Treatment Options for Severe Acne

Acne is something that nearly everyone suffers from within their lifetime. Most frequently, acne develops during the onset of adolescence, and depending on a number of factors, it can be mild or incredibly severe. What many people see as a “rite of passage,” most teenagers experience as a social blacklisting.

Severe acne is often cause to stay in, instead of go out, withdraw socially and is commonly linked to depression, and an undue amount of stress. While it is a pain to deal with, severe acne can be treated in a number of ways, from over the counter medications to prescriptions from a qualified dermatologist.

How to Treat Severe Acne

The first step in treating severe acne is to consider the potential cause. There are many variables that lead to severe acne, or a mild case of acne becoming severe. While there is no singular cause, and no one individual is immune the possibility of experiencing severe acne, issues such as genetics, diet, skin sensitivity and stress levels are known contributors to breakouts.

The first thing you’ll want to do in combating a case of severe acne is to attempt to control your breakouts. One of the first things a dermatologist will tell you is to drink plenty of water. Water offers our bodies balance, creates an environment for healthy cellular activity, which in turn will promote optimal overall health. Cutting back on refined sugars (though chocolate has never been proven to be a problem food), as well as processed dairy and foods high in lactose is also recommended. Treating acne from the inside out, will help with a skin care regimen you develop to battle it from outside in.

Treating Severe Acne With Proper Skin Care

Your skin is your body’s largest organ. It will need proper care to thrive. A gentle and consistent skin care regimen is a necessity for everyone, especially teens. Cleanliness has a lot to do with helping to exfoliate the skin. When dead skin cells bond together, they collect in the sebaceous gland with excess skin sebum, and create a variety of acne related problems. If you experience cystic acne, this is most likely one of the reasons why.

Use a gentle scrub to help remove those dead skin cells. This will prepare the skin with a gentle cleanser or astringent to the facial or affected areas. Following with a topical cream that is medicated to fight the skin’s natural bacteria and you can probably begin to manage your breakouts. Proactiv offers a simple and effective three-step system just like this that has set the over-the-counter industry standard.

Severe Acne and Seeing a Dermatologist

When acne becomes more than a nuisance, and becomes severe enough to interrupt an enjoyable life, it is highly recommended that you see a dermatologist. If you have tried everything, and it just hasn’t worked, a specialist will be able to help identify some key contributing factors and acne related variables that you may have overlooked. They will also be able to suggest a more aggressive form of treatment. If you’re unaware of a local dermatologist, simply ask your primary care physician, and they should be able to refer you to one.