The psychological harm acne or Zits causes it's many sufferers should not be underestimated; although it undoubtedly causes distress, a number of topical remedies are available. Owing the widespread nature of this condition, scientific research into this area is intense; recent medical advancements are, in fact, proving to be very effective in treating this condition. The acne skin care products available fall into these:

• Preventive
• Over-the-counter: Treatment
• Prescription only treatments

General or preventative acne products form a large section of the skin care market; these products can be anything from skin cleansers to makeup removers. In the real sense, these products are just those that should be part of your daily routine; many use these products to protect their skin from the environment even if they do not have the acne condition. Many of these cleansers act in almost exactly the same way as acne skin care products; they ensure the facial pores (and other areas) remain free of oil. These skin care products are designed to prevent this from happening.

Skin care treatments such as exfoliation skin peels, clean the skin and help control the spread of the condition; there is now a variety of this type of product available over the counter. This type of peel helps reduce the chance of oil clogging up the pores as well as removing other skin impurities; this can reduce the bacterium growth on your skin. There are specialized acne skin care products available over-the-counter, they do not require the need of a prescription. Treatments that are effective contain the ingredients benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid; these include creams, cleansers and peels that slow down acne formation.

Dermatologists recommend any product should have low concentrations of the active ingredient benzoyl peroxide (no more than 5.5 parts per hundred) if there is an adverse reaction; a safer alternative to benzoyl peroxide is anything containing alpha hydroxy acid. It is not always possible to find an acne skin care product that works first time; if none of them work then you would be advised to contact your skin specialist. There are benefits of seeing your doctor or dermatologist, they can prescribe you with a prescription for treatments not available over the counter, for example a course of antibiotics.

Under certain circumstances, having the infected material removed from the pores under a local anesthetic may be suggested by your dermatologist; never try to squeeze your zits however, as it can lead to permanent damage of your skin. Your doctor may even suggest a course of hormone therapy as a skin care treatment; hormone changes are known to be one cause of acne. With all the treatments available, tackling acne is not that difficult as there are many new products available to help.