Acne; the dreaded curse of the teenager. Did you ever have acne? Chances are that you’ve had an acne problem once or twice throughout your life. Always looking for acne treatments for that acne, it is a never-ending search. What is acne and how do we treat acne? Acne, which is also known as acne vulgaris, happens when dead skin cells and oil form a plug, which clogs your pores.

85% of teens have had experience with an acne problem. Hormone levels increase during puberty and cause an increase the production of oil, which leads to acne when combined with the dead skin cells. Acne also occurs in adults, particularly in women, who have problems with acne treatment all their life.

Acne symptoms include an outbreak of whiteheads, blackheads, or pimples. This acne can occur on your face, back, chest, or shoulders. Whiteheads and blackheads are blocked pores, while pimples have a buildup of bacteria under the blocked pores. Cystic lesions are big deep pimples that are painful and leave marks of your acne.

Treatments, how do we treat acne? Treating acne depends on how severe your acne is. The goal is to reduce or eliminate outbreaks of acne and reduce any scars that the acne can leave. The first step of acne treatment is to use benzoyl peroxide with mild soap and warm water, which will control and prevent more acne.

If this acne treatment doesn’t contain the acne outbreaks, you’ll have to consult a doctor for more aggressive acne treatments. They may be able to prescribe antibiotics, which will increase the effectiveness of the antibiotic acne treatment. If there is no improvement and the acne treatment still doesn’t work, Accutane is the last resort. It has rare, but very serious side effects and is a very expensive acne treatment. Another new acne treatment available is Light Wave Therapy, which was approved by the FDA and is useful in the reduction and elimination of moderate acne that was not sensitive to other acne treatments.

What are some of the things you can do to reduce acne symptoms or acne outbreaks? The best acne treatment and prevention that will reduce your acne is to wash your face twice a day using soap and warm water. Use your own hands instead of a towel to reduce acne. The friction caused will make your acne worse. Also, following your doctor’s advice will make sure that your acne will go away.

So what is acne? Acne is a condition that causes embarrassment, as well as depression. If your acne does not react to the acne treatment, look for better acne treatment which functions for you or your skin.