Acne is caused by overactive oil glands that clog pores. You can get acne on your face, chest, back, shoulders and even buttocks. KidsHealth.org reports that 17 million Americans have acne. If keeping your skin clean doesn’t clear up the blemishes, you should start a regimen with special soap and topical medication. It will take about two weeks before you see significant results. But if you keep up your routine, even between breakouts, new pimples should be eliminated in just two or three days.
Wash your face three times a day with a gentle cleanser like Cetaphil. Find a fragrance-free, hypoallergenic soap.
Keep your skin moisturized. The regimen you are about to begin can cause drying, especially to the spot where your lesions appear. Using a cleanser with moisturizer built in, or an oil-free moisturizer, will seal moisture into your skin and prevent drying and flaking. Products that contain ingredients like urea, glycerin and alpha hydroxy acids absorb water from the air and keep the skin moisturized.
Use a spot-on, topical treatment that contains benzoyl peroxide. According to the Mayo Clinic, benzoyl peroxide is one of the most effective acne medications available over the counter.
Start with a product that has 2.5 percent benzoyl peroxide and increase the dose (you can also buy products with .5 and .10 percent) if you do not begin seeing results after about a week. Apply benzoyl peroxide to each blemish twice a day. Increase to three times a day for moderate to severe acne.
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