It wasn’t that long ago when acne (Zits) was considered a curse for the many individuals that suffer from this problem; but that doesn’t mean it’s something that cannot be tackled. Research into the causes, and possible treatments, for the condition is ongoing; the result of this effort is new, more effective, treatments are becoming available. We can classify acne skin care products into 3 broad categories:

Over-the-counter: Preventative

Over-the-Counter: Treatments for conditions that do not require prescription

Prescription only: doctors or dermatologists prescribe special treatments

Probably the largest part of the skin care market is products designed to clean the skin and inhibit the formation of acne; these products can be anything from skin cleansers to makeup removers. Many people use products similar to this every day as part of their skin care regime; often used by those who want to prevent future skin problems from occurring.

Many of these cleansers act in almost exactly the same way as acne skin care products; they are formulated to reduce and limit the amount of oil in the pores of our skin. These skin care products are designed to prevent this from happening.

This type of skin care treatment also includes those which exfoliate such as skin peels; most are readily available over the counter at drug stores or even online. These work towards removing dead skin cells, reducing the possibility of pore-clogging and bacteria development.

Many different, specially formulated acne skin care products designed to reduce the problems have now been made available without prescription. Treatments that are effective contain the ingredients benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid; these ingredients are used to remove the additional oil in the pores of the skin.

It is preferable when you first start using this type of product to keep the concentration of it low, around 5.5 percent is best; an alternative to this includes products which contain alpha hydroxy acid. Because we all have different types of skin, more than one type of acne skin care product may need to be tried; if none of them work then you would be advised to contact your skin specialist. On-prescription treatments are prescribed by a dermatologist and can include ointments that can be applied on the affected area or oral antibiotics or just any topical ointment.

Your dermatologist may suggest a minor operation to remove the contents of pustules; specialists never recommend the sufferer tries this themselves as it can cause permanent skin damage. Your doctor could prescribe a hormone-based treatment to treat your skin problem; hormone changes can be responsible for acne but hormone therapy can be very effective when used under prescription. Constant research has paid off, and whilst they cannot cure the condition, it is becoming easier to treat.