Those who have never suffered with acne pimples or zits cannot possibly understand the stress it causes; but things are gradually improving for sufferers. A great deal of money is being spent researching the condition; as a consequence, many of these new treatments are very affective. The most common acne skin care products available fall into these three categories:

1. Preventative treatments such as creams and lotions to help cleanse and tone the skin

2. Acne relief and spot specific treatments

3. Specialized medications presribed by medical professionals

Those that fall into the preventative category are based around general skin conditioning to help stop acne from forming; these products can be anything from skin cleansers to makeup removers. Whilst many sufferers use these products there are even more who just want to keep their skin clean and conditioned; many use these products to protect their skin from the environment even if they do not have the acne condition. Many of these cleansers act in almost exactly the same way as acne skin care products; they clean out the pores to help stop sebum or oil which can clog these areas. These types of products are reducing the chance of oil staying in the pores and aiding the growth of harmful bacteria which assists the formation of the skin condition.

Other skin care treatments can help exfoliate the skin; these are easily obtainable in any drug store. The peels clean the skin by removing all surface pollution and dead skin cells which can block the pores. There is a huge market for these types of acne skin care products as they don't require a consultation with a dermatologist. Most of these creams etc. are based on benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, both of which are the enemies of bacteria (and hence acne); they are designed to extract the excess oil that bacteria need to promote the development of acne.

Dermatologists recommend any product should have low concentrations of the active ingredient benzoyl peroxide (no more than 5.5 parts per hundred) if there is an adverse reaction; should a reaction occur, products containing alpha hydroxy acid are generally safer. You might have to try a few different creams or lotions before you find the acne skin care product that is effective for you're skin; if none of them work then you would be advised to contact your skin specialist. Products that your dermatologist or doctor will recommend will only be available on prescription, they may include a course of antibiotics or topical ointments.

Your doctor can recommend that in order to extract the contents of the pustules that a small surgical procedure could be carried out; although this is a minor procedure, if it were performed by the person themselves it could result in skin damage. Hormone treatment might be suggested as hormone changes can cause skin problems; hormonal changes are known to cause acne and such skin care treatments often effective. Positive research means that a sufferer does not have to put up with this condition anymore.