The average teenager has enough on his or her plate without having to worry about acne control. Fortunately for some people, acne is only a concern during their teenage years, while for others it is an affliction that plagues them for their entire life. Regardless of a person's age or of the severity of the acne, there are many methods to treat acne.

The best approach to acne would be to avoid an acne outbreak altogether, if possible. There are actions you can take to help prevent the acne from occurring. Some actions to take include preventing the pores of the skin from becoming clogged; unclogging pores that are already infected; combatting any bacteria that are the cause of the infection; and reducing any redness that may already be present because of the acne.

Caring for your face with a gentle washing once or twice daily using just soap and water can make all the difference in keeping your pores clear. In addition to this, applying benzoyl peroxide will aid in drying out the skin as well as cleaning it even further. Benzoyl peroxide is the active ingredient in most over the counter facial wipes such as Oxy Pads. One of the truly nice things about using benzoyl peroxide is that it can be coupled with other acne treatments.

Exfoliation is one more method of acne control. Exfoliation removes the dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. These dead cells can cause acne breakouts by clogging the active oil glands in the skin, especially those found on your face. Exfoliation can also make your skin much softer and healthier. One drawback is that some exfoliating products can be very harsh, so a new product should first be tried out on a small area of the skin before applying it to the entire face.

Some products for acne control have a double purpose. Exfoliating products not only remove the dead skin cells from the surface of your skin, but they also offer the benefits of anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory products. Both of these ingredients can help to treat the existing acne and reduce the redness and swelling that often accompanies an acne attack.

Common ingredients in other acne products are azelaic acid and sulfur. It is wise to test any product before using it on your entire face. If the product you intend to use contains salicylic acid, you should be very cautious. It can be effective in preventing the clogging of your pores, but is very harsh and irritating to the skin of the face.

Some people with severe acne may need to consult a dermatologist for help with their acne outbreaks. A dermatologist may suggest a cleansing program, use lights or lasers to treat and prevent breakouts, or prescribe special acne medication. If you are prescribed medication, you should be wary of the side effects, as most acne medication can be very harsh, even toxic.

Not everyone needs to see a dermatologist for their acne condition. For some people the over the counter treatments are just fine and work great. If they solve your acne problem you will avoid the expense and dangers of taking prescription acne medications into your body, and suffer possible negative side effects.