Mild acne treatment is often effective for curing acne and getting rid of blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples. Acne is often awkward as well as depressing for many individuals, especially teenagers. It affects nearly everyone at one time or another. In most instances acne clears up and leaves the skin smooth and normal. But, in some cases it leaves holes or marks on the skin.

What precisely is acne? It is a condition affecting the sebaceous glands underneath your skin. These oil glands can be found at pores or near the roots of hair follicles and they excrete sebum beneath the skin. The sebum flows up to the surface of the skin. Sebum consists largely of triglycerides and fatty acids, wax, and dead fat-producing cells.

Blockages in the pores and infections of these sebaceous glands produce blackheads, whiteheads, and other sores on the face, back, and elsewhere. Puberty is a time when hormones like testosterone are prevalent in adolescents. Testosterone helps cause these blotches. This happens for young people of both genders. Constant worry produces hormones, like cortisol, that also aggravates this condition. For many people, acne tends to vanish by the early twenties. Some people, however, are genetically prone to oily skin and continue to experience outbreaks well into their forties.

Blackheads and whiteheads are normal during adolescence. Contrary to popular belief, these are not attributable to a lack of cleanliness. More accurately, these are a result of excess oils that have accumulated in the sebaceous gland’s duct. Oils that have an opening to the skin can oxidize and look dark or black and are called blackheads. Oils where the opening is closed or shut remain lighter in color and are called whiteheads, pimples or zits.

Over-the-counter medicines are often the right mild acne treatment to help clear up pimples. More severe acne may require more powerful drugs approved by a medical doctor. Some common over-the-counter medicines used as a mild acne treatment include benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid and anti-bacterial Triclosan. You can get these medications as a cream or gel and they will help remove clogs and let the pores drain properly. After the pores are unblocked, any bacterial infections can then be attacked. Before making use of the cream or gel, it will be best to wash your skin with a solution which is not alkaline, as most soaps are. This will permit the cream or gel to directly come in contact with your skin to function most effectively.

If the over-the-counter products prove ineffective as a mild acne treatment, make sure you check with your family medical professional or dermatologist. They can prescribe more powerful formulations that will help lessen pimples and potential scaring. Furthermore, a dermatologist may recommend additional therapies that scrape off a thin layer of skin (dermabrasion), light or laser treatments, and even surgery to lance and drain larger accumulations of sebum.

As described above, acne is a common, almost universal condition. It will go away and shortly be a distant memory. Most OTC remedies will be effective and will have you smiling yet again in a few weeks.