Acne Treatment Reviews: Best Products and Our Recommendations

Oh, acne! It’s unfortunate, for sure, but it’s one of those irritating (literally) things that many of us just can’t avoid. You’re probably here because you are looking for a solution that will not just work, but work well.

Well, you found the right place.

Below you’ll see links to various sections on this page where you can go, to check out the products that interest you the most:

Quick Links ( click to view )

1. Comparison chart of all the acne treatments
2. Common Causes
3. The Big 3
4. How can treatments help you?
5. What You NEED to Look for to Find a Great Acne Treatment
6. Final Note PLUS Our Top Recommended Product

Comparing the Best of Acne Treatments, Side by Side

Effect on Sebum: The product should be able to lower the level of sebum, or natural oil, in your skin.
Ability to Get Rid of Dead Skin Cells: How well does the product remove cells of dead skin that might otherwise cause pore blockages that lead to breakouts?
Side Effects: Does the product in question have side effects? We score them a 5 if they have no side effects.
Price Factor: How much bang do you get for your buck? Price divided by the ability to clear up and halt acne = Price factor
Overall Score: How the product scored with us on a scale of 1-100.

#	Product	Effect On Sebum	Overall	Official Website	Full Review
1	Exposed Skin Care			Exposed Site	Click Here
2	Proactiv Plus			Proactiv Site	Click Here
3	Zenmed			Zenmed Site	Click Here
4	Proactiv Solution			Proactiv Site	Click Here
-	Clear Skin Max				Click Here
-	ClearPores			ClearPores Site	Click Here
-	Neutrogena Skin iD				Click Here

Common Causes

When you have acne on your face, shoulders, neck, back or any other body part, the actual cause for outbreaks can differ from one person to the next. Due to these variables, we can determine the products that work the best for specific types of acne. We can also select the products that will fully complete the job of getting rid of acne.

What about the different sub-effects that add to the total of acne issues?

Seborrhea is not as often seen as some other aggravations of acne. But it usually affects people with very severe cases of acne. You can easily spot the scaly red skin that is the main symptom, and they are brought about usually by too much vitamin A or a lack of Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 or Biotin.

So, you think taking those vitamins will help you? Think again. Actually, if you have too much of those vitamins, you can get an outbreak from that. You need to balance the vitamins in your system. And, especially for hormone-ridden teens, this is not that easy to do.

Comedones are what we commonly call whiteheads and blackheads. They occur in your hair follicles when there are excessive oils built up from the sebaceous gland. The two substances found in this gland are sebum and keratin. Whiteheads and blackheads both contain the same substances. They are different because whiteheads occur when you have a follicle that is closed, whereas blackheads pop up when you have problems deeper in the skin’s surface.

Pimples are something that people hate to look at but love to squeeze. Most pimples form when dead skin becomes stuck together by sebum produced in your skin. This can then block your pores and allow sebum to build up. It can’t escape if a pore is clogged, so it and keratin develop into a pimple. The blockage needs to be removed in order to stop pimple formation.

The BIG 3

After you have researched the problem, you’ll find three ways that these annoying pimples can form:

1. Excess dead skin cells are found in problem areas.
2. You produce too much sebum, or natural oil.
3. Your skin has a deficiency or overage of Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 or biotin.

You won’t be able to determine the solution for your acne until you understand why you get it in the first place.

How Can an Acne Treatment Help?

Treating acne is not a new thing. Methods for getting rid of the symptoms have existed for quite a long time, all the way back to Egypt in ancient times. They used Sulfur at that time, as a treatment.

Science has come up with many more ways to fight acne since those days in Egypt, and not many people would use straight Sulfur on their body today. Today we have many various options for the treatment of acne, and some are better than others at treating the big three problems listed above.

If you can prevent your skin from over-producing sebum, which is an important first step. If the flow is not stopped, then the problem will recur, regardless of how many times a day you cleanse it.

The most commonly used method for reducing sebum over-production is Accutane. This is available by prescription only, and although it shows great results, there are instances of severe side effects including these:

1. Your skin will become more sensitive to the UV rays of the sun, so you’ll have to dress appropriately whenever you go outside.
2. Bowel disease
3. Depression
4. Possible birth defects

With those serious side effects, it’s obvious that a different method of treatment would be preferable to Accutane.

Retinoids are able to remove dead cells that can otherwise cause many acne breakouts. But they can also cause severe skin irritation and may bring about a flare-up before they start working. There has not been a great deal of study on retinoids’ long term effects, so there are other, safer products whose side effects we already are aware of.

Anti-bacterials are a common and safe way to treat acne. Their goal is the improvement of your skins condition and the prevention of future outbreaks. Most anti-bacterial products utilize benzoyl peroxide as their active ingredient. If you use too strong a percentage of benzoyl peroxide, this can cause drying out and irritation.

The other downside to using anti-bacterials is that it may take six weeks before you will have skin that is unlikely to experience another breakout. Be sure that the solution you select has strong enough benzoyl peroxide to stop and prevent acne without drying or irritating your skin.

Systems for Acne Management, including Proactiv and Neutrogena Skin ID can sometimes be the most effective approach when you’re looking for anti-bacterial medications. Skin ID is one product that will require that you do an evaluation of your skin, and then they will create a formula specifically designed for your individual needs.

What You NEED to Look for to Find a Great Acne Treatment

Okay, we don’t want to waste any of your time, but we will let you know what you should be looking for in the best acne treatments, and what kinds of products to steer clear of.

First, the acne product you choose should do ALL of these:

1. Remove dead skin that can cause blockages.
2. Prevent or slow down your oil production.
3. Balance your skin’s vitamin levels.
4. Kill any bacteria that cause acne.

Your chosen acne product should NOT do these:

1. Dry out or irritate your skin.
2. Cause serious side effects.
3. Cause redness or scarring.
4. Cause a vitamin level imbalance.
5. Be overly expensive.

At the top of this page we have listed our top Acne Treatments for 2014, based on the criteria above, regarding what it should do and what it shouldn’t do …

Our Final Note

So what we have found out now is that the current market has many acne treatments available, and they all promise just about the same thing, whether it’s stemming sebum flow, removing dead skin, killing bacteria, etc.

The problems with so many acne treatments is that they tend to be a one size fits all approach and everyone has skin that is unique. That’s why it’s a good idea to speak to your dermatologist or use a management system that is formulated like Exposed Skin Care, made specifically for the unique skin of each user.

The decision is yours, for now.

If you want to address any questions to us, please feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to help you.

What Now? Click Here to Read Our Official Exposed Skin Care Review