In the United States, over 16 million people suffer from acne as it is the most common of skin diseases. Although it is not a serious threat to health, acne can cause a number of unfortunate effects on appearance, self esteem and confidence. Doctors continue to investigate further the causes, symptoms and treatment of acne as a cure has still not been found. It is a good idea to do some research yourself to understand the causes of acne and what the best treatment is for your condition.

Causes of Acne

Acne is an inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous units, or PSU's. These are found on every part of the body, however acne mostly affects the face, back, chest and shoulders where they are most numerous. PSU's consist of a sebaceous gland connected to a canal, called a follicle, which contains a fine hair. These glands produce and secrete an oily material, sebum, onto the surface of the skin through what we know as a pore. Cells lining the sebum canal can be damaged by forceful sebum output, usually caused by high sebum levels during periods of hormone imbalance. Clogged pores, due to hardened sebum and dead skin cells, can also damage cells lining the follicle canal as sebum is kept from reaching the pore. This eventually causes bacteria buildup, pressure and the breaking down of the follicle wall. Healthy skin cell damage within sebaceous canals is the first and leading cause of acne and hence the most essential to take care of in acne treatments.

Acne Treatment Options

Acne treatment guides and physicians will give you pharmaceutical options that treat an assortment of acne conditions. These are often creams or gels that are put right onto the lesion or affected area.

Benzoyl peroxide is a popular ingredient that you can find in many different acne treatment products. This ingredient is known to kill bacteria and dry up sebum. Other popular acne treatments contain salicylic acid which is used to decrease the shedding of skin cells from the follicle walls. There are also a range of prescription medications that treat acne. Prescription antibiotics help control acne inflammation and take care of bacteria. There are a number of retinoid prescriptions that unplug pores in order for medications to more easily enter the follicle canal.

However, unnatural pharmaceutical treatments run the risk of uncomfortable side effects such as skin irritation, redness, burning, stinging, peeling, dry skin and possible discoloration.

Natural Acne Solutions

The pharmaceutical approach will allow you to treat acne symptoms. However, they fail to treat the principal causes of acne, not to mention the long list of possible side effects. Harsh acne products can leave you with dry skin and irritation as well as release free radicals that can do further harm to healthy skin cells. Harsh acids and alcohol based products can actually make acne worse by damaging tissue and causing dry skin and peeling.

Therefore, the best acne treatment options are the natural ones that understand and treat the principal causes of acne that begin beneath the skin's surface. New biological ingredients are now discovered to have the ability to naturally lower sebum production. This direct, effective and biological treatment of the first and foremost cause of acne is the answer to all acne symptoms and consequences that follow. This type of natural acne treatment greatly reduces the damage to healthy cells, inflammatory responses, acne lesions and acne scarring.