Anyone that has ever had acne, and most of us have had it to some degree, knows that it is a problem. The problem, however, is to be expected at certain ages, and at certain times. We all know that understanding it does not make our consciousness of having pimples go away. Instead, you want a remedy, or a medicine, or something that will just help it to go away. What can we do in an effort to get an effective acne treatment?

Before we look at a good acne treatment, it is important to understand what causes acne. Otherwise, you may be largely undoing whatever method you use. To make it very simple, acne is largely caused by our natural skin oils clogging the pores of our skin, and then a natural bacteria, which thrives on skin oils, causes the infections which results in acne. In addition to this, acne can be triggered, or accentuated, by certain things. Two of the most common triggers are stress, as well as the ladies monthly cycle. Other triggers would be testosterone (in men and women), certain medications and steroids, and simply picking at or squeezing the pimples.

The Basics of Acne Treatment

Here are a few general ideas that will help if you have a regular type of acne.

Keep Your Face Clean

The first thing that you can do, and probably the most important, is to keep your face generally clean. Although this will only help some, nevertheless - it does help. Avoid excessive washing because your face does need some natural oil to keep it healthy - probably twice a day is good, and especially after strenuous activity.

Use Over-The-Counter Medications

More and more medications are appearing on the market to deal with this problem. Because one person's skin type and amount of oils may differ, what works for one may not have quite the same effect on another. Probably one of the most important ingredients to look for is benzoyl peroxide, which acts as a good antibacterial agent, and tends to dry out the skin some.

Persistency Is The Key

No matter what medication you actually use for your acne treatment, you need to remember that any over-the-counter medication will not work overnight. It will take at least a couple of days - if not a week or more, to see any real results.

If these do not work, or if you have a more serious acne, visit your general practitioner who can help you with a stronger acne treatment.