No one is 100% sure why the hair follicles get clogged although there are several theories including genetics, hormonal changes, stress, and chemicals. We aren’t completely sure how it happens but we are sure that when the follicle gets blocked the oil glands continue to create sebum (oil which normally lubricates the skin) and since it has no where to go it builds up. This leads to the growth of bacteria which causes the acne that people despise so much.

Since acne is essentially caused by oil buildup, people with oily skin are more likely to get it. The most likely places to get it are those which contain the most oil glands such as the back, chest, shoulders, and face. The growth of the bacteria caused by the oil leads to swelling and the formation of acne lesions. People usually refer to these lesions as pimples, spots, and zits. Many people have these lesions at least for a little while during the course of their lives. Skin blemishes are common during acne and include blackheads, whiteheads, papules, pastules, nodules, and cysts. The former four are inflammatory and they are often what we see as pimples, redness, and bumps in the effected area.

Acne is the most common in teenagers, affecting about 85% of people sometime during their teens. It is not as common at other stages of one’s life although it is certainly possible to get it at any age (about 20% of all acne cases occur in adults), especially when hormonal changes are occurring (such as during menstrual periods and pregnancy). Most cases of acne are not severe, as only 15% seek medical attention and even all of those people don’t necessarily need it.

It is recommended to try home remedies or over the counter medication for at least a month before visiting a dermatologist (a skin doctor). Most acne doesn’t leave permanent marks (most of the time it is gone within 3 to 4 years) and once it is gone it is nothing but your past. There are a few very rare types of acne which are severe and may lead to disfiguration and pain.

There are tons of companies and people researching acne and discovering treatments for it due to the public’s demand for such information and products. Most people (especially teenagers) see acne as an embarrassing disease to have and there is a huge market for products to cover up or get rid of acne. The positive thing is that it is curable and it usually doesn’t last for too long. Also, there are more and more treatments, both home made remedies and artificial solutions coming out everyday.

Rosacea is another common type of acne which is more frequent in middle aged adults. It is often confused with acne vulgaris, but has a few distinct differences such as the lack of blackheads and the visibility of blood vessels (not in all cases). Small red bumps are often visible and pus-filled pimples may also form.

Acne rosacea along with acne vulgaris, are fairly common and aren’t particularly severe compared to some of the other types of acne. The more severe forms of acne are rarer, but they have they have devastating and often irreversible effects. They often lead to disfiguration and excessive pains to those who get them.

Acne Conglobata is still technically classified as acne vulgaris, but its affects are much worse than that of the traditional type. Symptoms often include large lesions along with widespread blackheads. It can cause scarring and damaging effects to the skin, some which can never be cured. It is found almost everywhere on the body including the face, chest, back, arms, and thighs.

Acne Fulminans normally affects young men where as acne conglobata usually affects middle aged people. Scarring and disfiguaration are also common to this type of acne. A major difference between the two is that acne fulminans also induces a fever as well as aching of the joints.

A third severe type of acne is Gram Negative Folliculitis. This type of acne is caused by bacterial infection. Symptoms include pustules and cysts. Not much is known about this type of acne due to its rarity.

Pyoderma Faciale is also a very harsh form of acne that usually only affects women. Most of the acne is only on the face, but it often includes large (and very painful) nodules, sores, and pastules. Scarring is also common in this type of acne. Pyoderma faciale usually only lasts a brief period of time, but it can cover one’s face quickly and the effects can be horrible. Pyoderma like many of the other severe types of acne has everlasting effects and they can truly hurt a person’s esteem. It is a good thing that these severe forms are pretty rare.

There are so many reasons for an acne product, acne treatment or even an acne program not to seem so effective, but a good reason can sometimes be due to the user not being prepared to wait for results. Any acne treatment will come with full instructions for many reasons.

When an acne treatment is used more than recommended, it may cause skin irritating and a result of that could cause more acne to breakout. The downside to also taking an acne treatment when not recommended, is it can make the medication much more less effective.

So,when trying an acne treatment try to be patient before you try another. A good acne treatment will take upto 2 to 3 weeks before you will start to see any kind of results. The secret to getting results out of your acne treatment is to use as recommended, not over doing it, and give it as much time as possible, don’t mistake a product’s inefficiencys with your impatience.

Pregnancy may lead to acne for some. Most people believe that it is due to the increased hormonal activity in the body at the time. Specifically, the hormone androgen is said to push the sebaceous glands in your skin to create more sebum (oil). This eventually leads to the blocking of the hair follicles and the emergence of bacteria. The bacteria then multiplies and can cause the acne.

Remember, you are always told when you are pregnant you must consult a doctor before taking any types of treatments or medicine and this also applies to acne treatment.

Pro active acne solutions results may vary their effects from person to person even if they are made out of expensive chemicals. That why they made pro active solutions not just a single product but a set of products. So that if one chemical will not suit the skin of a certain person, at least there are other options that’s why it’s worth buying them. There are only three basic functions these products could give.


First is that it will kill the bacteria clogged in the skin pores responsible for creating irritation that would lead to acne. The second is that is will control the amount of oil that the skin is producing from time to time. But that doesn’t mean that it would block the skin from producing oil. It would help the skin produce enough so that the skin will not be over dried.


One of the major problems for other acne solutions is that it would make the skin so dry that would even lead to peeling off. And lastly, it would clean those excess oils and dirt in the skin to avoid acne breakouts. However, it is always advisable to visit your doctor if a breakouts persist and before you use pro active for your acne.

Cucumber Juice:

Cucumber juice not only relaxes skins inflamed from acne, but it also does a pretty good job at cleaning skin.

Lavender Oil:

This technique has been around for ages! Simply dab the damaged skin with lavender oil with a cotton swab.
Do this 2 times daily and you should notice a difference in just a few applications.

Oatmeal and Sour Cream Face Mask:

This works in the same way that mud masks work. To make the mask, mix 1 teaspoon of oatmeal, 1 teaspoon yogurt, 1 teaspoon of sour cream. Apply this mix to your face for 10 minutes a day and expect fast results and great feeling skin. You can also try this with just oatmeal, but the yogurt and sour cream help to make it more appropriate to be applied as a mask.

Lemon Juice:

Using a cotton ball apply a mixture of lemon juice and rosewater. Leave this remedy on you face for about 30 minutes. Continue this method rigorously for 2 to 3 weeks.

Bedouin Method:

This method requires that eat a grated radish with each and every meal. Drink 2 cups of rosemary tea daily, and 3 glasses of water mixed with squeezed lemon and honey. This isn’t the most pleasant treatment, but its been found to be quite effective.

Tea:

Mix 2-3 tea bags with basil in hot water. Boil for about 30 minutes and apply to effected areas with a cotton ball. Lifestyle Changes That Will Prevent Acne In some cases natural or medical treatments aren’t even needed. Sometimes all its takes is that you take care of yourself and your skin in particular. The following methods are easy to implement and can work wonders when it comes to preventing acne and reducing the frequency and harshness of breakouts.

Exercise:

Its so simple its stupid. Exercising daily will help you get rid of toxins and will relieve stress, a known cause of acne. A morning jog, a few curls, daily push ups, or any small work out will work wonders for your acne. But remember not to over do it. Working out too much can actually have the very opposite effect of a proper workout, it will raise toxin and stress levels.

Change Your Diet:

What and how we eat plays a big role in how our body handles acne. First you should stop snacking. Eating throughout the day uses up your body’s resources that could be used to fight your acne. Having a more vegetarian diet will work wonders for your skin too. Veggies carry little to no toxins. And will allow your body to dispose of more toxins than it normally would be able to.


Try to add Zinc and vitamin A to your diet. Zinc will help repair blemishes and will prevent other breakouts. Vitamin A will help your body to produce natural oils. Don’t over do it with the Vitamin A though, because you obviously don’t want too much oil.

1. Preventative products.
2. Over-the-counter,specialized products.
3. Prescription acne products.

Preventative Products:

These are what people usually imagine first when acne care is brought up.Proactiv, Oxyclean, and generic face washes are all examples of preventative products. These are essentially skin cleaners. These are products that are supposed to enhance the skin care routines that you should be practicing on a daily basis in order to keep clean skin, which will prevent acne in nearly every case.



However, once you’ve gotten acne, it can be very difficult to get rid off, and unfortunately these products won’t do you all that much good. In which case you’ll have to move on to one of the other forms of treatment.

Specialized Products:

These are similar to the preventative products but are much more extreme,however they still don’t require a prescription to obtain. Benzoyl peroxideand salicylic acid found in most pads and washes are prime examples ofthese specialized skin care products. These two products are great a fighting bacteria, the cause of acne.

Benzoyl peroxide isn’t for everyone though. Some people’s skin in too sensitive for the chemical and it may result in a strange reaction or allergy. When experimenting with this method use a concentration of the benzoyl peroxide no greater than 5%, so you can see how you’ll react to it. If in doubt, contact your dermatologist.

If treatments like these aren’t effective for you case of acne, then it may be time for some prescription skin care products.

Prescription Acne Products:

Hence the name, you can only get these products via prescription from you dermatologist. This route should be last resort. These treatments can vary greatly. Creams, soaps, hormonal treatments, or even oral medications. There are many new treatments being developed in this market, with new ones popping up all the time since acne effects so many people. See your dermatologist for the latest common treatments.