Before thinking about a plan of attack to treat acne, it's important to understand what causes it. By learning about what causes the condition (and what might exacerbate the condition on your own skin), it's easier to choose the right products for facial acne treatment.
Although the causes of the condition vary between different people, it usually boils down to the following issues:
The skin's sebaceous glands either naturally produce an excess of oil, or they're overly-sensitive to a stimulant. In most cases, the chemicals that stimulate the sebaceous (or oil) glands are androgenic hormones, with the most prevalent being DHT (dihydrotestosterone). You don't really need to know exactly how it works – just remember that the excess oil is often a product of hormonal response.
As the sebaceous glands have been stimulated by the androgens, the glands will then produce an excess of sebum. This sebum, along with shed skin cells and pollutants block the pores. After this occurs, the normally relatively harmless “P Acnes” bacteria (which is on nearly everybody's skin) is able to grow. This is due to this particular type of bacteria being anaerobic, which means it survives best in environments without oxygen. After the bacteria has grown, the body's immune system kicks in, which causes the inflammation everyone knows as the pimple.
So when thinking about acne and oily skin care treatment you should look at products that do one or more of the following:
Reduce the amount of P Acnes bacteria on the skin. Products will contain ingredients such as hydrogen peroxide or benzoyl peroxide, or otherwise be labeled anti-bacterial.
Unclog the pores – the best ingredient for this is salicylic acid, but you should also ensure you use a facial scrub.
Reduce the skins susceptibility to androgens. This is more often reserved for medicated treatments, which contain ingredients such as ketoconazole.
Whatever regimen you choose, if you don't have good results after a few weeks, you may consider visiting a dermatologist; they'll be able to properly assess your condition and decide how to treat it in the most effective way.
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