Categorizing and Exploring the Different Acne products

If you want to know about the severity of the acne problem, and the lengths people are willing to go search of solutions for it, you need only look at the numerous acne products that are available on the market today. So great is the variety of these products that are aimed at helping people with acne that it becomes necessary to categorize them if we are to meaningfully explore them.

Since acne is a medically recognized condition, with quite a number of medications that have been sanctioned for its treatment, it follows that one of the most obvious categories into which the various acne products fall into is that of acne medications. In order to avoid getting  confused with items in other categories, we need to define it strictly as the category of products meant to help with acne ‘that are only sold and bought on the strength of a doctor’s prescription or recommendation.’ Here we are looking at the likes of acne medication drugs like benzoyl peroxide (which seems to be the most popular), azelaic acid (which seems to be the most expensive); and others like tretinoin and Clyndamycin. Most products in this category will tend to be available in the form of ointments and medicated creams for topical application, though quite a number are available in pill form, meant to treat acne ‘from within’ in a way of speaking.

Beyond the category of acne medication, another popular acne products category (and the items in this category are probably even more popular than the items in the acne medications category), is that of the so-called ‘natural acne treatments.’ Here we are looking at the various herbal formulations that are said to be good at treating the pimples and scars that are characteristic of acne. Specific items in this category include the likes of tea tree oil, aloe vera and so on. Cost-wise, the products in this category come in a great variety, with some natural treatments for acne being available absolutely free of charge to people living in the areas where they occur naturally, and with yet some of the acne products in this category being sold for hundreds (even thousands) of dollars at the other end of the spectrum. Most of the products  used for topical treatment of acne, such that they are directly applied on the acne afflicted spots. Some are processed into creams, lotions and ointments, not very unlike those that the pharmaceutical formulations come in.

Then we have the category of ‘products’ aimed at combating acne that come in the form of services, that is, non-substance acne treatment. Here we have ‘acne products’ such as laser treatment for the condition, where the patient goes to the laser treatment clinic, gets exposed to the lasers (which are essentially concentrated light beams), and hopefully gets cured of their acne affliction without actually purchasing any physical product in the process. This category of products for acne adds another dimension to the whole notion of products for acne, where we have tended to imagine that the products in question have to be ‘goods’ – forgetting that services, too, qualify for the term.

To learn more about the specific workings of the various acne treatments, be sure to read on acne laser treatment and other acne solutions

Top 10 Acne Products in the United States

Acne is one of the most distressing problems, what with its uncanny tendency to affect people where they are most conspicuous as on their faces and necks? Thankfully, a number of acne products have been developed to combat this problem; and here is a survey of the top 10 of acne products in the United States.

Over The Counter Acne products

1. Johnson & Johnson persa gel: Part of the popular Johnson and Johnson skin care product family, the Johnson and Johnson Persa Gel is one of the most trusted over the counter treatments for acne; with many people swearing to having overcome quite bad cases of Acne with its help of this acne medication. Johnson and Johnson Persa Gel can also be used as a preventive agent (as well as a curative agent) for Acne. Contrary to what one might fear on first encountering the name ‘Johnson and Johnson’ it turns out that the Johnson and Johnson Persa Gel is not really an expensive treatment; starting as it does at $6.49 in the United States.

2. Oxy-10 Balance Emergency Spot Treatment: People who have gotten to use Oxy-10 Balance Emergency Spot Treatment have rated it highly for among other things, its efficacy; though its great potency comes at the cost of user-friendliness (agreeability) as Oxy-10 Balance Emergency Spot can be a bit irritating, especially if the user happens to be one of those endowed with very sensitive skin. The remarkable thing about Oxy-10 Balance Emergency Spot Treatment is that it works even for the most stubborn cases of Acne. Oxy-10 Balance Emergency Spot Treatment, by the way, comes in the form of a cream, for topical application to the affected spots.

3. Clinique Acne Solutions Emergency Gel Lotion: At its core, Clinique Acne Solutions Emergency Gel Lotion is based on Benzoyl peroxide, one of the FDA approved and highly effective treatments for Acne Available today. A highly potent product, Clinique Acne Solutions Emergency Gel Lotion is best used for highly stubborn cases of Acne which won’t respond to milder treatments. As the name suggests, Clinique Acne Solution Emergency Gel Lotion comes in the form of a Gel lotion, which is topically applied on the afflicted skin. It has been noted to induce a degree of temporary sensitivity on the kin; hence the need to use it with a sunscreen aid as well as an acne medication.

4.Biore Blemish Double Agent Treatment: At its core, Biore Blemish Double Agent treatment is based on Salicyclic acid, one of the Acne treatments that have been consitently shown to be effective in combating all types of Acne afflictions. The most notable thing about Biore Blemish Double Agent treatment, however, is the fastness of its action; often wiping away what were previously bad cases of Acne in less than 5 days. Biore Blemish Double Agent Treatment is also quite user friendly, a fact that can often mask its remarkable effectiveness – as many of us have been conditioned to imagine that it is only the ‘harsh’ acne products that are potent/effective.

5.DDF BP (Benzoyl Peroxide) Gel 5 Percent With Tea Tree Oil: DDF BP Gel with Tea Tree oil is one of the most popular acne treatments in the United States for people struggling with Acne in the country who are keen to get rid of it in the ‘natural’ way. To be sure, DDF BP Gel 5 BP Gel with Tea Tree Oil is not, and does not claim to be a 100% natural Acne medication, but it offers the user the best mix of the synthetic and the natural aids to fighting Acne. The natural acne fighting aid in DDF BP Gel 5 Percent with Tea Tree Oil is of course the tea tree, regarded by many as the best solution that nature offers to the acne problem; with the synthetic acne fighting aid in DDF BP Gel 5 Percent with Tea Tree Oil being the BP (Benzoyl peroxide); which is also widely regarded as the most effective (synthetic) medical treatment acne .

Prescription Acne Products:

1.Benzoyl Peroxide: Marketed under a variety of brand names such as Triaz, Benzaclin and Triaz, Benzoyl Proxide is one of the acne products that have shown the greatest efficacy in the treatment of  most forms of Acne; addressing the problem right at its core as it does. Benzyoyl Peroxide is typically available in the form of a Gel, which you have to apply topically on the Acne-afflicted sites, with results starting to show within a relatively short time. It is typically sold in tubes (as all gels are), typically 60 gram tubes which go for about $24 in the US.

2 Tretinoin: Tretinoin is another popular medication among the acne products in the United States, accounting for a majority of the prescriptions given for the condition in quite a good number of dermatology clinics. Tretinoin is only a specialized medical name, of course, but to actually purchase this, the brand names to be written on your prescription chits include the likes of Retin-A Micro or simply Retin-A; though Avita and Renova are also Tretinoin formulations. The generic version of this acne treatment goes for about $59.20 in the United States (and this is for a tube weighing about 45 grams) bearing Tretinoin in cream form for topical application.

3.Azelaic Acid: In the period of time that it has been used for the treatment of Acne, Azelaic acid has come to gain a strong reputation as one of the best acne products for the condition; with many dermatologists increasingly prescribing it as a first-line treatment for moderate to severe cases of Acne. Azelaic acid is, of course, a chemical name for the formulation, but in the pharmacies, it is sold as Azelex, typically strictly on a prescription basis. Azelax doesn’t come very cheap at about $140 , but its use can see one freed of an otherwise rather distressing case of Acne.

4. Clindamycin: Clindamycin has over time come to be regarded by many physicians as one of the most effective (yet relatively cheap) acne products; consistently accounting for a considerable number of prescriptions for the condition in recent times as more and more people look for lower cost treatment options for Acne and other conditions. At about $17 for a 60 milliliter bottle of the generic version of this medication, Clindamycin is just about the cheapest (approved) medication one can lay hands on. It goes under brand names Cleocin-T, Clindets or Clinda-Derm. When it is combined with Benzoyl Peroxide (for enhanced efficacy), Clyndamycin is sold as Benzaclin at a slightly hiked – but still affordable – price tag.

5. Spironolactone: Spironalactone is yet another of the acne medication that have come to be highly popular in the US in the recent days. It is marketed as Spironolactone or Aldactone. People who have gotten to use it have rated it very highly for agreeability and effectiveness; with quite a number ruing not having known about it before. Unlike most Acne products that tend to call for topical application, Spironolactone comes in capsule form (with each capsule being a 50 milligram formulation). On average, Spironolactone costs about $47 in the United States, for the package containing 90 capsules of it.

Acne Products Frequently Asked Questions Answered

1. How do acne products work?

While every acne product has its own exact mechanism for working, a number of trends can be noted across the whole acne products niche. Most of the acne products work by either obliterating the effects of acne on the skin, or stopping the incidence of the acne itself (and leaving the obliteration of the effects to take place through the body’s natural healing). There are some acne products that, of course, combine the two mechanisms: stopping the incidence of acne while also attempting to obliterate the effects of it already manifest on the skin.

The acne products that stop the incidence of acne do so through a variety of mechanisms: unclogging the pores on the skin (as clogging of these pores is one of the root causes of acne), attacking the acne bacteria, which indirectly causes acne, shoring the body’s immunity to stand up to the acne bacteria, or simply making the skin less oily, as oily skin is highly susceptible to acne infections.

2. Which are the best acne products?

The best acne products are arguably those that deal with the acne product right at its core: by ridding one of the acne bacteria (or making one less susceptible to its effects), or opening up clogged pores on the skin. The best acne products are those that combine this dealing with acne right at its root with the obliteration of the acne effects already manifesting on the skin. And of course, unless one is looking for freedom from acne ‘at any cost,’ the best acne products would also be those that have no (or very few) side effects, because safety matters a great deal in these types of products.

3. Do home remedies for acne work?

Like the pharmaceutical formulations for the condition, some home remedies for acne do work, while others hardly work. A home remedy for acne like tea tree oil, for instance, is known to be more effective than some of the best medications for the condition: hence the need not to look down upon the home remedies. Indeed, conventional wisdom holds that for mild cases of acne, it is best to first try the home treatments, and if they don’t work at all, turn to the medications for the condition. This is because the home remedies often show good efficacy at combating acne, yet with fewer side effects.

4. Which are the best places to shop for acne products?

The best places to go shopping for acne products depend on which variety of acne products one is looking at. In the case of the pharmaceutical formulations for instance, reputable drug stores make the best shopping places. This is to avoid falling victim to counterfeits: which some unscrupulous drug sellers have been known to stock. If a particular acne product is supposed to be sold on a prescription only basis, and someone is offering to sell it to you without a prescription, then you know that you could be looking at one of the said unscrupulous dealers.

5. How do I know the best acne products?

There are a number of ways through which you can get to know which the best acne products are. One is talking to your doctor: who is likely to be more knowledgeable about these matters. Don’t image that the knowledge of doctors (mainstream ‘conventional’ doctor’s that is) is limited to pharmaceutical medications only. Many are likely to also know what works and what doesn’t work, in terms of alternative treatments, as much of this information is nowadays finding its way into medical journals. You could also check out the various acne forums, and see what other people are saying about the various acne products. Before using any acne product, it is essential for you to know what exactly it is, what it is made of, what its potential side effects are and how exactly it works in combating acne.