8 Different Ways to Treat Acne
Acne can not only be troublesome when it appears, but it can also be a pain to get rid of. There are many different methods to help treat acne, and we’ll even let you know about some of the services and acne treatments near Livermore that Sculpt MD offers!
Using different skin care treatments and medications, here are 8 of the different ways you can treat acne:
- Create a regular regimen
- Tea tree oil
- Sulfur
- Salicylic acid
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Retinoids
- Oral antibiotics
- Facial treatments
Create a Skin Care Regimen
The key to fighting any skin concerns is to create a regular skin care regimen for yourself that includes acne-fighting treatments. Keeping your face clean, fresh, and exfoliated can help keep pores free of bacteria and unclogged. For daytime, the best order for your skin care products can go as follows:
- Cleanser
- Toner
- Moisturizer/day cream
- Sunscreen
A night schedule to follow for your skin care regimen could be:
- Cleanser
- Toner
- Spot treatments
- Serum
- Eye cream
- Moisturizer/night cream/face oil
Also, don’t forget to exfoliate at least 2-3 times per week. It can help get rid of dead skin cells.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is a great treatment for mild, occasional breakouts. It contains antibacterial and antimicrobial compounds that help kill bacteria. Bacteria will get trapped in the pores, which is what causes breakouts to happen.
While it doesn’t work as quickly benzoyl peroxide, it does work just as well over time without causing the redness or dryness.
Sulfur
Sulfur is great for those who suffer from acne, but still have sensitive skin. It is a gentle acne fighter and acts like a sponge to draw out oil from blocked pores, drying out the pimple. It also helps keeps sebum production in check to prevent future breakouts. Sulfur commonly comes in a face mask, face wash, topical treatment, body wash, and face wipes.
Sulfur can normally have a pungent smell, but when used for skin care it will typically be masked with a fragrant. For precaution, apply it at night so the smell won’t linger in the morning.
Salicylic Acid
Salicylic acid is often used in cleansers, body washes, topical treatments, face masks, and toners to help treat and sooth red, inflamed blemishes. It has a calming, anti-inflammatory effect on pimples while also helping unclog the pores. It is known to be one of the less irritating treatments for acne.
If you are prone to dry skin but still have acne, it works really well. Salicylic acid will also help in treating blackheads.
Benzoyl Peroxide
Benzoyl peroxide is a very powerful, blemish spot-treatment. It is an antibacterial agent that works very fast when treating blemishes. If you use it, make sure you are using a non-comedogenic moisturizer to minimize the dryness. It comes in the form of face washes, body washes, face wipes, topical creams, and face masks.
As mentioned before, it can initially cause redness and dryness. It is powerful enough that it can bleach your towels and clothes.
Retinoids
Retinoids are a treatment mix of over-the-counter retinol and prescription-strength Retin-A that reduces acne by altering the oil chemistry on the skin. It is best used nightly to prevent breakouts from happening. An additional positive about retinoids is that it can help increase collagen production, making it a great product for also battling wrinkles.
It can make your skin sensitive to the sun, which is why doctors suggest using it at night and to wear sunscreen daily. When using retinoids, start with every other evening and slowly move to every night.
Oral Antibiotics
Oral antibiotics are usually used when the pimples become painful below the skin’s surface and they leave marks. They work from the inside out to kill the bacteria that can cause acne. It also helps reduce the inflammation from pimples, so it hurts less and leaves fewer scars. The most common medications are:
- Erythromycin
- Tetracycline
- Minocycline
- Doxycycline
It is safe to use for several months, but it’s not intended to be a long-term solution. It’s used to first control the acne, and then the treatment usually transitions into a topical treatment.
Facial Treatments
One of the services Sculpt MD offers for acne treatments in Livermore is an esthetician that provides facial treatments customized to your skin. We have a couple different options for helping treat acne like our Hydrafacial and the Oxygenating Trio.
The Hydrafacial is a 3-step system that uses a suction, hand-held device to help extract bacteria and clogged pores. The Hydrafacial has many different treatment options, two of which are the Signature treatment and the Clarifying treatment. The Signature treatment focuses on cleaning out the skin and restoring its health, while the Clarifying treatment focuses even more on the oily, congested skin by adding longer extraction times and blue LED therapy.
Another service offered with the esthetician is the Oxygenating Trio from PCA Skin®. Another three-step system, it targets acne prone and oily skin with antioxidant therapy to help clear the acne affected skin.
