Many people suffer with the skin condition known as acne or Zits; however, many effective treatments are available. Owing the widespread nature of this condition, scientific research into this area is intense; in fact many new remedies are proving very effective. Most acne skin care products can be broken down into three main areas:

* Drugstore: Preventative treatment

* Drugstore: Relief treatment

* Prescription: Dermatologist or Doctor, specialist cream or ointment

Many skin care products are used as a measure to prevent acne; these products can be anything from skin cleansers to makeup removers. In the real sense, these products are just those that should be part of your daily routine; in many instances the user has never had a skin condition to worry about. Some of these products are designed to act like an acne skin care product and act against the causes of this complaint; devised primarily to limit the amount of oil or sebum forming in the pores. Excess oil needs to be stopped from clogging the pores as this oil make it easier for bacteria to grow, exacerbating the condition.

Other skin care treatments can help exfoliate the skin; most are readily available over the counter at drug stores or even online. These work towards removing dead skin cells, reducing the possibility of pore-clogging and bacteria development. There are specialized acne skin care products available over-the-counter, they do not require the need of a prescription. A bacterium that aids the formation of acne is stopped by creams and cleansers that contain benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid; they are designed to extract the excess oil that bacteria need to promote the development of acne.

Generally it is best to start using this type of product with only a small amount of benzoyl peroxide (less than 5.5 percent is recommended), just to see how the skin reacts; should a reaction occur, products containing alpha hydroxy acid are generally safer. As with any type of zit cream, you may need to try a few acne skin care products until you find one that will suit your skin; if none of them work then you would be advised to contact your skin specialist. Products that your dermatologist or doctor will recommend will only be available on prescription, they may include a course of antibiotics or topical ointments.

Under certain circumstances, having the infected material removed from the pores under a local anesthetic may be suggested by your dermatologist; although this is a minor procedure, if it were performed by the person themselves it could result in skin damage. An alternative that has been shown to work well is hormone therapy; hormonal changes are known to cause acne and such skin care treatments often effective. Constant research has paid off, and whilst they cannot cure the condition, it is becoming easier to treat.

The regular use of anti-ageing skin care products is becoming normal these days; it is not unreasonable to want to continue looking youthful for as long as possible when you consider how much longer most of us are living! We achieve this with beauty products that synthesize the production of the protein collagen; collagen is so abundant, it makes up about a quarter of the total protein content of structural protein found in skin. This category of skin products is in fact related to another group of everyday products that help reduce the signs of aging; this group is called antioxidants and apart from their cell repairing ability, they may be able to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

One of the best known anti-oxidants is vitamin C and despite continual research, no-one body involved can decide just exactly how much our body should consume on a daily basis. Vitamin C formulated skin care treatments suffer with a particular problem of oxidizing on contact with the air which causes a problem for users and manufacturers.

Other skin care treatments which mimic the effects of vitamin C are being tried all the time which are hoped to be more stable in the atmosphere and also cheaper to produce. However, these anti-ageing skin care treatments are not as effective vitamin C based products, although vitamin E and lipoic acid are also anti-oxidants and have similar effects.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant and is found in human blood; it has many functions including inhibiting the formation of cancer cells. Lipoic acid, which is found inside every cell of the body, helps generate the energy that keeps us alive and functioning; it can also help reduce the aging process which affects the skin.

Phytochemicals aren’t produced by the body but are extracted from a number of plants and used in many anti-ageing skin care products to combat the signs of ageing. Phytochemicals prevent occurrence of certain types of cancer; examples of these are:

* Prostate Cancer in Men

* Breast Cancer

* Cancer of the Colon

All of which are on the increase globally.

Some B-vitamins like B5, B6 and B12 are also in use for anti-ageing skin care products. The field of anti-ageing skin care products is vast and needs a great deal more research. Although current regimes are quite effective, there are many ways to combat the effects of time; with the number of genetic discoveries made in recent years, it is only a matter of time before conquering the effects of age is commonplace.

There may be many challenges still to overcome but in time scientists believe they will succeed in producing more effective anti-ageing skin care products that are less expensive and available to more people. Scientific research into anti-aging products is still in the early stages but they should never be relied upon; fortunately there is a number of natural anti-aging regimes that can be carried out that do not rely on science. Natural methods are known, but few people actually follow them; what proportion of the population actually eats healthily, takes plenty of exercise, drink sufficient water and obtain restful and regular sleep?