There are a multitude of acne treatments available and they range from the very effective to the totally worthless. You see them everywhere, on the internet and in the stores. How do you know which one to choose?

First step: Look at Your Acne

The first thing you need to do is figure out what kind of acne you have. Is it sever acne, or is it mild or moderate. Where is your acne, on your back, body, or face?

Generally speaking mild and moderate acne can be cleared up by using over the counter treatments like Salicylic Acid. Severe acne can often be helped by these treatments as well, but sometimes you will need a dermatologist.

Something else to think about is that body acne needs a stronger treatment than face acne, because the skin on your body is thicker then the skin on your face.

Why I Like Salicylic Acid Acne Treatments

There are two major players in the over the counter acne treatment market when it comes to ingredients. One is Salicylic Acid and the other is Benzoyl Peroxide.

The reason I like Salicylic Acid based acne treatments over ones that use Benzoyl Peroxide is that they tend to be less drying and irritating, and Salicylic Acid also works better at clearing acne fast.

Last Step: Pick a Product

When choosing a product containing Salicylic Acid to treat acne, you will get the best results when it also contains Citric Acid and other botanicals.

Salicylic Acid acne treatments clear skin by gently unclogging pores and keeping the bacteria from getting caught in them. This helps to get rid of pimples fast and to prevent the return of acne. This is a very effective treatment for most people.

Also remember that the skin on your body and face are different. Your body skin is thicker and has bigger pores, so it is best to use products for body acne that are specifically meant to treat body acne. I have found that body washes work the best for treating acne on your body because they are convenient.

Acne on your face calls for a more gentle formula. Washes and creams work the best for facial acne.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 20th, 2009 at 4:58 pm 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.