Get the info behind all the marketing hype. See which acne treatment products are best for your skin and discover what ingredient combo is actually better than a prescription!
Acne Treatment: Scientific Ingredients
Benzoyl Peroxide
Benzoyl Peroxide is an organic peroxide that has been shown to be one of the most effective acne treatment ingredients. It not only kills acne bacteria on the skin’s surface but deep in pores as well. Benzoyl Peroxide also is one of the only anti-acne actives that reduces excess oil (sebum) production – one of the four main causes of acne.
NOTE: Studies have shown that concentrations of BP higher than 2.5% do not significantly improve a acne treatment’s effectiveness. However, method’s of encapsulating Benzoyl Peroxide to help it penetrate deeper into the skin have been shown to improve the effectiveness of Benzoyl Peroxideand allow it to work for a greater period of time.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2948929
Salicylic Acid (BHA)
Salicylic Acid is a popular ingredient in many acne treatment products. Salicylic Acid is a mild acid that works on this skin’s surface to helps unclog pores from dead skin cells. It also helps shrink the pores diameter and thus helps prevent them from being blocked again. While on it’s own it may not prove effective enough for most acne sufferers, it is an excellent compliment to other active ingredients.
Glycolic Acid (AHA)
Is a cousin to Salicylic Acid and is often found in many anti-aging products as well. This is because Glycolic Acid works on both the epidermis (upper layer) of the skin as well as the dermis (lower layer). Like Salicylic Acid, the AHA works on the upper layer and helps breakdown dead skin cells, not only unclogging pores but exposing younger more youthful skin. However, more remarkable is that at the deeper levels of the skin Glycolic Acid helps to rebuild collagen and increase the healthy layers of your skin.*
*Ditre CM, Griffin TD, Murphy GF, Vasn Scott EJ: Improvement of photodamaged skin with alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA): A clinical, histological, and ultra-structural study. Dermatology 2000 Congress. Vienna, Austria. May 18-21
Sulfur
Sulfur is one of the oldest treatments for acne. When you apply a sulfur based product to the skin it helps absorb excess oils and unclog pores. One of the downsides is that it can make very dry skin worse and there for should be used by those who’s skin is fairly oily. Sulfur masks can be effective especially when used for those especially bad acne flair-ups or as a compliment to other topical acne treatments.
Azelaic Acid
One primary cause of acne inflammation is the excess buildup of skin cells around the follicle. This is were Azelaic Acid is essential in fighting acne. Azelaic Acid normalizes the shedding of these cells and opens the follicle resulting in less comedones (pimples). Azelaic Acid also has been shown to prevent the growth of acne bacteria. This dual purpose makes Azelaic Acid is one of the more effective ingredients in a topical acne medication.*
http://archderm.ama-assn.org/cgi/doi/10.1001/archderm.142.8.1047
