Acne Treatment Advice

Acne is a skin condition that affects people of all ages - whether it be teens or adults. Acne is a condition that can cause unnecessary stress and discomfort for many people as well. Often, acne blemishes can be unslightly, and this fact can cause people with chronic acne to have a lowered sense of self esteem in today's society. Finding the right acne treatment product can often be discouraging and stressful in and of itself, as consumers switch from one acne product to another, trying to find one that works effectively for their skin type and can treat their acne.

There are many acne treatments on the marketplace. Some of the more popular ones use benzoyl peroxide, which is an anti-inflammatory or antiseptic that reduces the number of bacteria on the skin. Since acne involves bacteria accumulation in the pore, reducing the surrounding bacteria can help, but is often not effective as it does not address the root cause of the blocked pore and excess sebum and oil buildup. Also, since benzoyl peroxide is an oxidizing agent, it can cause mild to moderate reactions, rashes and skin problems for some people who use it, so it may not be the right acne treatment for you.

Systemic antibiotics are commonly used to treat acne. These antibiotics penetrate the skin and prevent the bacteria colony from forming within the pore. The con of using this type of acne treatment is that it is systemic - meaning it can be absorbed into the bloodstream, which can be dangerous in some people, especially those using medication for other issues.

Most topical antibiotics work by neutralizing bacterial growth within the skin pore, and even as far as the sebaceous glands. However, the real issue of acne involves the excess oil and sebum created within the pore. Here is what is known and has been published in terms of the causes of acne.

1. Acne is initiated with the effects of DHT (Di-Hydrotestosterone) on the oil glands in the skin. This begins when Testosterone is converted to DHT by the Enzyme 5 Alpha Reductase.

2. The Androgen receptors in the oil glands attract DHT which then binds to the receptors.

3. The over-stimulation of the oil gland by the binding of DHT to those receptors creates excess oil and sebum.

4. The excess oil clogs and blocks the skin pore, resulting in low penetration of oxygen, and further attracting surrounding bacteria, dirt and forgeign debris which further clog the skin pore, resulting in what is often referred to as a comedone, or whitehead - a plug of these substances in the skin pore.

Most acne treatments simply address the bacteria, but as you can see this does not really address the entire problem. Excess oil is still created, and debris, dirt and bacteria will always be attracted to those conditions in the skin follicle.

The optimum, most effective treatment for acne starts from the inside out, and involves stopping the overproduction of sebum in the pore by the oil gland. This can be done in a non-systemic, safe way by blocking the binding of DHT to the sebaceous gland, thus reducing the overproduction of oils in the skin, and unclogging the whitehead or comedone.

These new types of acne treatments are called anti-dht acne products because they address the causes of acne as initiated by DHT, and not the effects. By getting to the root of the problem, you can prevent excess oil from even being produced in the first place, ridding your face of acne and experiencing smooth, healthy skin again