Skin Acne Treatments - Cure Your Acne Here!

As a teen I suffered from chronic acne all over my back and shoulders, as well as mild acne on my face. I refrained from being topless in public throughout my teen years. This put a real downer on the summer and going to the beach. During my youth, I worked hard on my body image and really dreamed of showing it off, but couldn't as I feared people would stare.

Recently, my acne has cleared up almost completely, and I am the most confident I have ever been. I can go to the beach topless and not have to worry about the ladies staring -- for the wrong reasons! I hope to help others who are in the same situation I was once in by reviewing various skin acne treatments.

I found success with the popular detoxifying diet, Acne Free in 3 Days. Check it out and tell me what you think.

It's important that you know what causes your acne, so you can know how to prevent these "causes" with skin acne treatments.

All acne is caused by a disorder of the pilosebaceous unit. This unit made up entirely of hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and hair. The sebaceous glands produce sebum, which is responsible for keeping the skin moisturized. The amount of sebum produced is greatest during adolescence and tends to decrease by the early 20s.

A bacteria, called Propionibacterium acnes, is found in the skin. It uses sebum to grow, therefore increases during adolescence. People with acne have an exaggerated level of Propionibacterium acnes in their follicles. The presence of this bacteria attracts white blood cells. These white blood cells produce an enzyme that damages the wall of the follicle. This causes the contents of the follicle to enter the dermis, which ultimately causes an inflammatory response. The result is an inflamed red spot, which is a pimple.

So, acne can be reduced by controlling the amount of bacteria on the skin...

Not all acne is the same. It can be divided into 3 different types, and this division is important, as each type of acne should be treated differently. The three types of acne are known as, red bumps, whiteheads and blackheads.

Blackheads

Blackheads are also known as open comedones. They are follicles that have a wide opening. They are filled with plugs of sebum and sloughed-off cells. The mixture causes a chemical reaction resulting in the oxidation of melanin. This oxidation gives the contents of the follicle that black color.

Whiteheads

Whiteheads are also known as closed comedones. They are follicles which are filled with the same material as blackheads, but only have a microscopic opening. Since air cannot reach the follicle, the material is never oxidized and remains white.

You may well have heard of a product called
Acne Free in 3 Days by Chris Gibson on TV, in magazines or online. It is known as a popular, natural and fast-acting "cure" for acne. It is one of the top skin acne treatments online. But does it really work? I say, YES! And, I know this because I believe it is what finally killed my acne.

A fair few months ago I finally got round to trying the hyped up product. You pay $50 for a 3-day program. It didn't seem worth it at first but reading all the positive reviews and testimonials I decided, as a last resort, for ridding myself of acne, I would buy it.

I try not to give too much away, but the idea of the program is to rid your body of the toxins which cause acne. The program is a 3-day detox program, which consists of a big change in diet and a slight lifestyle change. But, don't be put off; it only lasts 3 days, and the results are more than worth the small sacrifice.

I awoke on the 3rd day of following this program to a fairly clear back and shoulders. I was well impressed! However, years of using perfume products and popping zits, my shoulders and back had scarred up pretty bad. They still showed but I was shocked at how the scarring had lost all color. It wasn't noticeable unless you looked up close.

But, still, I didn't want this, so I carried on with the program for a little while longer. After another 2 days of detoxing, I noticed my back was completely clear, minus the scars you could feel, but they weren't visible.

I couldn't believe it. More than a decade of shame was washed away in just 5 days!

Apparently, it takes only 3 days for most people but mine was a serious case of chronic acne. I seriously recommend
Acne Free in 3 Days by Chris Gibson for anyone who is looking to quickly fix their acne with one of the only effective, natural skin acne treatments out there.

Accutane works by altering DNA transcription. It ultimately decreases the size and output of sebaceous glands. As a result, less sebum is produced and the bacteria which causes acne, Propionibacterium acnes can't survive, as it uses sebum to grow.

Accutane has a seriously long list of side-effects and so, is only used in severe cases of acne, with a prescription.

I believe natural skin acne treatments are far safer and can be nearly as effective as accutane.

We've all heard of acne pills. But, do they really work? I personally found that antibiotics made little difference to my acne but I've heard many ranting and raving about these things...

There are many different types of antibiotics. They work by several mechanisms. The most important is the removal of bacteria in and around the follicle. Antibiotics also reduce the bad chemicals produced by white blood cells. Finally, antibiotics reduce the amount of free fatty acids in sebum, which reducesthe inflammatory response.

Antibiotics have very little side-effects. To a male, there is essentially no risk factor with antibiotics. However, in females, all antibiotics can cause yeast infection.

So, they may or may not be very effective, but as the risk is very little and antibiotics are considered one of the best skin acne treatments, you may as well give it a go.

Usually people only suffer from acne in their teenage years. Most people assume it's a phase that will pass with childhood. Unfortunately, some people's acne stays with them for decades passed their teen years. In fact for adult sufferers, acne tends to get worse in the twenties and thirties. Some people even suffer acne in their 40s. Some people will even develop acne in adulthood when they managed to avoid it throughout childhood.

Surprisingly enough, acne affects 25 percent of adult men and 50 percent of adult women at one point in their adulthood. Acne is very difficult to cope with at any age. It affects adults in the same way as children by lowering their confidence, causing depression and anxiety. The good thing is, Acne is completely treatable. If treated the right way with the right skin acne treatments, anyone's acne can be cured.

Acne creams are, perhaps, the most commonly used of the various skin acne treatments. Everyone seems to be using them, but for some odd reason, people still have acne... So, do these creams really work?

Well, the short answer is, yes...

Some creams do "work", but they are not exactly a "cure" for acne, as such. In my quest for curing my own acne, I found certain creams to be more effective than a lot of antibiotics. Most creams did absolutely nothing for me, other than dry up my skin and turn it flaky.

The following is a list I have compiled of popular, well-reviewed skin acne treatments as well as some that worked well for me.

1. Clinique Acne Solutions Emergency Gel Lotion (most popular!)
2. Clinique Acne Solutions Concealing Cream
3. Biore Blemish Double Agent Treatment
4. Johnson and Johnson Persa Gel
5. Tea Tree Oil products (my favourite!)

Your diet is essential to treating acne. Most natural solutions to curing acne rely heavily on a good diet. Having a good diet is one of the best skin acne treatments. After reading a fair few of these natural acne solutions, I have come up with some simple dieting guidelines for acne prone skin.

2 Foods You SHOULD Try To Avoid

1. Excessive sugar.
Doctors suggest you should avoid sugary foods like chocolate, sweets, cakes and fizzy drinks. These foods can cause an excessive sugar intake, which is often associated with acne.

2. Too Much Milk.
This tip is for teenagers.
Milk is good for you, if you don't over-do it (hah!). But I'm being serious; drinking too much milk causes an imbalance of hormones, which can trigger acne in teens. So, perhaps, cut out drinking entire glasses of milk and try to only drink it with your coffee or tea...

3 Foods You SHOULDN'T Avoid

1. Zinc.
Zinc helps your body to cure acne naturally.
It can be found in oysters, eggs, nuts, bread and many other food sources.

2. Fish!
Try to eat lots of fish, as fish contains oils that are essential to healthy skin.

3. Vitamins.
Vitamins are also very essential to healthy skin. Try taking multivitamin pills, as they are good for you in many ways, as well as acne treatment.

Skin Acne Treatments for Early Acne Scars

The skin pigment changes caused by acne are part of the skin's natural healing process. There are some
practices that can help to hasten this process.

- Wearing sunscreen when exposed to sun is essential to the skin's healing.
- You can quicken the skin's natural healing process by applying tretinoin (Retin-A, Renova, Avita).
- Appropriate formulations of Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) and Beta-Hydroxy Acid (BHA) can also help the skin's remodeling process.
- Scabs form as part of the skin's remodeling process. Picking at them is not advised as it only prolongs the skin's healing process.

Skin Acne Treatments For Deeper Acne Scars

Dermal Fillers
There are various types of dermal fillers which can be injected into acne scars. Dermal fillers, when injected, raise the surface of the skin giving a smoother look. However, the injection of these dermal fillers is not a permanent solution, so further injections are necessary.

Punch Excision
This method uses surgical techniques to correct deep acne scars. It is performed with a punch biopsy tool. The size of the tool is the same the size of the scar. Under local anesthesia the scar is "removed" with the punch tool. The skin edges are sutured together. A new smaller, less noticeable scar is left and eventually fades. It may not even be noticeable.

Punch Elevation
This method is also surgical. It is also generally used on deeper scars. The same punch tool as above is used to remove the base of the scar, leaving the walls intact. The removed base is then moved to the surface of the skin and attached Dermabond skin glue.

Laser Resurfacing
Another surgical treatment...
Lasers work by burning certain parts of the skin until it is completely level. After laser treatment, the skin heals and replaces the burned layers with new skin.