Back in the day, people used to complain that there weren’t enough acne products on the market to treat a pimple on lip and other forms of acne. Now the exact opposite is true. Store shelves are literally lined with hundreds of products that dispense the same, tired promises all in the hopes that you’ll buy the bogus claims that they make. The acne treatment industry has enjoyed healthy profits year after year because the teenagers using their products fail to be consistent and patient. They are constantly on the lookout for the next silver bullet, whether it comes in the form of a cream or a “zit zapper” type contraption. The truth of the matter is that you don’t need any sort of elaborate products to achieve some major headway with your complexion. Essentially all the most hyped acne products contain identical ingredients. Since consumers don’t bother reading the ingredient list on the back, and instead pay attention to the fancy packaging, they continue to put their hard earned dollars in the furnace. That wasteful spending stops here.
The two ingredients which you want to find in an effective acne product are benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. These have bacterial fighting properties that help combat p.acnes bacteria. Further, they help improve the rate at which skin cells turnover, which in turn helps prevent pore blockages. Whichever product you decide to use, be sure to stick to lower concentrations. Benzoyl peroxide, for instance, is just as effective in its 2.5% formulation as it is in higher doses. You should apply your acne cream once during the daytime and once again at night time.
Before your start using your acne cream, its important to clean your skin of the impurities it encounters on a daily basis. While you can get a cleanser that includes these acne-fighting ingredients, its best to pick one that its as gentle as possible. Don’t fall for the marketing gimmicks with cleansers, including the beaded washes. These promote skin irritation. Anything without a fancy fragrance, alcohol, a foaming effect, etc. should be preferred over other products. Cetaphil makes a wonderful no-frills cleanser that is extremely gentle.
The final component to any successful homemade acne treatment is a moisturizer. The acne-fighting agents listed above can trigger skin dryness, which leads to irritation. Thus, its very important that you apply a non-comedogenic moisturizer prior to applying the creams to your face. You should always allow at least a fifteen minute gap (or more depending on the instructions included with your cream) between the moisturizer and topical cream application to ensure that the former has been given sufficient time to absorb.
