Knowing the active ingredients in acne creams can help you get the most effective treatment by leaning on what’s already worked for you in the past.  For example, if your face wash that gets decent results uses salicylic acid as its active ingredient, you’ll probably get good results from an acne cream that uses it.  Or, if your face wash doesn’t help at all, you may want to look into a cream that has benzoyl peroxide as its main ingredient.

Salicylic acid is the most common active ingredient in face washes and skin creams.  It works by penetrating your pores and clearing out the junk that resides inside.  The biggest side effect of this is that it dries your skin out, and when it’s too concentrated for your skin type the dryness can lead to more acne.  If you get good results with this (read the label of your current acne treatment) you’ll probably get good results from it as an acne cream.

Benzoyl peroxide works by oxygenating the skin and creating an environment that acne cannot grow.  The good thing about benzoyl peroxide is that you can use a lot of it without worrying about your skin drying out, however it does tend to make skin a bit more sensitive and likely to sunburn.  Tea tree oil is a common ingredient that is paired with this peroxide, this will help deal with your skin being more sensitive.  Most acne creams will have 2.5% benzoyl peroxide, which is mellow enough for you to put a lot on your face.  The key is to keep repeating the process, and your acne should fade.

Acne creams will usually rely on one of these ingredients and not the other.  If you get good results with one stick with it.  If not switch to the other and watch your acne fade away.

Related posts:

1. Skin Care Treatments
2. Simple Tips For Dealing With Acne
3. What To Look For In A Pimple Cream