Acne treatment has witnessed significant progress in the recent years. Dermatologists today agree acne is curable. It takes time. In addition, the acne treatment that has been successful on one person may not give similar results in another person.
Acne treatment requires a personalised approach. The cause of acne, the skin type, genetics and several other factors determine the success of acne treatment. Dermatologists can ascertain several factors –severity of lesions, type of lesions, and other factors like lifestyle, diet, etc.
The goals of acne treatment include curing existing lesions and preventing new lesions from forming. There is a range of treatment options including the ones from alternative medicine.
Prescription medicines can include antibiotics and skin creams for topical application. Tetracycline is prescribed for inflammatory type acne. Azelaic acid, benzoyl peroxide, etc is prescribed for topical application. Several people advice you to clean acne-affected area clean many times a day. Acne really is not caused by dirt. In fact, it is caused by bacterial infection in the sebaceous glands and hence the prescription of antibiotics. The topical applications are aimed at clearing the lesions.
It is better not to go after every acne treatment claims you come across. It can do more harm than good. If you have moderate to severe levels of acne, you had better consult a dermatologist first. You can ascertain the type of acne by professional check up of the skin.
There are different processes found in acne treatment.
Exfoliation is removing the outer layer of skin. This is a gentle process and done without causing irritation on the skin. Certain natural remedy methods that recommend mud masks is an example.
Topical antibacterial and antibiotics application is the most common type of acne treatment. It depends on application of antibiotic creams, lotions and ointments over the affected area. There are several prescription and over the counter medicines for topical application.
Vitamin and nutritional supplements are also sometimes prescribed for acne treatment. Vitamin B3, Zinc etc are examples.
Natural medicine or alternative medicines also have a variety of acne treatment directions like tea tree oil and ointments prepared from herbs.
Oral contraceptives that balance hormonal balance is also found to be effective in acne treatment in women.
Acne treatment can also include surgical procedure or laser treatment. Microdermabrasion is a surgical procedure for treating acne scars. Laser resurfacing, scar revision and photo-rejuvenation are other surgical methods of acne treatment.
Alternative medicines, like Ayurveda from India suggests diet and treatments to first detoxify blood, skin and internal organs. It is always better to consult your physician and dermatologist before purchasing any over the counter products for acne treatment. Sometimes a combination of more than one method can be best for you. Leave it to expert doctors to determine the acne treatment for you, after checking the different factors like severity, your age, skin type, lifestyle, etc.