Best Over the Counter Acne Treatment

Acne is at best a very unpleasant condition to live with, but there are steps you can take to try to improve it. The traditional route is to contact your doctor to see what they would recommend. But theses days many are bypassing the doctor and going straight to the drugstore.

But how do you decide what is the best over the counter acne treatment for you and what advice do you take? There is so much advertising for different products that it is hard to know which is the best for you. Probably the first step to take in deciding, is whether you want to use a traditional medical treatment, or a one of the growing number of natural health products and remedies.

There are a growing number of natural products, as the trend towards a more holistic type of lifestyle becomes more popular. These products can be very good, but it is probably worth doing a little research so that you are quite clear about what you are buying and what it is supposed to do for your skin.

Traditional medical treatments are much more straightforward and many of the most popular contain salycic acid or benzoyl peroxide. If you prefer to go for the natural products, there are many to choose from, such as tea tree oil, aloe vera and Vitamin E. It is difficult to say which is the best over the counter acne treatment, as different products will suit different people. Most products whether natural or traditional, work by drying the skin to prevent excess oil building up and leading to acne.

Rather than buying the product that looks the best in the shop, it is usually best to ask the pharmacist for advice on which is the best over the counter acne treatment. They usually have extensive experience in dealing with this and are likely to know the products that work. There is a wide range to choose from and getting advice, is probably a good idea.

Even though you may have been very careful to buy the best over the counter acne treatment, it is possible that it is not suitable for your skin. If after trying a new treatment you experience any pain or discomfort it is best to check with your doctor. There are many treatments available and it is a good idea to get some good advice as to which is the best for your skin type, before you buy.

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Clear-Skin-Solutions.com. He provides more acne clearing solutions, remedies and information on the best over the counter acne treatment that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

Here are some of the most common antibiotics used in acne treatments

Clindamycin

• The most frequently used topical antibiotic for acne
• Available as a solution, lotion, or gel at 1% strength
• Applied twice a day to all acne prone areas
• Generally well tolerated but may cause some irritation

Erythromycin

• Second most commonly used topical antibiotic used for acne
• Available as a solution, gel, and ointment at 2% strength.
• Applied twice a day to all acne prone areas
• Generally well tolerated but may cause some irritation

Tetracycline

• Not used very often as a topical treatment
• Available as an ointment and solution at different strengths
• Contains sodium bisulfite, a sulfa derivative, and can cause allergic reactions
• May also cause yellowing of the skin

Metronidazole

• Used frequently for acne caused by rosacea
• Available as a gel at 0.75% strength
• Applied once or twice a day
• Generally well tolerated but can cause irritation

Benzoyl Peroxide – The Whole Truth

The majority of people, from teenagers to adults, suffer from embarrassing acne all over their face at some point in their life. Your face is your most frequently seen feature so it is desirable for it to be healthy and clear of blemishes. A common treatment prescribed by dermatologists contain what is called benzoyl peroxide. It is widely available in many different brand name medications such as Oxy or Neutrogena. With any medicine, it has its good points and bad points.

Benzoyl peroxide is a topical medicine that comes in the form of a cream, gel, lotion, face mask, or cleansing bar. It is generally used twice a day but it can vary if your doctor decides that it is necessary to use it more, or safer to use it less often. Not following the dosage instructions is very dangerous with this product because it can cause a bad irritation. The difference between a prescription and an over-the-counter form of benzoyl peroxide is that typically prescriptions are of a concentration of higher than 10%.

The advantage to using benzoyl peroxide is that it has a high success rate of clearing up acne. It works quickly and can even clear up severe cystic acne within weeks. However, in some cases it takes patience to see the desired results. It is available in some over-the-counter products that you can buy at your local drug store, which is usually much cheaper than a prescription. It may even be an ingredient in acne medicines that you already own. It is an antiseptic that is absorbed very quickly into the skin where it then works against the bacteria that causes acne and provides oxidation. The oxidation agent helps to reduce the number of comedones, which are commonly classified as whiteheads and blackheads. Its anti-inflammatory properties assists your skin in the healing process of existing acne, while also preventing future acne that is caused by inflammation of the skin.

Some people experience irritation from regular use of benzoyl peroxide and the sometimes acne could get worse. Contact with eyes is absolutely imperative because it will more than likely cause permanent blindness. Common side effects that users have experienced from this medicine’s use are skin irritations such as itching, blistering, swelling, and redness. It may also cause dryness of the skin or mild stinging. If you encounter a problem, you should discontinue use and talk to your dermatologist about lowering the dosage or using a milder medication. Because it is a powerful bleaching agent, you should avoid contact with clothing and other fabric because it will immediately cause damage to the colors.

Other uses for this product include dying hair and an ingredient in most teeth whitening systems. It is also used when flour, fats, and waxes are bleached. This information proves the strength of benzoyl peroxide. Before you consider using it, you should definitely consider that almost all users of higher concentrations of this medicine have experienced undesired side effects. The condition of your skin may get worse before it improves but it may be worth it.

AcneHelpZone.com 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.

Acne – Not Just A Pimple

It was known that acne was basically caused when the pores are choked by sebum. These sebum oils which in the normal context would drain to the surface get blocked and bacteria start to grow. These bacterial formations could be termed as whiteheads and blackheads. Whiteheads are formed when the bacteria and sebum are trapped below the skin surface. In the same manner blackheads are formed when the trapped sebum and bacteria are slightly open to the surface and turn black due to the melanin, the skin pigment.

The most common type of acne is the acne vulgaris and the other types of acnes are known as comedones, papules, pustules, nodules, cysts. Acne is formed also due to the hormonal changes which are very common during puberty. During the developing years the hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands which makes excess sebum and with this sebum there is clogging of the pores which leads to acne. It can also happen during pregnancies when the mother goes through hormonal changes. After a period of time, may be by the time one reaches twenties, acne disappears. Other reason for developing acne is by eating oily and greasy food. Too much of aerated water as well as chocolates can be harmful for the skin.

It is also believed that another factor which causes acne is heredity or genes. As these genes are passed on from the parents to the child the conditions of acne are also passed on from the parents. In many cases school aged boys and girls have acne problems as it is part of their family history. Use of various numbers of drugs also causes such problems. Make-up which has not been cleaned properly leads to creation of acne. It has affected people of the age-group of 12-24 which would sum up most of the adolescent and teenage years of the person.

A change in hormonal patterns in adolescent girls as well as adult women leads to acne. For some it starts before the menstrual cycle and acne starts showing up on your face or any other part of the body. Constant rubbing and squeezing can lead to some of the worse forms of it. Tight sweaty clothes and many environmental changes also lead to acne. Skin itching, burning, steroids also cause acne.

The proper skin care would mean a total no-no for all the acnes in the world. Healthy eating and exercise helps in maintaining the body and to give glowing skin. It is recommended that people with acne should use a gentle cleanser and avoid all the strong soaps and rough scrub pads. Avoiding sunburn and suntan may be temporary benefits. Excessive exposure to sun is not good which might lead to other problems like dryness of skin as well as skin cancer. If you are using cosmetics, see to it that you use the proper ones so as to not to accelerate the level of acne. There are ingredients used in it which may be harmful and should be checked before using it.

If the acne you have is very chronic then you should get treated by dermatologists who can help you clear all the acne. The extremely severe cases are the ones which are taken to the dermatologists. The treatment would help in taking out the scars and lesions and prevent new lesions from forming. The treatment would help in removing the bacteria which is settled under the skin. This would not be needed if proper skin care is taken. The unwanted use of hormonal pills, maybe from steroids to increase your weight is not needed.

Kevin Pederson has been managing a number of natural home remedies websites which have information on home based natural cures and remedies for some of the acne related problems

Fasting for Acne… Hmm

I will never forget the day a friend mentioned the use of a fast to me as a means of getting rid of my acne.

I owe that guy for giving me my life back-literally.

Now, just as he helped me a few years back, Friends, allow me to introduce you to what has been coined by Philippus Paracelsus as “the greatest remedy-the physician within”. This is a fast and for acne, it works.

What is a Fast?

Quite simply, a fast is simply abstinence from solid food for a considerable length of time in the aim of giving the digestive organs a rest. Not to mistaken for starvation, this practice greatly benefits our overall health and is by far a greater cure of our ills-both physical and mental-than all of the drugs of the medical fraternity combined.

There are many types of fasts and for treating acne (and dare I say any health problem-at least in their early and un-fatal stages), they are all quite effective.

They include:

1. The complete water fast: This, admittedly, should be conducted with extreme caution or in a specialized sanitarium if undertaken more than 3 days.

2. The Juice Fast: This is much easier for the general populace and can be undergone as long as you feel like it.

3. The Fruit Fast: This, well, is really not a fast per se…but when one lives exclusively on SEASONAL ORGANIC fruits for days on end…meaning mono meals (2 at the most ) of only one kind of fruit say Apples in Fall, Melons in summer for a week plus, you will be bound to see the benefits.

How to Fast

Being radical in nature, fasting must be undertaken with care, however from my experience with it, here are a few tips to hopefully get you started.

1. Prepare yourself for a fast by gradually tapering off of acid-forming aka “junk foods and commence to consuming raw and cooked fruits and veggies to begin a milder cleansing process as these items are the best intestinal brooms for the colon.

2. Every now and again, 3 hours after supper and say an hour or so before retiring to sleep, drink an herbal tea laxative such as “Smooth Move Herbal Tea” during this preparatory stage.

3. Drink 1-2 quarts of unflavored lemonade in the mornings to balance the chemical reactions within the body and to restore it to an alkaline state.

4. Be mentally prepared for the task ahead of fasting.

5. Take things a little easier while fasting or on a mono-diet of fruit.

6. Avoid using microwaves at all costs-can’t go into detail as that is another subject, however, TRUST me. You want to exclude the use of this so-called convenience device not only while fasting put permanently.

7. Taper off a water fast by using the second type (juice fasting) for a few days, then gradually going to the third (mono-fruit fasting), then afterwards you could (like I do most of the time) simply stick to tons of fruit as the core of your diet or include properly cooked roots, steamed or raw leafy vegetables.

Whatever you do, just please don’t go back to eating the old junk stuff. To explain why in a nutshell, here are two quotes: “You are what you eat” and “Let your foods be your medicine…”

Other tips to augment these dietetic suggestions are of course proper hygiene which includes making sure we change our pillow-cases daily, use only one towel (or paper towels) for our faces, steering clear of harsh acne medications (I just use plain cool water and facial massaging) and keeping dirty fingers off the face.

I really think options 2 and especially 3 as ways for treating acne (in regards to the types of a fast) are quite easy for any and everyone to do. So why not give it a shot? I can confidently say fasting-just like it did for me-can and will work wonders for your skin and overall health.

Here’s to a clearer skin naturally.

Foras Aje is an independent health researcher and founder of Bodyhealthsoul.com

For more information on Acne Treatment stop by his website today.

There’s Nothing Like Natural Help for Acne

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of pharmaceutical companies that want you to believe that their products are the absolute most effective way of dealing with acne, and that you will not find anything better anywhere. Problem is, if you’re anything like me, you take everyone’s claims worth a grain of salt, especially when that person is trying to sell you something. More and more people will attest that the natural route is the way to go, though if you are an acne sufferer than you also probably already know that there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of natural or alternative treatments being sold in stores and online. And since they are selling products, too, who should you believe? If you are looking for a natural acne treatment, the problem with many web sites is that every one will be stuffed with users claiming how well everything works. Every acne sufferer is different, but there are some things for you to consider when looking for a natural treatment.

The earliest Greek doctors firmly believed in food and drink being the best medicine. This is something to still keep in mind, and in fact, much of Eastern medicine is still based around this philosophy. Drink a lot of water. There is very little that helps virtually every condition the way that water helps keep the human body healthy. Eat fruits and vegetables (many claim that organic is best when it is feasible) and though no specific vitamin has been proven to help fight acne (though many will still make that claim) vitamin supplements can help to keep your body healthy in general, which is the best way of dealing with acne. Anything that is normally could for healthy skin is a pretty good idea to help keep acne away.

One of the most popular methods for helping fight acne from Eastern medicine is green tea. Now one thing to keep in mind about Eastern medicine is that they take a holistic approach, meaning that no one thing is meant to treat your problem. In fact, if you wanted to make green tea your main way of fighting acne, then you would need to drink an average of eight glasses a day. This is possible, though probably very inconvenient. Green tea is best used as a supplement to other methods, which is not to discount it. Many people who have successfully treated acne actually owe their success to a series of treatments working together. The benefit to green tea is that it is naturally loaded with antioxidants, and since it is natural, your body can actually process the benefits far easier than with vitamin capsules. Green tea loses its effectiveness if you add sugar and other preservatives. It needs to be drank as is.

Keeping with the natural, getting a decent amount of sunlight each day tends to help. This doesn’t mean sunbathe: there are still risks of skin cancer and burning your skin will not help your acne problem, but getting a couple hours of direct sunlight each day tends to help the body fight off the hormonal imbalances that cause acne. More study into this has resulted on creating “red and blue UV lights” that supposedly has drastically helped multiple individuals with serious acne. This light therapy treatment can be done easily in the comfort of your own home with a laser that safely emits the required light rays, and lab tests have shown this to be effective.

Natural facial peels are also a highly recommended way of treating acne, and soothe and treat the skin, anyway, which makes it a good idea regardless of whether or not you are trying to treat acne.

There are many different natural options, and if the pharmaceutical route has failed you, give a few a try, and remember patience. There is no cure for acne, only treatments, and all treatments take time. Keep this in mind, and eventually you will find the one that works for you.

Matthew is the owner of Acne Medicne, all the causes and cures for that most troublesome skin disease – acne

Acne: then the Former Acne Patient Said “Thank God for Facial Massaging”

With the marketers of various acne products out there to make a buck at the expense of naïve acne patients, one step that very well could help clear the skin and delay the aging process is right there literally at your finger tips.

It’s called facial massaging and for me, a former acne patient, it works.

Now friends, I suffered from acne.

Actually the statement above will be an understatement. It devastated and almost annihilated me. What didn’t I try: Proactiv, Neutrogena, Clearasil, Dermatologists? You name it, this writer tried it. Well, not everything, cause I couldn’t afford plastic surgery, not on a $11 per hour salary, but I was saving up for it though…honestly, the phone number is still highlighted in the phone book.

During my years with dealing with acne, especially toward the end as an adult, I simply had to find something, anything to get this problem off or else…

Well, thank God I stumbled on Facial Massaging and combined with a proper diet and other common-sense tips, within 72 hours or less, there was a permanent and drastic improvement in my skin condition.

I humbly share the facial massaging steps with you so if you suffer from acne, you could look into them as part of a drug-free, yet simple BUT extremely effective means of treating your acne.

Facial Massaging Steps:

1. Wash your hands, especially your fingertips, thoroughly.

2. Now with your thumbs firmly gripping your jaw-line, proceed to pressing with the free four fingers the upper jaw line working from the center outwards. Do 2-3 sets pressing firmly.

3. Now press the areas directly above the jaw line in the same center-going- outwards-direction firmly 2-3 times.

4. Do this working upwards till you reach the forehead line. If done correctly you should see little specks of dead skin on your face.

5. In a feathery motion, pinch at the entire face for as long as you desire (1-2 minutes) using all the free fingers in firm actions grasping the skin.

6. Now, in a downward-scraping motion using the finger tips, rub the jugular veins located at the sides of the neck (6-8) times, and then massage the outer part of the chest right next to the armpits in a firm circular motion ensuring you breathe deeply as well. According to the Egyptians (and from my own experiences) this simple procedure has a marked effect on alleviating bags and crow’s feet from the eyes and directing the flow of toxins away from the face.

7. Wash your hands with soap and rinse the face with cool water only-gently but firmly.

8. Wipe your face dry with a paper towel (or a towel you use only for your face and nothing else. Keep this towel in an exclusive location and wash it every other day).

Now, for an external acne treatment regimen, this procedure is quite effective. Combined with such internal acne treatment procedures based on a proper diet of your Juicy fruits, some roots and leafy vegetables and if desired (although highly recommended) occasional juice fasts or exclusive mono-meals of seasonal fruits, facial massaging will be very useful as a means of controlling acne (and delaying facial aging as apparent in crows feet and wrinkles) from the outside.

I must add, when performed correctly, it does enhance facial tone and structure not unlike costly plastic surgery. So, put your fingers to work and lovingly massage and sculpt your face with facial massaging while all the while becoming acne free starting today.

Here’s to a clearer skin naturally.

Foras Aje is an independent health researcher and founder of Bodyhealthsoul.com

For more information on Acne Treatment stop by his website today.

Exercise and Acne

The best advantage exercise can yield is to improve the rate of blood circulation in the body and therefore provide oxygen to the skin cells. The pores are cleaned as you tend to sweat after exercising and this means that no germs will be present in the skin. Even scars and rashes that are formed due to inflammation disappear rapidly. It makes the cardiovascular system work smoothly and even your lungs are pumped with enough oxygen. It helps you fabulously in your routine work.

Concerning, the exercise activity, you should choose an exercise program which you find most interesting. Usually spend time with outdoor activities like swimming, cycling, jogging, rowing etc. Water games will clean off your skin automatically. Do not exercise for long or you might start to feel exhausted. Try out those exercises that will balance your moods such as yoga or a few relaxation exercises.

The value of sports and games in building your personality is really notable. When you exercise, the body releases a hormone called endorphin, which keeps you calmer. Your skin will glow and this in turn will assist you in having great skin, i.e., skin free from acne and other skin diseases. So don’t wait, go out and start jogging now!

Acne Treatment – Homemade and Herbal Techniques

Acne Treatment is big business, but sometimes you’ll find that those expensive prescription treatments are just out of your reach. Why not try some easy homemade and herbal techniques? It takes about two weeks for any new treatment to take effect and stop acne from coming in, so remember if it doesn’t work within the first couple of days stick with it for a little while.

Prevent acne causing bacteria from getting into your pores by applying Witch Hazel to your skin after getting out of the shower or washing your face. It’s an astringent available in most stores that will cause your pores to tighten up. Try making a paste of fresh basil leaves and Sandalwood to apply to your face. If you’ve currently got acne dab it with vinegar before bedtime to reduce the swelling or place a little toothpaste on it. The alkalinity of crushed strawberry leaves in a paste or placed directly on the acne will also help reduce swelling. Eat foods rich in Vitamin A, Pantothenic Acid, and Vitamin E amongst other nutrients to help maintain healthy skin to help keep it from developing permanent scarring and also to keep acne from developing as easily.

If you are looking for a topical treatment to help heal the scarring left behind by your acne, make sure to wait until all of your acne is gone before you start applying it. It may irritate existing acne and make it much worse. Rose hip oil is used for many kinds of scarring and may help with facial scarring. It contains a derivative of Vitamin A. Some people apply Vitamin E to their scarring. Be aware when applying essential oils to the skin that it may only make your skin worse, causing irritation and inflammation.

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies, using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills, herbal health care and fun facts. Free info on Acne Treatment with free product.

Aloe Vera can be used as a get, or you can rub the juice of the aloe plant itself on your skin. The pulp of the aloe plant can also be used as a skin cleanser. Aloe Vera has been used in skincare for centuries.

Use aloe Vera gel directly on the pimples and sores daily. For an even more effective treatment, combine aloe vera gel with Tea Tree Oil.

The Aloe Vera plant can easily be grown in your house and should be available at your local nursery. Aloe Vera gel can be found in any good drugstore.