Starting an acne treatment or selecting the right over-the-counter acne product requires you pay attention to your particular type of skin. There are five types of human skin: oily, dry, normal, combination (oily and dry), and sensitive. Acne-prone skin is generally oily or combination, while sensitive skin is often dry.

An acne treatment is only effective if it is ongoing and given time to work fully, so a good amount of patience is required. It takes from 2 to 4 weeks to see any reduction in the number and size of your zits. Be aware that an acne medication working miracles on one individual may be of no help to somebody else. Acne products are available in a variety of active ingredients and strengths (concentration) for you to experiment with until you find the suitable one for your condition.

Oily skin: oily skin requires washing twice or three times a day to hold sebum from accumulating. But be careful never to over do it. Washing more often can over-dry the face, produce flakiness and make oil glands yet release more oil to compensate. Try water based acne products containing either benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. Avoid any products containing coconut oil, cocoa butter, or cinnamon.

Exfoliate your skin a couple of times weekly but without over scrubbing. Zits on oily skin require the constant use of medicines, pads and peel-off or facial masks to keep pores free from excessive oil and dirt build up.

Normal skin: this really is the type of skin all of us would love to have. It is neither too dry or too oily. Should you be experiencing mild acne, try pore strips and facial or peel-off masks once weekly to get rid of hardened oil from pores as an alternative to using daily astringents. Strips and masks are most effective after a facial steam which softens and loosen the sebum.

In cases of moderate acne use medications for normal to oily skin only, but do not apply more than once a day in an effort to preserve the delicate balance of moisture and essential oils. Changing such balance may lead to dry patches and flakiness where there was none before

Dry skin: the challenge with acne on dry skin is keeping the skin clean without removing essential natural oils during the process. You can still wash your face twice a day with a mild cleanser, but when the skin becomes overly dry, use the cleanser at night only.

Apply ample moisturizer, a minimum of twice a day and sooner right after cleansing while the surface of the skin is still damp. Reapply moisturizer whenever your skin starts to feel tight.

Facial scrubs containing either glycolic or lactic acid are suggested. Concentrate the application of acne medication to only those locations affected by pimples to scale back the chance of over drying patches of skin. .

Combination skin: this sort is somewhat tricky. The cheeks tend to be dry or normal, while the nose, forehead, and chin are typically oily. This calls for the usage of a light cleanser to clean the face two times each day, and the application of a water based moisturizer.

As far as acne medications go, use a spot treatment applied just to places where acne is present. Medicated pads are most handy in this case. In case you are experiencing no pimples, just blackheads or whiteheads around the so called T-zone (area that extends through the forehead right down to the nose and chin) using pore strips will aim at these areas effectively.

Sensitive skin: sensitive skin is frequently dry. Keep your face clean once a day. Search for acne products free of alcohol, fragrances, or acids. As a substitute, try to find products containing all organic ingredients like chamomile, aloe, green tea, or tea tree oil. Apply a cream-based moisturizer in the morning and night to avoid irritation.

There is no reason for your skin not to show a marked improvement after a few weeks of following the above suggestions.

Besides skin type, you ought to also take into account the severity of the acne. Generally speaking, moderate and mild acne can be treated at home, but when pimples are really painful indicating inflammation and infection, you have to see a physician because the condition can lead to permanent scarring.