For most of us that take pride in the way we look, the thought of suffering with acne or Zits, may at first seem awful; fortunately treatments are improving all the time. Research into the causes, and possible treatments, for the condition is ongoing; in fact many new remedies are proving very effective. The acne skin care products available fall into these: <UL TYPE="square"> *Those that help prevent the condition *Internet or Drugstore: Treatment to help relieve the condition *Prescription only: From a doctor or dermatologist for more serious conditions </UL

General or preventative acne products form a large section of the skin care market; this sector deals with skin creams, lotions and cleansers that can help stop the problem. Whilst many sufferers use these products there are even more who just want to keep their skin clean and conditioned; often used by those who want to prevent future skin problems from occurring. More specialized cleaners are designed in the same way as acne skin care products; they work by limiting the production of sebum/oil and prevent clogging of skin pores. Excess oil needs to be stopped from clogging the pores as this oil make it easier for bacteria to grow, exacerbating the condition.

Skin care treatments such as exfoliation skin peels, clean the skin and help control the spread of the condition; most can even be purchased over the Internet in addition to normal outlets. Dead skin cells and other atmospheric pollutants are removed cleaning the pores which reduce the chance of any bacterial growth. There are specialized acne skin care products available over-the-counter, they do not require the need of a prescription. A bacterium that aids the formation of acne is stopped by creams and cleansers that contain benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid; these include creams, cleansers and peels that slow down acne formation.

It is often a good idea to start with a product that has lower concentration of benzoyl peroxide (e.g. 5 percent) to see how the skin responds; a safer alternative to benzoyl peroxide is anything containing 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 finding something that works is proving difficult, your dermatologist should be able to help. If you do need to see your doctor or skin care specialist then he may give you a prescription for antibiotics or special ointments.

Your doctor can recommend that in order to extract the contents of the pustules that a small surgical procedure could be carried out; however, sufferers are warned never to attempt this as it could lead to serious skin problems. Another effective course of skin care treatment is hormone therapy; hormone changes can be responsible for acne but hormone therapy can be very effective when used under prescription. Tackling this skin condition is not the problem it once was and if treated properly permanently marked skin does not have to happen.