Acne Education : Preferred Ingredients by Type of Acne
Preferred Ingredients by Type of Acne

 

Preferred Ingredients by Types of Acne
There are many products sold for the treatment of acne, many of them without any scientifically-proven effects. Generally speaking successful treatments give little improvement within the first week or two; and then the acne decreases over approximately 2 to 4 months. Treatment should be continued as to maintain this improvement. Treatments that promise improvements within 2 weeks are likely to be largely disappointing. Laser therapies or quick bursts of antibiotics may offer a quick reduction in the redness, swelling and inflammation when used correctly, but none of these empty the pore of all the materials that trigger the inflammation. Emptying the pores takes several weeks to many months and can only be done with a quality acne treatment system.

• Non-Inflammatory Acne: topical retinoids, benzoyl peroxide or if you only suffer from Non-Inflammatory Acne, then local treatment with azelaic acid, or salicylic acid should suffice
• Mild (Inflammatory) acne: benzoyl peroxide or topical retinoids as killing the acne bacteria is essential.
• Moderate Inflammatory acne: benzoyl peroxide or topical retinoids combined with other treatments such as salicylic acid
• Severe inflammatory acne, nodular acne, acne resistant to the above treatments: isotretinoin or other medication as prescribed by your physician.


Modes of improvement are not necessarily fully understood for all ingredients, but in general treatments are believed to work in at least 4 different ways (with many of the best treatments providing multiple simultaneous effects):


• normalizing shedding into the pore to prevent blockage
• killing Acne Bacteria (p. acnes)
• anti-inflammatory effects
• reduction of sebum production


A combination of treatments can greatly reduce the amount and severity of acne in many cases. Treatments that are most effective tend to have greater potential for side effects if not used properly and need a greater degree of monitoring, so a step-wise approach is often recommended. Many people consult with doctors when deciding which treatments to use, especially when considering using any treatments in combination. There are a number of treatments that have been proven effective: (see reviews, see ingredients)

References

1) Goodman G (2006). "Acne and acne scarring - the case for active and early intervention". Aust Fam Physician 35 (7): 503-4. PMID 16820822.
2) Purvis D, Robinson E, Merry S, Watson P (2006). "Acne, anxiety, depression and suicide in teenagers: a cross-sectional survey of New Zealand secondary school students". J Paediatr Child Health 42 (12): 793-6. PMID 17096715.
3) Anderson, Laurence. 2006. Looking Good, the Australian guide to skin care, cosmetic medicine and cosmetic surgery. AMPCo. Sydney. ISBN 0 85557 044 X.
4) American Academy of Dermatology: http://www.skincarephysicians.com/acnenet/treatment.html