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   1.  sitemap
   2.  Natural Acne Treatment
   3.  How to Get Rid of Acne
   4.  Acne Diet
   5.  Cause of Pimples
   6.  what causes pimples
   7.  adult acne medication and products
   8.  Cure Adult Acne
   9.  Salicylic Acid
   10.  benzoyl peroxide acne treatment
   11.  acne treatments over the counter
   12.  hormonal acne treatments for women
   13.  cure acne treatment
   14.  best acne cure
   15.  how to prevent pimples
   16.  acne remedy
   17.  acne product reviews
   18.  best way to get rid of acne
   19.  how to cure acne
   20.  acne cures
   21.  acne prone skin care
   22.  best acne solutions
   23.  remove pimples
   24.  acne skin products
   25.  how to clear pimples
   26.  pimple cure
   27.  cure for pimples
   28.  how get rid of acne and pimples
   29.  best acne medication

Page 1

Recommended Product - Click image for more info on CLEARPORES

A natural acne treatment that I have recently started to recommend to my readers is the Clearpores Acne Cleansing System. As you may know from reading my site, acne is caused by many factors, but the most important is probably androgen hormones. Balancing and reducing androgen hormone levels is the best way to reduce your acne and Clearpores includes herbal supplements designed to do just this (in fact it is the only acne treatment that I know of that is herbalist recommended). These ingredients include:  Dandelion Root, Burdock Root, Aloe Vera, Yellow Dock, Echinacea Purpurea, Red Clover, Sarsaparilla Root, Licorice Root, Turmeric, Atlantic Kelp, Cayenne, and partially Hydrogenated Cotton Seed Oil. Some of these ingredients have anti-inflamatory action which is another key component of successfully treating acne.

Recommended Product - Click image to read my Acne No More Review

The other product I recommend for those looking for a step-by-step do it yourself system is the wonderful acne book Acne No More. Mike Walden’s “Acne Bible” has helped thousands of people cure their acne naturally through diet, supplements and other secrets he discovered with 7 years of research. Of course, you can get a refund if you are not delighted within 60 days.  Read my Acne No More Review.

Recommended Product - scroll down for more info on Acne No More

If you want to know how to get rid of acne, the first thing you have to do is take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt! Acne is one of the most hyped-up skin care niches where everyone wants to sell you something. Dermatologists want to sell you their services. Pharma companies want to sell you their drugs. Cosmetic companies want to sell you their lotions and potions. The truth is most of the “accepted treatments” do a poor job of clearing acne but make a lot of money for those giant companies.

Recommended Product - scroll down for more info on CLEARPORES

This is the straight dope on how to get rid of acne: you will probably have to try several different methods before you find one that works for you. Sorry, there is no magic bullet.

How to get rid of acne that’s severe: If you have severe acne you may end up on Accutane. Accutane is often very effective and since you don’t want to develop too much scarring from severe acne, you will probably want to try it sooner rather than later. But my advice for severe acne sufferers is to give a program like Acne No More a try first. Click this link to read my Acne No More Review. I say try it first because Accutane is seriously strong medicine with lots of horrible side effects. I took it and it was a whole year before I wanted to go out in public again. Acne No More is a holistic program that will start to clear your acne fast – much faster than Accutane – so give it a shot while you wait for your doctors appointment. Hopefully, your acne will be better by the time you see a dermatologist and you won’t even need Accutane! (and it costs A LOT LESS than even one appointment; and a WHOLE LOT LESS than Accutane)

If you have less severe acne you should sign up for my free email mini-course (the form has probably already popped up or you can see it on the right of the page. This free series has all my great skin care tips and will get you on the quick road to recovery.

There are a few products that I recommend that are not the useless stuff you see promoted with big celebrities but these are great products that have my favorite features: all natural acne solutions, proven success, and GREAT MONEYBACK GURANTEES!!! After all, you should take advantage of moneyback guarantees because NO ONE PRODUCT WILL WORK FOR EVERYONE.

Please take a look at these recommended products and give them a try. One of them will probably do the trick and you can get your money back on the ones that don’t. Each of these products has helped thousands of acne sufferers.

HOW TO GET RID OF ACNE: RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS TO TRY:

CLEARPORES  SKIN CLEANSING SYSTEM

This unique 3 part system targets the underlying causes of acne including regulating androgen hormone levels with natural anti-acne herbal supplements, and a fantastic skin cleansing system to unclog pores and condition your skin. Clear Pores is herbalist recommended and you should read some of the testimonials from very happy customers. Clear pores will leave your skin feeling great – not dry and red like many other acne products. It comes with a fantastic all-important money-back guarantee. CLICK HERE TO VISIT CLEARPORES FOR MORE INFORMATION.

ACNE NO MORE

I really love the Acne  No More book because it is a complete holistic system that has cured thousands of people permanently of their acne.  This is a step-by-step method developed with 7 years of research. Guaranteed to clear your acne or get your money back within 60 days. What more can I say: READ MY ACNE NO MORE REVIEW.

Remember, acne does not go away by itself, you have to do something about it! And don’t forget to sign up for my free email mini-course which will show you how to get rid of acne with great tips and tricks.

causes of pimples

Causes of Pimples (and what is not a cause of pimples) Continued…

Read Part One of what causes pimples Here

As we have learned in part one, the causes of pimples include the blockage of hair follicles by improperly cleared dead skin cells; followed by swelling as over-produced sebum packs up behind the blockage; subsequent bacterial infection; and finally puss created by our white cells as they try to fight the infection. That’s how you get a pimple. Being “dirty” and having poor hygiene is not a cause of pimples. Pores are blocked from the inside, not the outside. All the scrubbing in the world won’t help and will probably make things worse. If you want to find out how to take care of your skin to minimize your acne, read my skin care tips article here.

READ MY REVIEWS OF THE TOP-RATED ACNE TREATMENTS HERE!

In Part One we talked about the problem of targeting bacteria and why that was a waste of time for all but the mildest acne sufferer. The other traditional treatment method, and one which is more effective in my opinion, is targeting the overproduction of sebum. Even though the sebum itself does not cause pimples, the build-up of sebum behind the plug of dead skin cells causes the follicle to swell and then bacteria feed on the sebum and make the problem worse. Reducing sebum production has been shown to be a very effective weapon against acne.

Accutane is the best known drug used to reduce the production of sebum and is hailed by the medical profession (and many former acne sufferers) as a miracle drug. I think that Accutane has its place in the treatment of serious acne that fails to respond to other treatments, but I think it should be used as a “last resort” due to the many serious side effects that come with using such a powerful drug. And those side effects are serious. Fair warning.

After failing to clear my acne for years with every antibiotic under the sun, I took Accutane. Although I was prepared for some of the side effects and had my blood tested regularly to make sure my liver wasn’t harmed, my biggest disappointment was that my acne actually got worse for six months and it took an entire year for my face to be completely clear. I also had to endure extremely dry chapped skin on my face and especially my lips.

It really hurt my social life as i did everything I could to avoid going out in public. For six months! I was in college and if I had known I would have worse skin for six months I probably would not have taken Accutane. At that time there were no alternative treatments available, but now that there are some alternatives which many find effective and quick, I would try those before going with a harsh treatment like Accutane. If you can hibernate for six months and everything else has failed… Accutane may be for you. I won’t recommend it, however, because the risks are serious and you should do your own research. I still get the occasional pimple but not nearly as frequently as I did before my Accutane treatment – usually only when I am coming down with a cold or extremely stressed out. What? Does that mean that getting sick and stressed out is one of the causes of pimples? Yes, I am saying that. But why? The key is that stress, getting sick and even your diet can affect the real root cause of acne – hormones.

When we discussed the problem of faulty clearing of dead skin cells in hair follicles (part one), we discussed how this problem was related to hormone imbalance. More specifically to the production of androgen hormones. Hormones are certainly influenced by diet, stress and many other factors. The point is, while there is no direct cause/effect when it comes to food, what we eat certainly affects the processes that cause acne. Correcting those processes has helped some people to beat pimples at the source. It’s this “blind spot” in medicine that opens the doors to other acne fighting methods that seem to work better than traditional treatments by getting to the root of the problem instead of focussing so narrowly on the hair follicle itself. The bottom line is if you notice that you get a breakout after you’ve been gorging on certain foods (burgers and fries?) try cutting them out of your diet!

what causes pimples

What Causes Pimples?

If we knew exactly what causes pimples a cure would be right around the corner, right? Well, when it comes to acne and causes, it’s not so simple. Many factors including heredity, hormones, bacteria, and even diet contribute to pimples but none causes pimples alone.  Let’s look at exactly what happens to form a pimple. It’s not as complicated as it seems so stay with me!

What Causes Pimples: Hair Follicles and androgen hormones

Our bodies, including our faces, backs and chests, are covered in tiny hair follicles. Each follicle contains a sebaceous gland which produces an oily substance called sebum. At puberty hormones cause the amount of sebum produced by the glands to explode, especially in men. Sebum production tapers off as we get older.

READ MY REVIEWS OF THE TOP-RATED ACNE TREATMENTS HERE!

Now normally, this sebum comes to the surface of the hair follicle where it coats and protects our hair and skin. But if the pores on the skin surface get blocked, the sebum clogs and builds up, causing blackheads and whiteheads. Bacteria then invades the area, feeding on the sebum and making things worse. Our bodies fight the bacteria with white blood cells which, as they die off, form puss. The puss builds up, swelling the area, and Congratulations, you have a pimple! At this stage the pimple can develop further into cysts and nodules that go deep into the skin and can be quite painful and even lead to scars. That’s kind of the mechanics of how a pimple is formed and you need to understand it to be able to treat and prevent pimples effectively.

What Causes Pimples: Blocked Pores

So what blocks the pores in the first place? It’s not dirt. Don’t listen to people that tell you that poor hygiene is what causes pimples. It’s simply not true. That black you see on blackheads is actually melanin – a natural component of skin. That’s why you can clean your face as much as you want and what you’ll find is that it just aggravates your acne and causes it to get worse. So maybe you should tell them that too much hygiene is more of a problem!

What Causes Pimples: Dead Skin Cells

The real problem is inside your pores, not on the surface of the skin. The culprit is dead skin cells within the hair follicles. Normally, when individual skin cells die off (a normal natural process) the dead skin cells clear out of the follicle and are shed off of our bodies. But in acne sufferers the dead cells don’t clear out properly. They tend to ”slough off” in sheets instead of as individual dead cells. Sheets become clumps and clumps, unfortunately, don’t clear out of the follicles as easily as single cells.

What Causes Pimples: Androgen Hormones

Why the process is different in acne sufferers is not well known. In theory, keratin (a natural protein of the skin) is over-produced in these acne-prone hair follicles and keratin plays a key role in binding the dead cells together in clumps that plug the follicle pores. This keratin over-production is caused by androgen hormone levels and those hormone levels are probably hereditary – it’s in your genes.

If your parents had acne, you may have inherited it from them.  No traditional medical treatments specifically target the hormone imbalance that causes the faulty clearing of dead skin cells even though it is one of the root causes of acne. In fact it is the first cause of acne pimples. Instead of dealing with this hormone problem which leads to blocked pores, traditional medicine concentrates on fighting bacteria (a much later-stage problem) and reducing sebum production with the use of vitamin A derivatives called retinoids (isotretinion – Accutane) and, in women, birth control pills. Let’s take a look at the fairly obvious shortfalls of targeting bacteria, first.

What Causes Pimples: Why targeting bacteria isn’t enough

Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is fought with topical agents such as benzoyl peroxide and antibiotic chemicals, and with oral antibiotics. Many doctors still assume that what causes acne pimples is bacteria (P. acnes) but in fact it is possible to have pimples develop without the involvement of bacteria. As we’ve seen in the development of a pimple, the bacteria only invades the area after the pore is blocked and the sebum backs up. This is one reason why targeting bacteria by slapping loads of creams and gels on your face is seldom effective and mostly a waste of time unless you have very light acne and can live with blackheads and whiteheads.

Page 2: Cause of Pimples

Adult Acne Medication and Products (continued…)
Please read part one: cure adult acne first.

Other factors contributing to adult acne:

Diet:

Dermatologists still deny that there is a connection between diet and adult acne just like they once denied that stress was a factor. The fact is that many people find certain foods trigger their acne (milk anyone?) and that cutting these foods out of their diet helps immensely. More importantly, diet can have a big effect on regulating hormones, and, as we have seen, acne is all about the hormones. Some very effective adult acne cures have a dietary component and these therapies should be considered before looking at harsh treatments with serious side effects like Accutane.

Skin care Products:

Okay, this is a bit different from the other contributing factors because adult acne triggered by skin care products is called “acne cosmetica” as opposed to “acne vulgaris” which is what we are usually concerned with on this website.

Click Here To Read My Review of The Best Acne Treatment I Have Found

Acne cosmetica is caused by using products such as oily sunscreens and hair products that clog the pores on their own. If you have acne prone skin, you must always use skin products that are labelled “non-comedogenic” or “non-acnegenic.”

Serious Medical Conditions :

If women have other symptoms such as excessive facial hair, bald patches or thinning hair and irregular periods, there might be a more serious medical condition causing her break outs. See a doctor if you have any of these other symptoms.

Adult Acne Medications

There are several adult acne products on the market that you should consider. Here is my overview of your treatment options.

Topical Treatments

These include gels, creams and lotions that contain an “active ingredient” that you spread on your skin. Many topical adult acne treatments contain Benzoyl Peroxide and/or antimicrobials such as clindamycin or erythromycin. These adult acne products can be somewhat helpful to mild adult acne sufferers by reducing the P. acnes bacteria but they do not attack the underlying cause of adult acne. Topical retinoids (vitamin A derivatives) can treat blackheads and small bumps but over-the-counter retinoids are not powerful enough so a prescription is required for effective retinoids. An adult acne product containing retionids may irritate the skin and also greatly increases sun sensitivity. You must wear sunscreen if your dermatologist prescribes you retinoids.

Recently there has been a proliferation of over-the-counter cosmetic adult acne products. Traditional adult acne medications such as salicylic acid are added to moisturizers and foundations. Because adult acne sufferers have drier skin that teens, these adult acne products are less drying than those aimed at younger acne sufferers. Unfortunately, they have not been shown to be effective. I doubt there are many of you who will clear your acne by using these cosmetics but they might be worth a try if you have very light acne.

As a side note… talking cosmetics makes me think of spa treatments. Don’t get facials! They will inflame your acne, not improve it.

Oral Medications

Since adult acne is caused by hormonal imbalances, adult acne products that address this issue are, naturally, going to be more effective than topical treatments and cosmetics. Women can be prescribed birth control pills, spironolactone (warning: side effects!!!) and hormone replacement therapy. Read my article on hormonal acne treatments for women.(opens in new window) Obviously these treatments are not for everyone. Women who might want to get pregnant should steer clear. Hormone replacement therapy as an adult acne treatment is really only for menopausal women.

Oral antibiotics are often prescribed for adult acne suffers but as I have pointed out countless times on this site, they are not very effective because they don’t treat the root cause of acne. Bacterial infection is only one contributing factor. Hormone imbalance is the real cause of acne so in my opinion oral antibiotics are not only an inconvenience but they can do more harm than good by depleting the “good bacteria” from your body. I never recommend oral antibiotics to acne sufferers.

Oral isotretinoin is a very effective adult acne medication. Accutane is the most well known adult acne product. I do recommend Accutane (I took it myself) to adult acne sufferers only as a last resort. The side effects are severe – this is a powerful drug. In my own experience, Accutane makes your acne symptoms much worse for up to six months before starting to improve. This can be very difficult for an adult acne sufferer to endure. My adult acne took over a year to be cured using Accutane and on top of the inconvenience of regular blood tests to make sure my liver wasn’t damaged, the minor side effects of severely dry irritated skin and lips, sun-sensitivity and frustration with the pace of treatment took its toll. Again, turn to Accutane only if all other adult acne treatments have failed.

Acne No More System

I recommend that before you think of a drug like Accutane, you look at the one treatment that I know can get rid of adult acne: Acne No More. Mike Walden’s groundbreaking acne “bible” shows you how to cure acne by regulating the way your body processes androgen hormones. I like it because it works. Click Here to Read My Review of Acne No More.   

I wish you good luck in beating your acne! Remember, you deserve to have clear skin.

cure adult acne – female adult acne

Cure Adult Acne and Female adult acne

So your teenage years are behind you but you are still getting pimples. Or maybe you are getting break outs for the first time and you’re in your mid-thirties or forties. Who said life was fair? I’m over forty myself and I still get the odd breakout even though I took Accutane many years ago. Research shows that adult acne has a greater negative effect on quality of life than teen acne does. It’s doubly embarrassing since none of your friends has pimples and they might still subscribe to the myth that bad hygiene causes acne. So, frustrated, you plug “adult acne cure” or “acne adult female” into an internet search engine and you come across a million adult acne skin care products that promise to clear your skin but, through trial and error (and lots of money) you find that none of them really works.

READ MY REVIEWS OF THE TOP-RATED ACNE TREATMENTS HERE!

Why is that? One reason is that topical medications that show some success on teenagers’ oily skin just irritates drier adult skin and make your pimples worse.  The good news is that you can cure adult acne. Let’s take a look at what causes adult acne in the first place. All pimples have the same basic cause: the hair follicles on your face, neck, back and shoulders shed dead skin cells improperly which clogs the pores and blocks sebum from leaving the follicles. The sebum backs up, swells the area and gets infected by bacteria. The important point here is that dead skin cells “slough off” in clumpy sheets instead of one at a time. This is caused by androgen hormones.  So any adult acne cure has to treat this hormone imbalance to be effective. Your adult acne is not caused by dirty skin so special cleansers can’t cure adult acne.  Now that we know the specific cause of adult acne (and all acne) we can pin point a few contributing factors:

Hormone fluctuations This is why teenagers usually get pimples as puberty causes hormones to go haywire which increases sebum production and also increase the keratin produced in the hair follicle. It’s a one-two punch. In adult acne, particularly female adult acne, hormones fluctuate with the menstrual cycle (once a month break outs) and also during pregnancy and menopause.

Stopping Birth Control Pills (men stay with me!) Female adult acne can be kept at bay by birth control pills that have a regulating effect on hormones. Take away the pills and the effect is gone. What may appear to be a new condition was really always there but was being “treated” by the birth control pills.

Other Medications Sometimes adult acne is triggered by medicines that you might be taking to treat other conditions. These include anticonvulsants, corticosteroids, and sobriety drugs. Female adult acne can be triggered by birth control pills that contain progestins but not estrogen. If you think that your acne is made worse as a side effect of other medication, don’t stop taking the medication until you talk to your doctor!

Heredity Your genes play a big role in acne because your hormonal activity might be inherited. If you have other close relatives who struggle with acne, chances are that it’s in your genes. That doesn’t mean that you should give up, however. Just because your genes make it worse, or explain why you are predisposed has nothing to do with whether you will respond to an adult acne cure.

Stress Guess what? Remember how I told you that pimples were caused by androgen hormones? One of your body’s responses to stress is to produce more androgen hormones. For years dermatologists insisted that stress didn’t trigger acne but now that stress is better understood, they accept the connection. Stress is a huge factor in female adult acne especially for women in fast-paced, challenging careers. Also, since pimples can cause stress in the first place, a vicious cycle occurs where one pimple can lead to more! (MORE…) Continue Reading about Adult Acne medication and products

Read My Review of the One Acne Treatment that I Recommend because it works. Click Here

Topical Acne Treatment: Salicylic
Acid

Like Benzoyl peroxide,
Salicylic acid topical treatments for acne have been available
over the counter as pimples creams for a long time. These
products attempt to work by exfoliating the skin and removing
dead skin cells. Because salicylic acid dissolves in oil, it is
able to penetrate blocked pores and dissolve sebum trapped in
pores. This might have a minor beneficial effect to mild acne
sufferers and is best used to control blackheads before they
turn into pimples.

Unfortunately, over the
counter strengths of salicylic acid are too weak to accomplish
much at all. Your dermatologist can prescribe a stronger
pimples cream with a higher concentration of this active
ingredient.

READ MY REVIEWS OF THE TOP-RATED
ACNE TREATMENTS HERE!

Studies have
shown that while topical acne treatments containing
salicylic acid are only minimally effective by themselves,
when used in combination with benzoyl peroxide pimples
cream or gels, the combination is more effective. It is
thought that the salicylic acid allows the benzoyl
peroxide to penetrate more deeply into the skin. Remember
to only use benzoyl peroxide treatments at 2.5%
concentration as studies have shown that stronger
concentrations are not more effective but cause far more
irritation to your skin.

The possible side effects of
using salicylic acid for acne include dry, sensitive skin,
especially if used in combination with benzoyl peroxide. You
should use a light non-comedogenic moisturizer if this happens
to you. Also, make sure to follow my acne
prone skin care instructions to avoid irritating your
skin.

As with benzoyl peroxide, you
must continue to use salicylic acid treatments to continue to
reap any benefit. It is not a cure for acne. It merely helps to
unclog pores and is not to be used on pimples – use it for
blackhead control. If your blackheads turn into pimples, this
treatment may cause further irritation.

If you suffer from only mild
acne and want to reduce your blackheads, salicylic acid topical
acne treatments may be worth a try but I recommend you use it
in combination with 2.5% benzoyl peroxide gel. If you suffer
from moderate, heavy or cystic acne, salicylic acid treatments
will not help you and may irritate your skin
further.

benzoyl peroxide acne
treatment

Benzoyl Peroxide Topical Acne
Treatment

Benzoyl peroxide is known to
dermatologists as the “gold standard” of topical acne
treatments. When applied to your acne prone skin, whether as a
pimples cream, gel or lotion, it breaks down into hydrogen
peroxide and benzoic acid. It is the hydrogen peroxide that is
believed to be active in fighting acne. Benzoyl peroxide kills
the P.acnes bacteria that infects blackheads and whiteheads and
turns them into pimples. One advantage over other antibiotics
is that bacteria don’t develop a “resistance” to benzoyl
peroxide. It also might have some effect in clearing blocked
pores.

First the good news. Although
it is widely prescribed by dermatologists in strengths of
5-10%, concentrations of 2.5% which you can get over the
counter are just as effective and much less expensive. If your
dermatologist tries to prescribe a 10% B.P. pimples cream to
you, save your money and get the 2.5% cream instead. An added
benefit is that the 2.5% pimples cream will be much less
irritating to your skin. If you have light to moderate acne and
don’t have sensitive skin, a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide acne
treatment might be worth trying.

READ MY REVIEWS OF THE TOP-RATED
ACNE TREATMENTS HERE!

Benzoyl peroxide is most
effective when used in combination with salicylic acid which
helps the benzoyl peroxide to penetrate more deeply into your
clogged pores. If you have mild acne, use a salicylic acid
cream or wipe followed by a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide gel or cream.
Both can be bought very cheaply over the counter and without a
prescription.

Okay, now the not so good
news. Most people that I talk to, including myself, have not
responded to benzoyl peroxide other than to develop dry, flaky
itchy skin. Maybe that’s because I generally deal with moderate
to heavy acne sufferers. If you have cystic acne, benzoyl
peroxide is unlikely to help. One issue is that benzoyl
peroxide only treats one of the contributing factors to pimples
which is the P.acnes
bacteria. Sure, the
bacteria can infect your blackheads and whiteheads but the
true cause of acne is hormonal and benzoyl peroxide does
nothing to treat this underlying factor. (see
my article on what causes acne)

There are a few other things
to keep in mind when using benzoyl peroxide as an acne
treatment. First, it is a bleaching agent (hydrogen peroxide,
remember?) so be careful around your clothes, hair, bedding and
towels. Also, because it does not treat the real cause of acne,
any benefits you see from using benzoyl peroxide pimples cream
stop when you stop taking it. That’s great for the cosmetics
companies who have you hooked but not so great for your wallet.
Finally, don’t forget that it is very irritating to your skin
and can cause it to burn, peel, itch and become red and
inflamed. Benzoyl peroxide was first used to treat acne because
doctors liked it as an effective “peeling agent.” Fortunately,
at over the counter strength of 2.5%, you might be able to
tolerate it fine.

Like I said, please stick to
trying the 2.5% solutions. If benzoyl peroxide will work for
you, it will work at that strength. In my experience, this
“gold standard” only works if you mild acne. Don’t expect any
miracles. For a few bucks, why not give it a try.

Continue reading:
salicylic acid OTC treatment