Acne Fighters! Benzoyl Peroxide, Salicylic Acid, Sulfur and More...

  Acne is a struggle for most in society & even as adults as well. Women sometimes experience acne due to hormones. There's still so many treatments out there but I feel there could be so much more for many who struggle with it, and there's honestly so much you can do for the clogged pores and bacteria on the outer surface. There are certain ingredients that have been considered to be tried-and-true for treatment of acne. Benzoyl Peroxide (best used temporarily and every once in a while in segments to treat acne), Salicylic Acid, Sulfur... as well as natural ingredients such as Honey (which has antibacterial properties) and Tea Tree Oil. Many of these formulas are in rinse-off cleansers, they can somewhat help with the cleansing process, however the ingredients don't stay on long enough for them to "activate" or have much effects on the surface. Sulfur is mostly used tho in Spot treatments and Acne facial clay masks. Acne ingredients can be quite drying to the skin, make sure to hydrate it with non-comedogenic moisturizers! Acne does not just affect oily/combo skin, you can have dry skin & be acne-prone as well.
  Retinol is a wonderful project for acne sufferers. Even though it can come with a purging state, however your skin will clear up in just a few weeks, there's OTC and prescription Retinoids. The Over-the-counter products would be suitable just for about anyone just starting out or has very sensitive skin. Prescription treatments can work faster but does comes with its' side effects of dryness, flakiness and potentially some redness. You can also space out the amount you put on in a week, than rather just daily, to see how your skin reacts to the medication in the beginning. If the sides effects become way too severe, consult with your Dermatologist. Retinol is still considered the "gold-standard" for anti-aging and acne!
  As far as professional treatments go, traditional acne facials to decongest your skin by an Esthetician that can achieve wonderful results, along with extractions!! Microdermabrasions are one other option for the superficial layer as in a way of "sand blasting the skin" also using suction as well and uses mostly aluminum oxide crystals to spread across the skin (Great for post-acne scarring too!). There's also Diamond Tip Microdermabrasions that uses a a diamond-tipped wand to also exfoliate the dead skin, which is also a crystal-free treatment. As well as Salicylic Acid Peels are amazing for the skin, they work by penetrating to the inner pore lining and cutting through oil to reduce blemishes and clear up congested skin. Salicylic acid do penetrate deeper than their Alpha Hydroxy Acid counterparts to cut through oily skin (i.e. Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid) and it's a product meant to have for those Acne clients. There's also Blue Light LED Therapy that helps to kill the P. acne bacteria and reducing inflammation, anyone can try this to see how this works for them. I feel it can work for some with this treatment, but not for all. Lasers are another option, if it's within your budget, just make sure to seek a board-certified Dermatologist or Plastic Surgeon who perform these procedures. There's also oral prescriptions to use (i.e. Accutane), more so I feel this is at a last result if topical options have all been executed, also make sure to tell your Doctors if you have a history of Depression and they should ways go over the side effects with you as well. Also, since these ingredients like Benzoyl Peroxide & Retinol can make your skin very sun sensitized please make just to apply a broad-spectrum SPF-30 to 50 for protection. Make sure to always ask questions!

Final Words: I can't stress enough (as I mentioned in my final sentence) to always ask questions when seeing a Professional! Any question big or small regardless of what you may think. It's better to be educated than not to know. There's plenty of treatments out there, even though I feel there can be more advancements but things are always evolving in the industry. Again, if I forgot anything else to add, Sorry! I can cover more in the future! ^_^

Yours truly always,

Mr. Skin Care Guru