I have a very personal relationship with acne and acne medications. Inevitably, the day I wanted to look especially good, I’d have a huge pimple right in the middle of my forehead, or on the tip of my chin or nose. No amount of make up could hide that ugly red bump. Believe me, I have tried every acne lotion, over the counter cream, and ‘wonder product’ touted on the television, with no results. I have dried out my oily skin until it started flaking, stopped eating chocolate (a real problem since I am a chocoholic), slept with layers of foul smelling product all over my face, and tried a hundred different other ‘cures’ to no avail. Finally, I decided to go to a dermatologist and get the real facts about acne.

Acne Vulgaris or common acne is a problem in the hair follicles on the face, chest and back of almost every person during puberty. However, since it is caused mainly by changing hormones and is exacerbated by stress, at times it can continue into adulthood as well, as i know from my own experience.
Acne appears on the skin as ‘comedones’ (whiteheads and blackheads), pimples or zits, pustules, and sometimes even cysts (almost boil-like deep pimples).
Acne is caused mainly by changing hormones, but many other factors can contribute to a flare up. Use of certain skin products and make-up, use of certain medications, exposure to certain chemicals may contribute to break outs.

Mild acne may be controlled by drug store products. There are three important steps to maintain relatively acne-free skin.
1. Cleanse your skin thoroughly. Cleanse twice daily with a 5% benzoyl peroxide wash. If you are allergic to benzoyl peroxide an alternative is to use 2% salicylic acid.
2. Apply a gel or cream containing 5% benzoyl peroxide; again if you are allergic, you can use sulfur or resorcinol.
3. At night you should apply a spot cream containing sulfur to the affected areas.
4. Use water based, oil free make-up and skin care products.

But what happens if your acne is too severe to control? Go to your dermatologist! there are many extremely effective treatments for acne available today. While these products may not eliminate the acne completely, they make sure you do not have ugly residual scarring.
Your doctor will probably prescribe topical antibiotics and antibacterials first. Azelaic acid, Clindamycin, Erythromycin and Sulfacetamide are generally prescribed.
Retinoids like Tretinoin (Retin A), Tazarotene, and Adapalene are extremely effective in the treatment of persistent acne.
Your dermatologist may prescribe a course of treatment with oral antibiotics such as Doxycycline, Minocycline, Tetracycline, or Amoxicillin and Cefadroxil.
There are many specialized acne medications available today, such as Spironolactone, Cortisone injections, and of course Isotretinoin.
Isotretinoin is one of the most effective acne treatments ever, but it should be used very carefully with your doctor’s supervision. It is used for people with severe acne, mainly of the cystic variety, which has been unresponsive to other therapies. Isotretinoin has many severe side effects, so the dermatologist will decide whether the benefits outweigh the risks in each case.
Sometimes old acne breakouts may have left ugly scars on your face. There is good news for you. Chemical peels and laser resurfacing can almost eliminate the scarring.

Finally, it pays to have a good attitude and a sense of humor about acne, as with everything else. Here is a wonderful quote from Facebook:
Dear Acne Fairy -It’s really nice how you’ve snuck into my room each night for the past two weeks, touched your magic wand to my forehead, and blessed me with new “gifts” each night. – But listen, if I wake up tomorrow w/another pimple, I’m gonna hunt you down and kill you ) I’m 26, not 16!