How To Choose A Good Acne Treatment?

Acne is a genuine problem for people all around the world. The main reason why acne breakout is because of over secretion of sebum (excessive oil) in the skin pores due to hormonal changes in teenagers, or high levels of ‘bad cholesterol and toxins causing stress, ingestion of food heavy in sugar content, eating fatty foods like hamburger, fries, and whatnot.

However, when treating acne effectively, there are thousands of products out there that claim that they can take care of this annoying problem; but then again, many products do not work as expected. Some products may give faster results than others, but they might leave severe side effects, whereas others do not show any impact after weeks/months of continued usage. This article will learn how to choose a good acne treatment product that reduces acne on the skin, shows no side effects, and works for an extended period.

A dermatologist will closely examine your skin to see different types of lesions and choose an acne treatment:

• Mild Acne: This is a severe type of acne where the patient will have papules, pustules, and cysts. In this type of acne, one or more blackheads can also be seen with solid red nodules too prominent.
• Primary Acne: In this kind of acne, there will typically be yellow heads and blackheads and pimples on the upper part of the body from the arms to the chest region.
• Secondary Acne: This kind of breakout occurs when many dilated pores join together to form a cluster. The person might notice breakouts in groups around different parts of their face, sometimes called ‘hormonal’ breakouts. These are usually during the puberty stage when one is going through adolescence.

Here are tips to keep in mind before choosing acne treatment:

1. Don’t go for aggressive methods to treat acne

Using over-the-counter products to cure acne is not only time taking but also expensive. Moreover, these medications are known to have numerous side effects on the skin. As your skin gets exposed to more chemical content, you might have dryness of the skin or even excessive oil formation, which becomes worse than before.

2. Consider getting an acne treatment prescription from a dermatologist

Dermatologists can prescribe topical ointments and gels that contain benzoyl peroxide or tretinoin as they are considered best in treating mild acne breakouts that are making your life complicated. These include chemicals that help eliminate bacteria residing inside pores, causing breakouts. There are several other medications that dermatologists can recommend to their acne patients.

3. Find out which acne treatment works best for your skin type

Using heavy and oily creams or ointments and gels on your skin will give rapid results, but the side effects may be worse than before. When choosing an acne treatment cream for yourself, make sure it suits your skin type – dry/oily/combination according to the season and other environmental factors, e.g., humidity, etc. Also, pay attention to its quantity as typically, a small packet lasts up to 30 days if used twice daily for better results. In contrast, a bigger pack might last only 15-20 days if used regularly without fail every day of the month.

4. Buy products with natural ingredients

Many people deal with hormonal breakouts due to stress, and trying to suppress it by using steroidal creams might leave red and rashes marks on your face that might take quite some time to fade away. Natural remedies like lemon juice, green tea, cucumber slices, etc., can help heal acne scars even faster than before and prevent future breakouts. Moreover, these also do not cause any side effects whatsoever, making them a better option for skincare.

5. Go for gentle acne treatment

Please don’t go too hard on your skin when choosing an acne treatment. Otherwise, you may end up burning it, which will cause acne to spread and leave dark spots behind. Often you might lose your faith after trying several over-the-counter products and end up going for a harsh ointment or cream without understanding what type of acne you have. However, it’s good to treat every type of breakout because an active treatment will work on all types of lesions. Once your skin is clear from active breakouts, the dermatologist can recommend some helpful tips on preventing further breakouts from occurring at least until next month/season, etc.

6. See your dermatologist regularly

It would be good to see a dermatologist twice a year as they can monitor any change in your condition, especially if you have a natural treatment, instead of using any medication as they can alter your treatment regimen accordingly. They may also thoroughly go through your chosen acne cream ingredients and suggest some modifications that ensure that the product is not harming your skin if it’s acting opposite to before.

7. Antibiotics can help:

If you have severe breakouts with whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, etc., it’s better to go for antibiotic treatment as they are known to work well with these kinds of lesions. However, suppose you use an antibiotic cream regularly without fail for a couple of weeks or so. In that case, your skin can become immune to it, which is why you should ideally see your dermatologist before using an antibiotic cream on acne so that they can advise you accordingly.

8. Acne treatment ointments and creams contain chemicals like Benzoyl Peroxide (BPO) and Retinoic Acid (RA):

Both benzoyl peroxide and retinoic acid are chemical compounds, each having its benefits and side effects. They are known to work well with several skin lesions like acne, whiteheads, blackheads, etc. A dermatologist can recommend an ideal ointment or cream containing benzoyl peroxide or retinoic acid. They act quickly on acne breakouts, making them go away within a few days of usage.

9. Hormonal Pills:

If you have frequent breakouts due to hormonal imbalance, it would be better to go for acne treatment pills. They are pretty effective in preventing future breakouts and getting rid of them quickly so that they don’t leave behind any marks or scars on your face. However, I wouldn’t recommend these pills if you are pregnant or breastfeeding because they might interfere with the hormones passing through mother’s milk which is why I’d wait until after delivery before going for an oral medication to treat your acne lesions.

10. Cosmetic treatment for acne:

If you are using any creams or ointments on your acne lesions, it would be ideal to go for cosmetic treatment simultaneously, especially if they are deep within your skin. At home, you can use suitable spot treatments containing Calamine Lotion, which will slow down the production of excess sebum on your face and help reduce dark spots on acne scars.

11. Acne lasers:

Laser acne treatment is more effective than topical (creams and lotions) products and do not cause any side effect like dryness etc. but make sure you visit a dermatologist who uses one such laser device for acne removal because there are many fake/unreliable clinics around that might leave behind scars instead of healing the acne marks.

12. Laser Surgery for Acne:

In laser surgery, a dermatologist will apply intense pulses of light to each acne lesion. The skin absorbs it and kills bacteria causing acne and dead skin cells, which can lead to better results than chemical peels or microdermabrasion. It’s also advisable to have a severe case of inflammatory lesions because they are likely to respond well compared to mild/moderate ones.

13. Homeopathic acne treatment:

Though it’s hard to find a good homeopathic doctor in your area, if you have tried all other forms of treatment and going through unbearable pain due to constant breakouts on your skin, this might come as a savior for you. Homeopathy is known to treat many health conditions effectively. Still, it would be ideal for getting a prescription from a dermatologist before trying homeopathy because some remedies are better suited for particular types of lesions like pimples. In contrast, others work well on blemishes, so having dermatologist advice goes a long way.

14. Acne Scar Removal Treatment:

If you have scars on your face from past breakouts, consider visiting an expert dermatologist for acne scar removal treatment because they know the best way to heal your skin without causing any damage or trauma, making it look healthy and normal again.

15. Go for Green Tea:

Green tea works wonders on acne scars and is an all-natural way of treating acne without causing any side effects. In contrast, most medications can give rise to several complications and problems if not administered or taken correctly.

These are a few enlisted acne treatments; however, your dermatologist is the best person to decide which form of treatment would be ideal for your skin type and severity of acne lesions, making it essential to visit their clinic regularly before opting for any medication at home.

Here are few things to prevent acne:

1) Don’t go out without applying sunscreen on your face because sun exposure can make it difficult for acne medications to work effectively on your skin.

2) Avoid touching your face too often, which will not only give rise to oil production but also lead to the spread of germs from one place to another.

3) Keep away from oily/greasy food items as they are the most significant reason behind excess sebum being produced on your face, which is why to try keeping a check on this aspect.

4) Carry anti-bacterial wipes with you so that whenever there is a breakout, you can cleanse your skin before applying topical medication so that it works better.

5) Drink at least eight glasses of water every day to keep your skin hydrated and happy so that it can heal quickly without any side effects.

6) Go for deep cleansing face washes to keep your pores unclogged, and the acne marks heal faster.

7) Apply tea tree oil on acne marks because it’s known to reduce their appearance without drying out your skin.

8) High-intensity pulsed light is a non-invasive procedure that can lead to complete acne treatment in just a few sittings without leaving behind any scars or harmful effects on your skin.

9) While applying anti-acne medications, make sure you wash your face before going to bed and use sunscreen when stepping out of home in the morning because they can interact with each other and reduce their efficiency.

10) There is a long list of foods to avoid for acne treatment, so you should consult your dermatologist about the same before making any changes in your daily diet regime.

11) You can also go for cortisone injections or injectables so that pimples don’t grow large on your face and leave visible scars after healing.

12) Don’t pop a pimple/acne mark on your face as this will only give rise to more lesions, whether small or big, which is why you should be gentle while touching it during breakout time.

13) Homeopathic treatment is best for acne treatment because it does not cause any side effects and can give positive results in just a few sittings. Homeopathic treatment treats the root cause of acne by detoxifying the body, healing skin from within, and boosting immunity.

Benefits of using the homeopathic treatment for acne:

• Homeopathy works towards enhancing the body’s natural resistance to fight harmful bacteria causing acne.
• The best homeopathic treatment for severe acne is one where medicines are chosen according to individual symptoms after analysis rather than prescribing drugs based on disease conditions that don’t affect everyone equally. In homeopathy, treatments are usually given in liquid form, generally in single doses.
• Controlled scientific studies have proved that homeopathic treatment is best for acne treatment because this type of treatment has no side effects compared to other medicines, which may cause severe side effects on your body.

Homeopathic treatment treats the root cause of acne by detoxifying the body, healing skin from within, and boosting immunity. Homeopathy works towards enhancing the body’s natural resistance so that it can fight harmful bacteria causing acne. You can book an appointment through OHO Homeopathy to visit a registered homeopathy doctor for acne.