Acne Part 5

TREATMENT
Basic Skin care at home

All individuals with acne should consider performing some basic skin hygiene at home. The major goal of all acne treatment is to prevent scarring and disfiguring of the face. When acne is left treated, severe scarring can result.

It is recommended that one wash the face at least 2-3 times a day to remove the excess oil from the skin. There are numerous acne cleansing products available but a simple bland soap will do just as well. One should not scrub the skin too hard as this may lead to further irritation. One should avoid all fragrances and perfumes on the face to limit the extent of skin irritation.

Medical Treatment

The major treatment of acne is medications. There are 100s of medications available for the treatment of acne- this fact alone should immediately lead one to suspect that no one really knows what the best medication is. Every single day, there is a new agent advertised which is claimed to be the best drug for acne. There are many herbs, oils, soaps, and nutrients which are supposed to treat acne, but they all lack any scientific data or clinical proof of their efficacy. The majority of these agents are a waste of money and do not cure acne (except empty your pockets).

Despite these numerous options available, only a few drugs are actually helpful in the treatment of acne. There are both over the counter and prescription drugs available in the treatment of acne.

Selecting a Treatment Regimen

The physician treating acne should consider some skin factors when managing acne. Patients with dry skin benefit best most from creams, whereas patients with oily skin do best with solutions which may contain an alcohol. Using the appropriate vehicle can lead to better compliance by limiting side effects.

Over the counter medications

There are numerous over the counter medications available to treat acne. These non prescription chemicals include everything from baby oil, shampoos, soaps, creams, ointments, herbs, minerals, emollients etc. No one knows if these work and judging from the number of chemicals available, it is a sure bet that the majority do not work.