Skip to main content

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:





Popular posts from this blog

Homemade Acne Solutions: Green Clay Cleanser

Here's another recipe from Charles Silverman N.D. Ingredients: 1 teaspoon French green clay powder  1 teaspoon honey or water 1 drop geranium oil  1 drop lavender oil 1 drop tea tree oil Instructions: Mix all the ingredients into a paste in your palm. Massage the paste into your skin until it feels clean. Rinse. Repeat if necessary.

Natural Acne Solutions: Lemon

Lemon is another old and effective acne cure that's been passed on from generations to generations. Lemon juice extract contains citric acid which is good in exfoliating the skin, by removing dead skin cells and allowing new cells to grow. Applying it directly on the skin leaves you with a clean and fresh feeling as it is said to flush out dirt from the pores. To use it topically, just wet a cottonball with a freshly squeezed lemon juice and dab it on your pimples. It might sting especially if the pimple is scarred. You can dilute it with water if pure lemon juice is too strong or stingy. Leave it on for a few minutes or even overnight, then rinse. You can also squeeze lemon juice in water and use this as a rinse after cleansing your face. A glass of fresh lemon juice daily is not only a cool refreshing drink but also a great detoxifier. It cleanses the liver of toxins, allowing to effectively process vitamins and minerals that our body needs.

OTC Acne Solutions: Clarisonic Plus System & Spot Therapy Kit For Face and Body

This is what people is saying about Clarisonic Plus System & Spot Therapy Kit For Face and Body : "The Clarisonic Plus utilizes the same technology as the Sonicare toothbrush. It uses vibration to penetrate the surface level of the skin and provide a more thorough cleansing than with soap and water alone. I've used this system for 2+ weeks and noticed a difference in the texture and softness of my skin immediately. After 3 days, I saw a visible difference in the size of my pores and my skin has a glow that wasn't previously there...One benefit is that your skin care products will last longer if you are using the Clarisonic Plus. I find that I am using less cleanser, moisturizer, etc because my skin is cleaner and has fewer layers of dead skin cells so products are absorbed into the skin much better than before. For example, I apply a mask each week of bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar that normally warms and tightens as it dries on the skin. After using the Cla...