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Understanding OTC Acne Products: Which Is The Best One For You?

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People who experience mild acne breakouts often hold off their appointments with their dermatologists and choose to buy over-the-counter (OTC) acne prevention products. These include gels, cleansing lotions, and ointments that promise to clear away the acne build-up on the skin.

While these items can help, it is essential to understand all the available acne products in the market to find the best one for your skin. To help you decide what to buy, here is some vital information about the everyday OTC acne treatment products and how to incorporate these items in your daily skincare routine. 

Common Active Ingredients In Acne Products

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All acne products work differently, depending on what manufacturers use as their active ingredients. There are some items that you can purchase in drug stores and speciality cosmetics shops that work by eradicating the bacteria that trigger acne breakouts. 

Other acne products work by stripping the excess oil from the skin. Some of the common active ingredients that are found in acne products available over the counter include:

  • Salicylic acid – it works by preventing pores from clogging due to dirt and other impurities.
  • Benzoyl peroxide – acne products that use this ingredient can kill the bacteria-causing acne and help remove any excess oil from your skin. It can also help strip the dead skin cells that usually clog pores.
  • Alpha-hydroxy acids – two types of alpha-hydroxy acids can prevent acne build-ups. The first one is the glycolic acid while the other is lactic acid. Both these ingredients can take away the dead skin cells and reduce the skin’s inflammation to encourage the development of smoother skin.
  • Sulphur – this ingredient can strip the dead skin cells from the face to avoid clogged pores.

How To Choose Effective Acne Products

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There are different types of acne products that work best for specific skin types. Some are also effective, depending on the severity of your breakout. For example, those who use these products for the first time can start by selecting acne treatments with benzoyl peroxide. It is usually suitable for most skin types. If you need to lessen the redness, dry skin, and other skin problems, you can buy products with gentle ingredients. You also need to be patient while waiting for the products to work since you need at least a couple of months to see the results. 

How To Use Acne Products

A proper skincare regimen does not only constitute using acne products. You need to practice appropriate skin hygiene to eradicate the breakouts. As much as possible, you must wash the problem areas twice a day using gentle cleansers. You may also use cleansing cloths or towelettes if you have no access to water. You must also keep your skin moisturised all the time using water-based moisturisers. When leaving the house, you need to put on oil-free sunscreens to protect your skin from the harsh rays of the sun.  

Taking care of your skin doesn’t have to be complicated, even if you are experiencing some sort of acne breakouts. You need to find the right acne product that can work for your skin type. You also need to remember to avoid doing things that could aggravate the breakout. As much as possible, you need to keep your hands off from the acne-prone area. You must also avoid picking or squeezing blemishes so it will not scar or get infected. Most importantly, you must keep your face clean, so the bacteria will have no opportunity to clog your pores and cause acne. 

All the best!

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