Your doctor will prescribe the concentration of Retin-A that is most appropriate for your skin, and will advise you on how to use it to best effect. Generally, we recommend that you apply it in the evening before your final ice and BP treatment.

You can expect to see some redness as you implement this plan, usually during the second week. However, if it starts to become severe, or if you start to suffer from unpleasant irritation, reduce the frequency.

If the acne persists beyond the 3-week period of Retin-A usage, continue the Acne Cure program, but stop the Retin-A. Instead, add an internally administered antibiotic.

Tetracycline, that old but effective standby, works well for most patients-and is relatively inexpensive and widely used. Several other antibiotics also work well (although all have possible side effects). Your physician, knowing your history, will advise you of your best alternative, dosage, and length of usage.

Tetracycline, and minocyclin (and several other antibiotics), in addition to destroying P. acnes, have an anti-inflammatory impact, which helps slow down the spread of the disease.

The Acne Cure program will eradicate the large majority of acne, and the remainder will be entirely wiped out by one or more of the steps in the four-step “intractable acne” program .

* Preventative: Creams, lotions etc. to help cleanse and tone the skin

* Over-the-counter

* Specialized, on-prescription acne products

Probably the largest part of the skin care market is products designed to clean the skin and inhibit the formation of acne; products like skin cleansers and toners fall into this category. Many people these days use products like this to maintain their skin; in many instances the user has never had a skin condition to worry about. Many of these cleansers act in almost exactly the same way as acne skin care products; they are formulated to reduce and limit the amount of oil in the pores of our skin. These types of products are reducing the chance of oil staying in the pores and aiding the growth of harmful bacteria which assists the formation of the skin condition.

Other skin care treatments can help exfoliate the skin; these are easily obtainable in any drug store. These work towards removing dead skin cells, reducing the possibility of pore-clogging and bacteria development. There are specialized acne skin care products available over-the-counter, they do not require the need of a prescription. Most of these creams etc. are based on benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, both of which are the enemies of bacteria (and hence acne); these ingredients are used to remove the additional oil in the pores of the skin.

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. As with any type of zit cream, you may need to try a few acne skin care products until you find one that will suit your skin; however, if nothing you try seems to work, you should contact a dermatologist. 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.

Your dermatologist may suggest a minor surgical procedure to remove the contents of pustules; although this is a minor procedure, if it were performed by the person themselves it could result in skin damage. Hormone treatment might be suggested as hormone changes can cause skin problems; studies show that hormone based skin care treatments often prove effective. Science has produced many effective treatments for this unkind condition.