Perhaps the most important acne treatment regime is consistency! No matter what treatment is chosen there is one sure way to make it fail and that is inconsistent or improper use. Not all acne products have good use instructions. When the product is not part of a larger kit it probably only has sketchy use information. There needs to be a better long term use beauty regime in place in order to reap full benefit from the products chosen. When choosing over-the-counter products there are only four choices of active acne fighting ingredients which can be utilized with full FDA approval. Those ingredients are often used in about the same order as part of an acne fighting regime. The first of those ingredients is salicylic acid. This is frequently used in soaps and cleansers as the first step in a twice daily treatment regime. The second is benzoyl peroxide which serves as an antibacterial and oil eliminator. The third is resorcinol and/or sulfur often used in combination as a leave on peeling agent. Although theses ingredients recur in many different forms and under many different brand names there is a great variation in the percentage of each used. This is particularly true in the case of benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Higher percentages of benzoyl peroxide will yield good results on cystic torso acne. The same strength will cause excessive reddening and drying or blistering of facial skin particularly in babies or the middle aged. The same situation exists with salicylic acid. A low 2% concentration of this ingredient will cause slow peeling of outer skin layers and eventual loosening of clogged pores. The higher percentages at up to 35% will yield deep pore cleaning but would not be suitable for daily use. An acne treatment regime needs careful planning. |
