Everyone deals with acne at some stage in their life. Some will experience it worse than others. Some forms of acne will be more mild than others. The vast majority of people will, however, be in the middle somewhere.

Although there may not be a direct linkage, acne may be aggravated by factors such as stress, diet, air quality and life-style choices. But the main factors causing acne are: hormonal imbalances and genetics. Everyone, at some time in their lives will go through a period of time when their hormones seem to get messed up (puberty and pregnancy are prime examples) and if acne is your genetic trait -- you're stuck with it.

Fortunately, there are many over the counter (OTC) medications available to help people deal with acne. How well they work for you will pretty much be determined by three factors: the product's active ingredients, the cause of the user's acne and the user's skin type.

Not all acne products will work the same way because of the different ingredients used. The active ingredient salicylic acid works by reducing the amount of dead skin. The active ingredient benzoyl peroxide works by reducing the P.acnes bacteria (a naturally occurring bacteria in the skin).

Following are descriptions of the active ingredients you will find used in most over-the-counter acne medications:

Benzoyl peroxide: Benzoyl peroxide is the 'wonder drug' in the acne treatment industry; it works by reducing the natural P.acnes bacteria and reduces the quantity of dead skin cells. By performing these two actions, benzoyl peroxide manages to lessen the effects of two of the main causes of comedones (the large, deep, pus-filled pimples that are the trademarks of acne). Benzoyl peroxide has been used for years in acne treatment medications since being discovered to be very effective in treating mild acne.

You will find (on the Internet) many 'personal' recommendations for benzoyl peroxide and details about how it was used to successfully treat acne. But as with all medications, use an acne product with benzoyl peroxide as instructed on the product label or as instructed by a physician. Benzoyl peroxide, when over-used, has the side-effect of drying out your skin and can also discolor any fabrics or materials it comes into contact with, e.g., shirts, towels, sheets, etc.. Benzoyl peroxide is available as a lotion or gel and can be used as a preventative acne treatment even after your acne has cleared up.

Alcohol and acetone: Alcohol and acetone are used together in some over-the-counter acne medications. The alcohol kills external bacteria while the acetone makes the skin less oily.

"Herbal", "organic" and "natural" products: You will find some OTC products with labels such "herbal," "organic" and "natural;" these products are generally put on the market to appeal to the people who are attracted to products with those labels. The products themselves may or may not be beneficial for acne and actual results have proven inconclusive.

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