Acne Treatment

We’re going to take you back to a rather uncomfortable point in time. You’re 15, boy or girl, doesn’t matter. You step out the shower, dry off, wipe down the mirror and as you’re rubbing that last bit of humidity off the mirror you think to yourself, “please, to every God imaginable listening, please spare me the bumps, sores and puss on my face just today of all days.”

Acne strikes the best of us. Honestly, imagine the best human being, the kindest heart, would run through fire to help you – yes, that person has also been afflicted with acne. This terrible condition does not discriminate, and worse yet, it isn’t always puberty centric. You’ve got folks battling this madness way into their 20s, 30s and 40s. A nasty issue, but the good news is in 2019 there are some fantastic treatment options. Before we jump in however, let’s get a handle on what this gift from hell is really made up of.

Acne is a skin condition that transpires once hair follicles become plugged with oil and/or skin cells that are already dead or rotting. Sounds gross, right? You bet, and the result of all this are whiteheads, pimples and blackheads. These show up on the face, upper back, shoulders, forehead, chest, you name it. We all know this is most common with teenagers, but again, acne does not discriminate. You could easily be dealing with this way into your 50s.

Historically, acne treatments were rather unreliable. It’s a persistent condition which renders treatment difficult and not easy to track. Once pimples and bumps heal, others seem to pop up at the most inopportune times. Persistent acne can scar the skin, cause emotional distress and the painful, pus-filled lumps (known as cystic lesions) can also result in surgery. Once self-care remedies fail to address the issue, seeing a primary doctor is recommended. But before that, the most popular nonprescription treatment for acne is soap and water. Sounds simplistic, but honestly this can work over the short-term. Second are cleaners, many of which contain glycolic acid, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide or sulfur. For mild acne, benzoyl peroxide is a good option. This is a compound that absolutely murders acne causing bacteria. However, when we say murder, that can take four weeks, a rather slow death. Creams, cleansing pads, gels, washes or foam, benzoyl peroxide can cause dry skin, a setback but an acceptable one in the fight.

Salicylic acid is another option which helps to remedy the abnormal shedding of cells. More specific, this type of acid unclogs pores and prevents lesions. Like benzoyl peroxide, once you stop using it the effects wear off. But you can find salicylic acid in pads, creams and lotions. This stuff is everywhere – readily available and ready to use.  

From here one can get into sulfur, topical retinol gel, plus others. The positive is everyone deals with acne. The bad news, it can be a real pain. Keep a positive attitude and don’t let anyone get you down. Those pores are only temporary, and odds are the person poking fun at you had some nasty ones at one point as well.