The psychological harm acne or Zits brings to its many sufferers should not be underestimated, fortunately treatments are improving all the time. This is good news with the range of effective skin care treatments improving all the time.

We can classify acne skin care products into 3 broad categories, preventive, over-the-counter, specialized and on-prescription acne products.

The preventative products are formulated to treat the skin in an effort to prevent acne from arising like skin cleansers and makeup removers. They use these products to protects 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 which have been formulated to limit the amount of oil or sebum forming in the pores. These products prevent the oil from getting trapped in pores and can hamper the growth of bacteria, this can lead to the bad skin condition.

These can be bought over the counter or on the internet. The peels clean the skin by removing all surface pollution and dead skin cells which can block the pores.

There is a huge market for these types of acne skin care products as they don’t require a consultation with a dermatologist. These include products like vanishing creams which extract the excess oil from the skin.

It is preferable when you first start using this type of product to keep the concentration of it low, around 5.5 percent is best. It is not always possible to find an acne skin care product that works first time.

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. Never try to squeeze your zits as it can lead to permanent damage of your skin.

Another effective course of skin care treatment is the use of hormone therapy, hormone changes are know to be one cause of acne. This means that a sufferer does not have to put up with this condition anymore.

It wasn’t that long ago when acne (Zits) was considered a curse for the many individuals that suffer from this problem; however, medical science continues to look at new remedies. It is one of those areas where research has continued to make advancements; these days, even with serious cases, there are many skin care treatments available. Despite the number of acne skin care products currently available on the market, they are broadly categorized into three distinctly separate groups:

* 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.

The use of anti-ageing skin care products has grown enormously over the last two decades; it is not unreasonable to want to continue looking youthful for as long as possible when you consider how much longer most of us are living! This is achieved in beauty products by promoting the growth of connective tissue using the protein collagen which is the most abundant in the skin of all animals; collagen makes up approximately 25 percent of the total protein in the skin. Most anti-ageing products (collagen included) fall into a category of natural everyday products we all use; these are known as antioxidants which remove toxins from the body.

One of the best known anti-oxidants is vitamin C and despite continual research, no-one body involved can decide just exactly how much our body should consume on a daily basis. Skin care treatments that are based on vitamin C, pose the problem of becoming oxidized themselves as they come into contact with air during their usage.

More stable skin care treatments are now available that are almost as efficient and actually cost less to manufacture. These new anti-oxidant products are not quite as good as vitamin C although other naturally occurring compounds, vitamin E and lipoic acid can achieve the same effect.

Vitamin E is found in the blood and is an antioxidant that is also used to increase the body’s defenses against other health problems; it helps build resistance against infection like cancer for example. Lipoic acid, which is found inside every cell of the body, helps generate the energy that keeps us alive and functioning; it is also known to combat the signs of aging very effectively by repairing skin damage caused by the aging process.

Another group of products used to reduce the visible signs of ageing are phytochemicals which are compounds extracted from various plants and used in many anti-ageing skin care products. Like lipoic acid, phytochemicals help reduce the occurrence of cancers; for instance:

*Cancer that attacks the Prostate

*Breast Cancer

*Colon Cancer

All of which are on the increase globally.

Other vitamins from the B group are also used in anti-ageing skin care like vitamins B5, B6 and B12 for example. The field of anti-ageing skin care products is vast and needs a great deal more research. There is no doubt that what has been learned so far is only a small part of the jigsaw puzzle; more long term effective methods will eventually be found to reverse or slow down the effects of aging.

In time it is hoped that less expensive and more reliable anti-ageing skin care products will become available for a larger number of people to use. It may be time to learn that not every synthetic anti-aging product is going to work; man-made products may never replace those that are available naturally! You know all these things but how many do you practice? Regular exercise, restful sleep, drinking plenty of water, eating a healthy diet and keeping your stress levels low are all necessary.