Whether you're a teen or an adult, if you battled acne you've gone through countless medicines looking for the best acne treatment. An inflammatory skin eruption that most commonly affects the neck, face, shoulders, and upper back, acne is perhaps the single most common skin affliction, and there are thousands of acne treatment products claiming to be the best. But in truth, there are any number of acne medicines, soaps, creams and gels that could work for you - the best acne treatment for one person may be not the solution for someone else. This is because everyone's skin is different, as is the degree and cause of their acne.



The best acne treatment for you could be an inexpensive, over-the-counter acne medicine with an alpha hydroxy formula, or one with salicylic acid. Or you might find that those do nothing to help your skin problems, and instead need a more expensive acne treatment program like Proactiv, or a more powerful, doctor-prescribed acne medicine like Accutane. It's usually only through trial and error that you'll find the acne product that works best for you.

When shopping for acne treatments, you should also consider the possible level of toxicity in the products you choose, which may cause health risks down the line. For this reason, natural remedies are popular as they have a lower risk of complications from their ingredients, and there is also such a wide variety of natural products on the market. You may find that one of them is the best acne treatment for your skin.

Australian tea tree oil is one of the most popular natural acne treatments. This anti-fungal, anti-bacterial remedy has been used for centuries to treat cold sores, body odor, athletes foot, bad breath and acne. It's a strong substance, so adding just a few drops to a cotton ball then applying it to the affected area can help treat individual blemishes - this is not, however, a treatment for large patches of skin or your face, as tea tree oil is very drying.

You can purchase bottles of tea tree oil online, at natural food stores and in some drugstores. There are a number of acne products that use tea tree oil as a primary ingredient. For instance, The Body Shop's line of tea tree oil cleansers, toners and spot treatments, Skin Medica's line of toners and cleansers with tea tree oil, the 'Blemish Touch Stick' from Desert Essence, and Murad's acne treatment gels.

If you find that tea tree oil works as an acne treatment for you, find a line of products that you like and stick with it. Start with an antibacterial foaming cleanser ? harsh exfoliating products will only irritate your skin and exacerbate your acne - follow it with a good astringent or toner, and then use an oil-free moisturizer, preferably one designed for problem skin. Philosophy's 'Hope in a Bottle' is one such acne product, designed specifically as an anti-acne, anti-aging formula by combining anti-bacterial ingredients with skin-soothing Vitamin E. Many companies like Murad, Dermatologica and Neutrogena sell moisturizers and spot acne treatments that work with a full line of acne products.

Adult acne is very common - in fact, 50 percent of adult women have it, as do 25 percent of men. Most adult acne can be easily treated to prevent breakouts, with the best acne treatment being a good regimen of cleansing followed by benzoyl peroxide directly on blemishes. In more severe cases, acne can be cured by retinoidal acne lotions like isotretinoin or by a hormonal treatment - usually drospirenone and cyproterone - under a doctor's supervision. Dietary supplements containing antioxidants, vitamins, collagen and herbal extracts can be very beneficial to the skin and speed up recovery from severe breakouts.

Talk to your dermatologist, and don't give up if the first acne medicine or treatment you try doesn't have satisfactory results - it may take awhile to find the best acne treatment for you.