Over the counter, sometimes referred to
as otc for short, products are starting
to become an increasingly popular alternative
to prescription medication in the treatment
of acne. These products are readily available
as you don't need a prescription from your
doctor to buy them and for people with mild
to moderate forms of acne the best over
the counter treatments will be just as effective
as the more expensive prescribed ones.
Besides being cheaper, these products
often have little, or no side effects,
in comparison to some of the highly publicised
prescribed antibiotic drugs used by doctors.
Although there are lots of over the
counter acne products on sale, really
there are only two kinds of treatments
available - either medicated or natural.
Both types utilise basically the same
technique by using a drying agent to exfoliate
the skin and to combat the acne and pimples.
Usually, in the case of a medicated
product, this is either benzoyl peroxide,
salycic acid or glycolic acid. Natural
products tend to use combinations of ingredients
and plant extracts like vitamin E, tea
tree oil, aloe vera, witch hazel, green
tea extract, cucumber etc.
There seems to be a growing number of
different treatments but usually over
the counter products come in the form
of topical cleansers, soaps, washes, lotions,
creams, gels or even pads and patches
that are applied onto the skin.
When using these kind of preparations
it is important, that you cover all of
the area where you have acne because then
you will also be treating the hidden blemishes
that you can’t yet see as well as the
acne breakouts that you can.
Expect some trials and errors as you
experiment with the different treatments
available, it may take you a while before
you find the right type or combination
of products that work for you. Whatever
you do, don’t use more than one treatment
at a time, particularly with medicated
products, discontinue one before you try
out another.
When you are trying a new product give
it enough time to start working before
discarding it to try something else. Typically
you may need to use it for six to eight
weeks before you notice any real progress
but, of course, this depends upon the
severity of your acne and your skin type,
some people see improvements after only
a few weeks.
After you have found the perfect skin
care products that suit you and are providing
good results, you may find that you will
need to continue your treatments to keep
your acne in check. This is because acne
is a chronic (meaning long-term) skin
disorder and it is possible that once
you stop using your treatments the acne
could reoccur.
To get the best out of any over the
counter acne products you need to use
them consistently and correctly. This
may be common sense but do read the labels
and make sure you use them in line with
the instructions given! If you don’t you
risk causing damage to your skin and doing
more harm than good, this is especially
true if you have sensitive skin.
The over the counter products that are
available, whether medicated or natural,
do successfully treat most forms of acne.
Unfortunately, there are always exceptions
to the rule and there are some types of
acne that will not respond to these type
of treatments. If this happens to you
and nothing you try is helping your condition
then seek the help of your doctor or dermatologist.
Elaine Clay is the owner of Acne
Treatments Online.com :: Get articles
and information to help you find proven
and effective acne solutions available
online to treat and get rid of your condition
safely and naturally - Feel free to use
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