The vast majority of fast-acting acne treatments available on the market are a combination of powerful antibacterial agents with non-steroidal anti-inflamatory drugs. If that sounds familiar then you have probably seen that name on the back of an asprin bottle – which is precisely what these products contain.
In order to reduce the inflammation common in acne they contain simple asprin, ibuprofen or one of a range of other topical anti inflamatory drugs. Not only is the science behind these working on the skin sketchy at best but in the medium to long term they have been shown to cause serious irritation to the skin. Anything that irritates the skin will exacerbate the acne condition and make the problem worse.
The antibacterial agents are used as an attempt to provide some medium term protection against flair ups by acting as a barrier while the skin is in a weakened state form the NSAIDs present in the cream.
So these products are effectively placing a bandaid on a ‘wound’ they created!
The only true fast acne treatments are those that establish healthy, happy and clear skin while working in tandem with your skin’s natural processes. This ensures as little irritation as possible while clearing the causes of acne from inside out. Clearing acne fast is possible with correct hygiene, diet and care during activities such as shaving, washing and showering. Something as simple as switching razor blades can have a huge impact on acne.
There’s rarely ever a need to resort to fast acting ointments and creams to combat acne as they’ll cause you more harm than good in the medium and long term.
I’m a dermatologist with over 12 years experience in treating people’s skin complaints and I’ve seen my fair share of ‘incurable’ acne conditions. Not a single patient has incurable and I put it all down to a colleague of mine who you can read more about here.
