THE WORLD'S #1 ACNE RESOURCE - since 1996

Science-based acne information, a supportive community,
and a regimen that works

The Acne.org Regimen

Reliably and completely clears the skin in 3-4 months, or faster for many people. Improvements start almost immediately.

The Acne.org Regimen

Community Activity

accutane making my skin much worse than before

38 minutes ago
correcting for scars from phenol

1 hour ago
Dehydrated & Acne Prone Skin

1 hour ago
Repairing the long-term damage from Accutane

2 hours ago
Starting accutane soon i think

3 hours ago
Scarless Healing

5 hours ago

What is acne?

Acne is an inflammatory disease that occurs when the pores of your skin become clogged, most often on the face, neck, back, and chest. No one knows exactly why this happens, but we do know that testosterone plays a part, as does heredity.^1-5

Once a pore becomes clogged, it traps skin oil and bacteria inside. Acne lesions can be small and hardly noticeable, have a small white or black head, or can appear red with a white/yellow center. Sometimes a clogged pore will become so inflamed that it can lead to larger, more painful, and longer-lasting lesions called nodules or cysts, which often scar.

Almost no one escapes some clogged pores and pimples, especially during adolescence - a fragile time when self-esteem and confidence is just emerging.^9-10 Acne afflicts people of all ethnicities and is treated the same regardless.^11-15

Our skin is healthiest and clearest when it is balanced. The less irritation your skin experiences, the better it is able to remain clear. Sources of irritation include anything which rubs, scratches, or comes into prolonged contact with your skin, as well as anything which sends your skin out of balance such as over-dryness, sunburns, shaving with irritating razors, and pore-clogging cosmetics. To best clear acne, try to keep your skin as untouched as possible. It is also important to wash the skin no more than twice per day, since over-washing the skin can also lead to unnecessary irritation.

Finally, popping pimples is not a no-no. None of us likes to walk around with pus-filled pimples. Done correctly, properly popping can actually help hasten healing. However, whatever you do, absolutely, positively, do not pick at your skin.^6-8

How to treat acne

Treatment must continue until your body outgrows the disease, which most people do after adolescence.^16-17 However, a surprisingly large percentage of adults also suffer with acne and must continue treatment until a later age. Aside from Accutane^®, there is no other oral or topical treatment for acne which produces long-lasting remission of acne symptoms.¹⁸ However, ongoing treatment can get the skin completely clear and keep it that way for years if need be.

2.5% benzoyl peroxide

The most effective treatment for most people aside from Accutane^® is benzoyl peroxide, which has been a mainstay of acne treatment since the 1930s, and for good reason. It is the only medication which can penetrate into the skin and deliver oxygen.¹⁹ Acne bacteria cannot live in the presence of oxygen, and benzoyl peroxide kills 99.9% of them almost instantly.²⁰However, for benzoyl peroxide to completely clear acne, it must be applied as outlined in The Acne.org Regimen--generously, and in 2.5% strength. Applying it in this fashion allows most people to suppress acne symptoms until their bout of acne naturally subsides.

Learn The Acne.org Regimen »

Accutane^® (isotretinoin)

For severe, widespread, and potentially scarring acne, isotretinoin (often known by its original brand name, Accutane^®) is an option. Isotretinoin is a systemic oral treatment which is normally prescribed for 15-20 weeks and produces long-term remission of acne symptoms in about 66% of people who take it, but comes with a large range of side effects, some of which can be lifelong and plague the patient for the rest of their lives. It also causes severe birth defects, and may cause premature aging and joint pain in the long-term. For all of these reasons, it should never be entered into lightly, and all other options should be exhausted first. If it is used, it must be administered in close partnership with a physician.^21-22

Learn about Accutane^®

Many other topical and oral treatments exist for acne, most of which produce moderate results. Home remedies, however, do not tend to deliver on their promises.

References

† Women of Asian heritage and men and women of African heritage can respond to some antibiotics differently – if you fit into any of these categories, check with your physician if you decide to take antibiotics for your acne.

Titus S and Hodge J. “Diagnosis and treatment of acne.”
American Family Physician. 2012: 86(8): 734-40.
Bataille V, et al. “The use of the twin model to investigate the genetics and epigenetics of skin diseases with genomic, transcriptomic and methylation data.”
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 2012: 26(9): 1067-73.
Kligman AM and Plewig G.
Acne and Rosacea. Berlin: Springer, 2000.
Chen WC and Zouboulis CC. "Hormones and the pilosebaceous unit."
Dermato-Endocrinology. 2009; 1(2); 81-86.
Gilliland K, et al. "Androgen Metabolism in Sebaceous Glands from Subjects With and Without Acne."
Archives of Dermatology. 1999; 135: 1041-1045.
Dessinioti C and Katsambas AD. "The role of Propionibacterium acnes in acne pathogenesis: Facts and controversies."
Clinics in Dermatology. 2010; 28(1): 2-7.
Zouboulis CC. "Propionibacterium acnes and sebaceous lipogenesis: A love-hate relationship?"
Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2009; 129(9): 2093-2096.
Pappas A, et al. "Sebum analysis of individuals with and without acne."
Dermatoendocrinology. 2009; 1(3): 157-161.
Tidman MJ. “Prompt treatment of acne improves quality of life.”
Practitioner. 2012: 256(1752): 15-7, 2.
Kurtalić N, et al. “Quality-of-life of adolescents with acne vulgaris.”
Acta Medica Croatica. 2010: 64(4): 247-51.
Alexis AF and Lamb A. "Concomitant therapy for acne in patients with skin of color: A case-based approach."
Dermatology Nursing. 2009; 21(1): 33-36.
Shah SK and Alexis AF. "Acne in skin of color: Practical approaches to treatment."
Journal of Dermatological Treatment. 2010; 21(3):206-211.
Taylor SC, et al. "Acne Vulgaris in Skin of Color."
Journal of American Academy of Dermatology. 2002; 46: S98-S106.
Halder RM and Nootheti PK. "Ethnic Skin Disorders Overview."
Journal of American Academy of Dermatology. 2003; 48: 143-148.
Davis EC and Callender VD. "A review of acne in ethnic skin: Pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and management strategies."
The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology. 2010; 3(4): 24-38.
Cunliffe WJ, Goulden V and Stables GI. "Prevalence of Facial Acne in Adults."
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 1999; 41(4): 577-80.
Knaggs HE, et al. "Post-adolescent acne."
International Journal of Cosmetic Science. 2004; 26(3): 129-38.
Rademaker M. “Isotretinoin: dose, duration and relapse. What does 30 years of usage tell us?”
The Australasian Journal of Dermatology. 2012 Sep 26.
Mohd NH and Aziz Z. “A systematic review of benzoyl peroxide for acne vulgaris.”
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment. 2012 Jul 25.
Savage L and Layton A. "Treating Acne Vulgaris: Systemic, Local and Combination Therapy: Benzoyl Peroxide."
Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology. 2010: 13(4): 563-580.
Ganceviciene R and Zouboulis CC. "Isotretinoin: State of the art treatment for acne vulgaris."
Journal of the German Society of Dermatology. 2009; 8 Suppl. 1: S47-S59.
Rademaker M. "Adverse effects of isotretinoin: A retrospective review of 1743 patients started on isotretinoin."
Australasian Journal of Dermatology. 2010; 51(4): 248-253.
Poli F. "Acne on pigmented skin."
International Journal of Dermatology. 2007; 46(Suppl 1): 39-41.
Yeung CK, et al. "A community-based epidemiological study of acne vulgaris in Hong Kong adolescents."
Acta-Dermato Venereologica. 2002; 82(2): 104-7.