Acne Treatment: How To Fight Bacteria

Acne is an inflamed disease of the skin, and it has many causes. One such cause is bacteria that is breeding in the pores of the skin. When the body's immune system is weak, it becomes allergic to this type of bacteria. Blood cells are attracted to fight the allergy, and the pores become blocked. Oil secretions begin to build up at these pores and provide a breeding ground for even more bacteria. Eventually, pimples form.

When faced with a bacteria causing acne, it is likely that you will begin to panic. Just imagine when you have red bumps that resemble small boils on your face. These red bumps get filledl with a nasty puss caused by the body fighting the infection of the bacteria. What can you do? Well, there are a number of things that you can do to fight the bacteria for acne treatment.

Treatments that kill the bacteria that cause acne included the use of antibiotics like tetracycline, doxycycline and minocyclne. These are to be taken orally. Also topical antibiotics or bactericides like Benzoyl peroxide or erythromycin can help. The bacteria also known as “P. acnes”, does however become resistant to the antibiotics eventually. However Benzoyl peroxide, an oxidizer, does not seem to generate resistance by the bacteria. While the acne will come back, it is a short term and temporary cure and is applied topically.

Gently exfoliating the skin can also help. This method can be done by using a cloth or a liquid scrub, or by using certain chemicals. Chemical exfoliating substances include salicylic acid and glycolic acid. Both of these agents cause a peeling of the top layer of skin, which prevents a build up of dead skin.

Another over the counter acne treatment is salicylic acid, which softens skin and gets rid of dead skin cells, which in turn unclogs pores. Many face wash products contain this ingredient. Also sulfur contained in many over the counter products works well for many people. Another product is glycolic acid, which is found in anti-aging products as well as acne medicines.

However, natural health practitioners prefer to recommend the use of natural acne treatment. Tea tree oil is gaining in popularity. It kills the bacteria and also reduces redness and inflammation. It works much the same