There are some vitamins and minerals that are known for fighting acne or causing acne when found to be deficient in the body.  The first main one is vitamin A.  It has been used both internally and externally to increase the turnover of dead skills and even to significantly lower the production of sebum, sometimes stopping it entirely.  It can help to strengthen the protective tissue of the skin, and the skin is therefore more able to fight the occurrence of acne.  It is also known to be a strong antioxidant, ridding the body of free radicals and harmful toxins that could potentially cause some cases of acne.  Therefore, it can clear the skin of many problems, not just acne, at least in theory.  It is usually taken in combination with carotenoids, which can strengthen its effect against acne.

Second, vitamin E has been used as a powerful antioxidant in fighting bacteria and the buildup of toxins and free radicals.  It can lead to the cessation of acne in some individuals and it can also promote tissue repair and the healing of skin cells.  It can also increase the oxidation of lipids and the formation of free radicals. 

As you can see, both vitamin A and vitamin E can work as antioxidants, kill off bacteria and free radicals, strengthen the skin to a healthier and happier state, and prevent future breakouts.  Vitamin A has attributes entirely of its own, as does vitamin E, and in combination with each other, these can promote a stronger acne fighting effect than they would in and of themselves.

But there is a third vitamin that can be effectively combined with these 2.  It is known as zinc, and it is actually one of the most important vitamins used to attack and fight acne.  It has many different uses, and it can cause acne breakouts on its own when deficient.  Therefore adequate amounts of zinc and promote healthy skin and combat current acne problems or help to combat future problems.  It works as an antioxidant, helping to fight free radicals and toxins, and it also is very proactive in helping to prevent future breakouts as a whole.  It can regulate the oil glands, not stopping sebum production all together, which could actually be harmful to the skin as your skin needs some sebum glands, but helping it.  Finally, it can promote healing in the tissue and therefore prevent nasty scarring, also promoting a generally healthy immune system. 

When used alone, all these ingredients can promote the cessation of acne.  However, when used together, they only compliment the effects of each other, promoting a greater fight against acne by also approaching it from 3 different directions instead of just one possible problem.

Acne affects a multitude of people.  You may see a 20 year old Caucasian boy or a 50 year old Hispanic woman who both suffer from acne.  It varies from person to person on how long it lasts among other things.  Teens are the ones most likely to suffer from acne.  But it does not necessarily discriminate by age, race, gender, eating habits, etc.  85% of young adults currently suffer from acne while 25% suffer from permanent scarring.  It is a problem that, as far as we can tell, will always exist somewhere in society.  But here are a few reasons why you should consider other alternatives before making the dreaded trip to your doctor or dermatologist.

1. You can get many of the same things over the counter

Take for example benzyl peroxide or retinol.  You can get those in relatively high concentrations in a multitude of over the counter products.  And many times, you will find that your skin isn’t necessarily equipped to handle the amounts you will find in those products.  Prescription medications only use higher concentrations, which are often unnecessary.  The major exception to this rule is Accutane, and it is controlled for a reason.

1. Antibiotics don’t always work

Some dermatologists will tell you that they will clear up your acne and all with a completely safe and effective formula.  This is not entirely true.  Antibiotics can be used for a multitude of problems.  But their effectiveness wears off over time, and they can very well interact with your body’s systems and other medications, causing digestive problems(ie killing all bacteria good and bad in your stomach, which is harder than you think to replenish), diminishing your body’s natural absorption of vital nutrients, and other problems.  Acne is a temporary problem, one which in most cases goes away after adolescence or early adulthood and which will only flare up after that with serious hormonal changes such as pregnancy or menopause.  There is no reason to suffer long term side effects in most cases.

1. You will often be told to avoid things that have little application for most

A healthy diet can contribute to greater health and healthier skin in some cases.  Likewise, keeping bangs off your face can keep sebum from getting onto your hair and then getting back onto your face in an endless cycle.  But the sebum comes from the skin, not so often from the hair, and that is a common misconceptions that some dermatologists even follow.  There are some foods that could cause greater acne breakouts, but they are not the sole reason for your breakouts, and for some avoiding them will not do anything.

1. You will spend a lot more money!

Unfortunately, prescription medications are not guaranteed to work for every person just as over the counter treatments are not guaranteed to work for every person.  The difference is you will be spending a substantial amount more money for a prescription than you would for an over the counter product, and prescriptions are generally guaranteed to have side effects.  Copays for one doctor’s visit may cost you as much as a month’s supply of some over the counter treatments.

1. Your options are limited

While the over the counter market for acne treatments is always developing, always expanding, always searching for new horizons, it seems the prescription market has become stagnant.  They have done so much research and they have found a number of treatments which studies show to work for a number of people.  So they have stopped developing, stopped searching, and chosen not to bother with ingredients that they could not sell as prescription products.

Not all acne is the same as you may think.  Debris gets into the pores, and forms comedomes, also known as a blemish or acne.  There are without question different types of breakouts, some are not inflamed, and different types are found through different skin types, some on one set of skin.  There are some times when an individual may have comedomes and there is no inflammation or redness.  But if bacteria gets in there, comendones that were previously uninflamed become an ugly, huge, red pimple.

1. Soft, closed comedones

These will produce some bumpiness on the skin, and they are generally not red or painful.  They form when debris becomes trapped in the pores by piled up dead skin cells.  It tends to have soft oil, and if you simply exert a bit of pressure, it brings the oils to the surface, keeping the skin soft and smooth and free of acne.

1. Hard, closed Comedones

These are hard and closed and are known as milia.  They tend to look like whiteheads, and they are not painful or red.  They are often found in the eye area.  They develop the same way as the soft closed comedones, but the content is more like sand or sebum, not oils or puss.  It could clear up on itself.  But your dermatologist could also make a small incision to release the milia.

1. Open Comedones

This comedone is popularly known as a blackhead.  You can see an open black or brown area on the skin, and it means the sebum has mixed with bacteria and dirt.  There is a buildup of sebum, skin cells, dirt, and other parts.  It is also exposed to oxygen, which is part of what turns it black or brown.  You can use blackhead extractors, reducing possibility of infection or scars.

1. Micromedones

These are common, but too small to see without a microscope.  So you may not actually know if you have them.  It is the beginning of acne, basically meaning that dirt and oils have gotten trapped in the skin by dead skin cells.  To get rid of these, you want to reduce the buildup of oils and dead skin cells on the surface of the skin. So use a regular exfoliator and cleanser, and you will be able to get rid of quite a few if not all of these problems.

            Acne has been known to afflict adults, but mostly teens and young adults between the ages of 12 and 24.  It does not pick and choose by sex, geographic location, etc.  It happens to every kind of person in every part of the world.  It tends to occur in conjunction with hormonal changes, stress, poor skin care habits, bacteria, etc. 

            But some women are now turning to a new acne solution known as non contraceptive anti androgen options.  Ortho Tri-Cyclen is popularly known as a birth control pill, made up of progesterone and estrogen.  It works to decrease testosterone levels, which have been connected to many bouts of acne in women.  You should not take these obviously if you are a man.  But in women, acne lesions decreased by 50% with tri-cyclen.

            Essentially speaking, excess androgens and testosterone in women can significantly increase sebum production in women and therefore clog pores and cause acne.  This birth control specifically reduces ovarian androgens, improving acne specifically in women.  It also increases the circulation of binding globulin, which can decrease the levels of free testosterone in the body.  Side effects can include irregular menstruation, tender breasts, headaches, headaches, and fatigue.

            Another unconventional product used to treat acne is known as Aldactone.  It is generally used to treat edema while avoiding potassium depletion and simultaneously reducing blood pressure.  It has been used to actually treat potassium deficiency and hormonal disorder of hyperaldosteronism.  It binds itself to the androgen receptors and blocks true androgen from binding. 

            If you use this drug, you can suffer from low blood pressure, irregular menstrual cycles, spotting, high potassium, and it should only be taken under the direction of a doctor.  You should also avoid high potassium foods like bananas.  Because it affects the androgen, this product can also prevent acne in women or reduce it by about 50%.  In short, this provides contraceptive and acne fighting benefits without water retention. 

            In this growing industry and world, there are many different products emerging promising to fight acne while also providing other benefits, in this case while working as oral contraceptives.  They are unconventional, but for many they work.