How many times have you heard the promise of fast-acting cures, overnight success stories and miracle cures for your acne breakouts? By now, hopefully, you are sufficiently armored against such up, designed only to get a quick sale. The fact is, acne treatments are not "get clear quick", just like wealth-building is not "get rich quick."

So, how much time should you expect between the start of the problem and the cure? Each acne treatment, to be successful, requires anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks to fully get rid of the problem. Further, once the acne shows signs of improvement or actually clears, you need to continue the acne treatment to prevent a recurrence. Call it preventive maintenance after the fact. This crucial step is often neglected.

If the problem is not resolved sufficiently after 6 to 8 weeks of diligence, then you need to look into altering the acne treatment, based upon your condition. This is because every acne treatment is not a "one cure fits all" routine. Some products are not compatible with your skin type at all. If you have or are experience poor results in your acne treatment/cure, this is the one area I would look into first. See what products you are using and compare it with your skin type to see if the two are compatible.

Which brings me to another factor. No two people are alike. Just like with fingerprints, no two people share exactly the same acne problem. You have to consider things like the cause of the acne, your skin type, and the kind of acne lesions you have. These are the main factors influencing the type of acne treatment that will be most effective for you.

If all this fails to provide an appropriate cure and subsequent preventive maintenance, then by all means don't be afraid to visit a dermatologist at this point. Imagine the difference professional help could be. Some acne treatments are only available by prescription, and that may be just the thing you need to treat your problem. So, a visit to a dermatologist may be in order in this case. The dermatologist can help you identify such things as how severe a breakout of acne you are suffering from, the type of lesions you have (some don't even know that this is a deciding factor), as well as co-existing conditions.

Maybe there are other, more non-traditional reasons behind your acne problem that the dermatologist can help identify, such as allergic reactions to something else, etc. What about your age? Does it play a factor in your acne treatment? You bet it does. So does your skin type (dry, oily or both) and even your lifestyle.

Your acne treatment could be in the form of multiple treatments combined. One night, you may need a medicated product, and another night a more natural product. Just keep in mind that, when it comes to over-the-counter medication, it is not wise to combine two different products without first consulting a dermatologist. You never know what may occur, and it is better to be safe than sorry.

The rule of thumb with acne treatments is: get in early to prevent further outbreaks and especially acne scarring. The sooner the better.