Common And Safe Ways For Acne Treatment

Acne is not truly curable but it's treatable, and thus various forms of acne treatment are available. There are many products in the market, though without much scientific proof, which tend to improve the pimples. Most successful treatments take at least two weeks of time to show some positive results. The products that claim to provide results in a short span of time can be thoroughly disappointing. Some treatments can take upto three months to show noticeable improvements.

How The Treatment Works

Acne treatment is believed to work in four different ways which help you get rid of or at least reduce the occurrence of pimples. These four ways are:

• Killing the acne causing bacteria,
• making the skin shed dead cells in a more regulated manner,
• anti-inflammatory effects and
• Hormonal manipulation.

A combination of these factors forms a suitable treatment mode, but has to be taken under the supervision of your dermatologist. Many of the treating modes may have some side-effects and need greater degree of monitoring.

Acne Treatments That Work

Most commonly used acne treatment procedures are as follows:

• Use of topical bactericidal: If you have mild to moderate acne, you can use the OTC creams containing benzoyl peroxide. These gels or creams are to be rubbed on the skin twice a day. They tend to dissolve keratin that is blocking the pores. It also kills bacteria. A moderate use of the cream leads to lesser appearance of lesions and diminishes the already present pimples to a great extent. However, it tends to dry out the skin, so it should be combined with a mild moisturizer.
• Topical antibiotics: The creams containing antibiotics such as tetracycline and erythromycin tend to destroy bacteria that harbors in the clogged pores. The advantage of applying topical creams is that they provides almost same effect as the oral tablets, but you can avoid side-effects such as stomach upset and drug interactions.
• Orally taken antibiotics: Although antibiotics will help clear out the bacteria present in the pimples, they will not stop the glands from secreting oil, thus cannot check the occurrence of acne. Some side-effects of antibiotics also cannot be ruled out. Its advisable only after all topical measures have been exhausted.
• Hormonal treatment: Hormonal intervention can be done in women, using oral contraceptive pills. It contains estrogen and progestogen in combination with antiantrogen which is most effective in reducing acne. If the pimple is very large and has to be reduced immediately, then cortisone is directly injected into the spot. It may leave slight marks which can be covered up with make-up.

Apart from these, other methods of acne treatment include: Topical retinols and oral retinols, Phototherapy, Use of laser beams, use of Aloe Vera, tea tree oil, zinc and local heating. It is always advisable to approach qualified skin specialist before following any of these treatments.