lessening any trace of skin redness around healed acne lesions.

During acne laser treatment, various wavelengths of light are used – including blue, purple and red violet. Their intensity is carefully adjusted to suit the skin’s tolerance. The laser will remove the layers of damaged skin, and in addition, provide the opportunity for new and healthy skin cells to form. As a result skin should eventually generate a smoothly and even skin tone. However, there is no guarantee of long-term effectiveness and laser therapy sometimes yields disappointing results.

Light Acne Therapy
Acne light therapy is a recent addition to the treatment options available for clearing up severe acne. During this therapy, acne is exposed to red and blue light; which in turn attacks the bacteria in the acne underneath of the skin’s surface. The light aggressively acts on “porphyrin”, a by-product of bacteria’s metabolism. Porphyrins are natural molecules that are sensitive to light. When blue and red light comes into contact with porphyrins in the sebaceous glands, they are trapped and unable to produce oxygen. As a result, bacteria are suffocated and pimples die.

It’s believed that a combination of blue and red light therapy is the most effective treatment for severe acne. This mixture of colour light not only attacks bacteria travelling to the acne, but it also promotes the skin’s healing process.

Oral Isotretinoin
It is also known as Accutane or Roaccutane, is a very powerful prescription medicine that can help prevent scarring formed by severe cystic acne. It’s the only therapy which fights all of the major causes of acne – excess oil production, clogged pores, and inflammation and P. acnes.

Of course, there are some brand mean, which can help you to prevent appearing acne.

Biore
Biore is a powerful acne treatment fighter that prevents the development of blackheads and whiteheads, and reduces the size of pores while keeping them clean. Biorй products include a full range of cleansers – such as facial foaming cleansers, cream cleansers, unclogging scrubs, astringents and facial cleansing clothes.

Clean & Clear
The Clean & Clear family of skin care products has an affordable product line that’s specially designed to treat the oily and acne-prone skin of teens and young adults. It includes facial cleansers, astringents and toners, moisturizers and acne treatments.

The best way to diminish pimples on your skin is to stop them before they start to develop. This is why its unique formula contains micronized benzoyl peroxide, a powerful acne medication that penetrates the pores deeply where pimples begin to form.

Clearasil
Today, Clearasil remains a strong name compared to other acne medications in 64 countries. Its product line includes daily cleansers, astringent cleansing pads and topical acne treatment creams.

Clearasil’s formula treats acne bacteria on contact. Many Clearasil products contain triclosan or salicylic acid as the primary ingredient. These acne-fighters work effectively to wipe out pimples and shrink the pores. This is the reason why Clearasil Deep Clean Cleanser can work for up to 12 hours to intensively minimize blackheads.

Naturally Clear
Naturally Clear uses a purely natural combination of ingredients in all of its acne-fighting skin care products. Naturally Clear is effective at buffing away excess oil and dirt from your face without over-drying the skin. The key ingredients in Naturally Clear’s are niacinamide and aloe vera. Niacinamide, a demonstrated anti-inflammation, works effectively to reduce redness and soothing pimples; while aloe vera moisturizes naturally.

Oxy
Today, Oxy is a strong brand of acne treatment, still chosen first among teenagers globally. Oxy’s popular products include cleansing pads, acne washes and acne spot treatments. The gentle cleansing pads only contain Salicylic Acid 0.5%, so they don’t leave a stinging feeling after application. One of these little damp pads can wipe away all of the dead skin, dirt and bacteria on your face, leaving your skin ultra clean. It has been clinically proven that Oxy’s acne skin care products can get rid of over 90-percent of the bacteria that causes pimples within the first 24 hours of use. Oxy Double Action Pads don’t just contain effective anti-bacteria ingredients, but they also contain oil-free moisturizer to help prevent the skin from over-drying.

Proactive Solution
Proactive Solution promotes a three-step anti-acne system; which includes cleansing, toning and moisturizing. The oil-free Renewing Cleanser contains benzoyl peroxide and exfoliating micro-beads to penetrate pores deeply, so any excess oil or dirt that causes blemishes can be easily lifted and washed away.

Proactive Solution Revitalizing Toner is an alcohol-free toner. This witch hazel based formula, also contains aloe chamomile and Allenton, to soothe skin redness and unclog the pores gently. This used in conjunction with Proactive Repairing Lotion will stop acne-causing bacteria from forming underneath the skin’s surface. We should try to prevent sporting. But facing to this problem, you should make an appointment with the dermatologist to find the best of treatment. You should remember, what is an appropriate treatment for one person may not clear another’s acne because many factors affect resolution, including the cause of the acne, a person’s skin type and the kind of acne lesions present.