There is no one single treatment that will cure acne in most cases. This despite there being many available medical treatments. Normally, a person will undergo several different treatments prescribed by their doctor before finding the one that works.

Acne is often difficult to treat. The reason is that every person’s acne problem is unique. Large amounts of experimentation with treatments, and some trial and error, are the only way to find the treatment that will work. Stubborn types of acne illustrate this well. The professional experience of a doctor or dermatologist, especially one with significant experience treating acne, offers the most benefit.

Some things should never be done when dealing with acne. Acne affected skin should never be scrubbed. Irritation and inflammation will result, making healing more difficult due to increased numbers of pimples.

The symptoms you are experiencing will determine the treatment you will receive. The focus will either be unplugging pores, killing bacteria with antibiotics, reducing the amount of oils (such as Accutane), or altering the hormones that stimulate the sebaceous glands or oral contraceptives.

Topical creams are most doctors’ first line of approach. These creams are not a cure, but like most treatments, will help control symptoms. If these prove ineffective by themselves, topical creams may be combined with antibiotics (to be taken orally).

Benzoyl peroxide is the main ingredient found in many topical creams and while it is normally effective, it should be used sparingly. Using too much or using this medication over a long period of time can be a factor in premature aging of the skin.

Working with a trained professional that you trust is essential to the successful elimination to acne. Attempting to self-medicate or self-treat is also not advised. Only a doctor in an antiseptic environment should attempt pimple removal.

Being patient is also necessary. Acne does not clear up overnight, even in the best of cases. As a matter of fact, even after you find a treatment that works, your skin is likely to get worse prior to improving. Most of the time doctors recommend continuing a treatment for at least four to six weeks before you can expect to see results. You can expect to try several different treatments before finding the one that works for you, so don’t give up if the first one doesn’t work.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 14th, 2008 at 10:51 am and is filed under Acne. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.