Stressful jobs, exams, fast food, irregular sleeping patterns, they can all be a reason for acne.
In fact, nowadays, people of all ages suffer from acne and are looking for an effective acne treatment.
Not only the teenagers because hormones are going wild, but older people too.
And while women get acne mostly on their face area, men usually suffer from it on their back.
So the most common question is…
To be able to answer what can cure acne fast, you need to know what causes it in the first place.
If you have ditched the junk food, and the sugary drinks and your acne haven’t subsided still, you need to see your dermatologist and let him or her decide what type of acne treatment you need. It is also a great idea to have your hormones checked, especially if you are a girl just before or in her twenties.
If you are wondering which acne treatment works best, the answer is below. We have listed several good products you can do treatments with at home or at your doctor’s office. In testing and studies, they have appeared to be the most efficient, some even able to subside the traces of acne in a day or two.
If you are wondering what do dermatologists recommend for acne, this list contains the best substances
that will clear out acne fast:
BENZOYL PEROXIDE: This is a highly efficient antibacterial ingredient which very effectively kills the bacteria that causes breakouts in the first place. While it is good to use it when acne first appear, this product isn’t without its downsides.
Namely, it’s best if you buy products that contain only 2% of benzoyl peroxide as listed on the active ingredients chart because anything stronger than that will only dry out your skin without necessarily being tougher on bacteria.
GLYCOLIC ACID: This is a very potent product that serves as an acne treatment. It belongs to the group of alpha hydroxyl acids and exfoliates the skin deeply and gets rid of the dead cells of the skin that clog pores and produce acne in the first place.
You can find products that contain this acid in serums, washes, peels, and moisturizers at any drugstore.
You need to be careful though, just like with the benzoyl peroxide, it may damage your skin if you apply larger amounts than recommended.
SULFUR: Even though very effective, people avoid sulfur because of its unpleasant smell, it smells like rotten eggs and it’s pretty intense. However, if you’re willing to do just anything for a clear skin, we recommend using this substance.
It’s great for drying up pus-filled pimples and whiteheads by sucking up the excess oil from the surface of your skin. You can find it as an active ingredient in masks and spot treatments.
RETINOL: Retinol or the Retinoids contained in it are famous for their anti-aging, and skin-clearing properties. You have probably heard about Retinol-based creams with the addition of vitamin A that is also efficient at clearing up acne.Retinol-based products decrease oil production and will help your skin to better exfoliate. It is also a very effective anti-inflammatory agent that will soothe the inflammation and redness caused by the acne.
SALICYLIC ACID: Salicylic acid is an old-known go-to for fixing any pimply formations on the skin. You can find it as an active ingredient in the majority of products marketed as “acne wash” or “spot treatment”. Just like the Glycolic acid, Salicylic acid belongs to the beta-hydroxy acid group which works by dissolving excess oil and deeply exfoliating the dead skin cells.
Salicylic is usually not as strong as the Glycolic, so you can use it for a longer period of time and in larger amounts. It has anti-inflammatory properties that you will find most helpful when soothing down inflamed cystic breakouts or redness caused by the acne in general. This acid works by penetrating deep on the level where the hair follicles rupture and cause breakouts. It is able to prevent this process from happening, hence its anti-inflammatory properties.
Experts advise applying this ingredient as a leave-on spot treatment, toner or moisturizer, to give it time to do its work. However, even though less harsh on the skin, it still can dry it out when overly-used, so be cautious about that.
Last but not least on the list of acne-treating products, let’s see how effective Vaseline is. Namely, people think it will clog your pores and cause more breakouts.
However, Vaseline won’t do that as reported in The Journal of Cosmetic Science. It doesn’t treat acne directly, but it can help your skin recover faster from acne due to its protective formula.