Over The Counter Acne Treatment

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Treating your acne can be fully treated with only the help of over-the-counter medications. Though with thousands of products always claiming to treat your acne fast and easy, it’s hard to figure out which treatments work, and which acne treatments are making false promises.

Topical Acne Treatments

Almost all over the counter (OTC) skin treatments will come in the form of topical applications. Soaps, scrubs, lotions, gels, masks, and many more products fall into this category. Essentially any medication that is applied directly to the skin will be considered a topical acne treatment. The other type of acne treatment is typically taken orally, but the majority of these medications will be prescription, at least the really powerful ones, such as Accutane.

There are some very popular OTC acne treatments out there that we will discuss in more detail later, but for now we will discuss how they work, and which types of acne they work for.

Active and Inactive Ingredients

These are the ingredients in an OTC acne treatment that make the most difference for your skin. The inactive ingredients usually don’t have a direct effect on your skin, but they are an essential part of the product. Inactive ingredients are what keep the product together and make it easy to medicate.

Both active and inactive ingredients will be displayed clearly on the label of your over the counter acne treatment of choice. It’s important that you look at the ingredients before choosing a over the counter treatment, especially if you could have an allergic reaction. If you are prone to adverse allergic reactions, you may want to talk to a dermatologist before you try anything.

The 2 active ingredients you are likely to encounter are benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. The reason one of these 2 ingredients are found in nearly every acne product is because they consistently work.

Benzoyl Peroxide

Benzoyl peroxide is a very powerful bacteria killing agent, that is particularly effective against P. acnes, the acne causing bacteria. It works by drying out the skin, helping your skin peel the dead skin so that your clear skin can breath. This helps unblock pores, reduce inflammation, and prevents scarring.

One of the main reasons for the effectiveness behind Proactiv, Clearasil, Oxy Clean, and Neutrogena are the benzoyl peroxide contents. However, not all products contain the same concentration of benzoyl peroxide. If you are treating your acne over the counter for the first time, it is best to smart to begin with small, low concentration doses, to prevent irritation.

You won’t see the benefits of benzoyl peroxide over night. In fact, it may take months before you see noticeable results. Because of this, many people stop their acne treatment long before it makes a big difference in your complexion. If a product doesn’t seem to be working, be patient, give it time, and you are far more likely to reap the benefits of this OTC skin treatment.

As far as benzoyl peroxide products go, lotions, gels, and pads are typically more effecitve than soaps and scrubs.

Salicylic Acid

Salicylic acid won’t clear up your acne on its own. Instead it is used to help your skin absorb and reap the benefits of benzoyl peroxide. Salicylic acid is one of many beta hydroxy acids found in over the counter acne products. It is a rather mild acid, and won’t cause much irritation in comparison with stronger acids. However, some concentrations of salicylic acid can be extremely powerful, particularly in prescription acne treatments.

Like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid can be found in an endless number of name brand over the counter acne treatments. Typically you will find this ingredient in scrubs, soaps, washes, lotions, and creams, as well as other methods of acne treatment.

What is Acne?

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What is Acne?
Acne, or Acne Vulgaris, is a condition of the skin caused by clogged pores. Pores can become clogged for any number of reasons, but the most common causes are oils and dead skin cells. Acne can surface in a number of ways including: whiteheads, blackheads, and blemishes. You may often hear acne referred to as pimples, zits, or outbreaks.

Acne doesn’t just effect your face. Acne can appear almost anywhere on the body ranging from your neck to your legs, and everywhere in between. Acne typically starts appearing in your teen years, as you hit puberty, due to changes in hormone levels, but acne doesn’t just effect teens. People of all ages can get acne. Sometimes it can be even worse for adults.

Acne Symptoms
Acne will first appear as whiteheads, blackheads, and blemishes on the face, neck, back, and chest. If you start showing signs of acne, it is important that you keep your skin as clean as possible. This will reduce chances of infection. It will also help reduce inflammation, and worsening of the acne.

Again, acne is most common among teens, but is certainly not limited to this age group. If you start showing signs of acne, get your skin clean, and start an acne treatment as soon as possible.

Acne Treatment
There is a near endless variety of acne treatment and skin treatment products. But the best way to start treating acne is by washing your skin regularly, but not too much, so you don’t irritate the skin. When choosing a skin cleaner look for soaps that are noncomedogenic, which will be clearly labeled on the product. Gently wash your skin twice a day with the appropriate soap or cleanser. Picking and scratching will only result in scarring, so avoid doing so at all costs.

Unfortunately, this form of acne treatment will only get you so far. If you acne surpasses the point of a few pimples at a time, it may be time for you to move up to a stronger acne treatment.

The next step is to turn to a over the counter (OTC) acne treatment. Benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid are the most common ingredients in such products. There are many other OTC acne treatments available on the market today, but many of them are just glorified scrubs or soaps. Try your best not to buy into the latest over the counter acne fad.

If OTC skin treatment still isn’t doing the job, it may be time you see a skin doctor, also known as a dermatologist.  The can prescribe heavy duty skin treatments in the form of creams, gels, and even pills such as Accutane. For women, birth control pills may be able to regulate your hormones in order to reduce signs of acne.