Acne Solutions That Work: OTC Acne Solutions

Over-the-counter or OTC acne solutions--you know what they are. These are the soaps, cleansers, toners, creams, ointments, on-the-spot treatments and other commercial products, even pills or tablets, that promise to cure your acne once and for all. They are available at most drugstores, beauty shops and sometimes, groceries, or are being sold exclusively at selected beauty clinics.

They range from virtually unheard-of manufacturers to well-known brands, from affordable to expensive, but neither the brand nor the price can guarantee a product's effectiveness in getting rid of acne. Like with other acne solutions, some people will swear by the effectiveness of a particular OTC product, but you will also find some who didn't have good results with it. For me, and based on experience, the only way to know if a product, whether OTC or natural, is effective or not is to try it and see for yourself.

In some products, you will see immediate results. But in others, it will take a while before you see any effects. You may also experience what they call "purging stage" wherein you skin will release all impurities and will cause you to breakout even more for a few days or weeks. But after that, your skin will start to look better and acne will start to dry out and disappear. So, give each treatment at least two weeks to a month before you decide whether to continue using it or not.

Also, don't immediately jump from one product after the other because most OTC products leave some traces behind that may affect or have complications on the next product that you will use. Allow your skin to rest and breathe before you proceed with your experiment. Funny that I said experiment. But finding an acne solution is indeed like an experiment, isn't it? A trial and error process of finding anti-acne products that will work for you.

OTC Acne Solutions vs Natural Acne Solutions

People have a love-and-hate affair with OTC products. Because OTC acne products are chemically formulated, and often contain active ingredients, they are more likely to cause unwanted side effects like skin irritation, dryness, allergies, redness, etc. Plus the fact that they can be so expensive. So there are those who are committed to using only natural products and holistic ways of treating acne and have forever turned away from OTC acne solutions. But there's still a lot who have positive experiences trying both.

There are OTC acne solutions that are effective. But it's a case-to-case basis. A product's effectiveness will depend on how your skin will react to it, that's why we see products, treatments and procedures with mixed reviews and feedback.As with any other acne solutions, what works for you may not work for others and what others find effective may not be effective for you.

Here are some of the popular OTC acne solutions: