Nine out of ten people fall prey to the number one acne myth: Acne is caused by dirt and oil on your skin, which leads to an infection under the skin. While this can be a valid cause for acne, could it be that the leading acne product manufacturers just want you to believe this is true so you’ll continue to buy their products?

However effective these supposed acne solutions are for many people, the truth is that these products may only be “curing” you of your acne on the surface. Which means, you’re not really being cured at all.

You see there’s a common belief that acne is not caused by surface dirt and oil, but is caused by something deep below your skin’s surface, like toxins in your body. Toxins come from air, water, and anything you ingest, such as food, alcohol, etc. that your body has to filter out.

Generally, your liver and kidneys work to filter toxins out of your body through your bowels and bladder. When your kidneys and liver become so full of toxins that they can no longer release them effectively in this manner, the toxins build up. Well, they need to come out somewhere —through your skin by way of your pores.

When toxins escape through your skin, they irritate and contaminate your pores. The result is an infection, evident by a pussy white pimple or a hard, tender bump on the surface of your skin, generally found in clusters.

One of the best ways — if not THE best way — to help rid your body of toxins is to detoxify. You’ve probably heard of detoxification before. There are numerous detoxifying aids available on the market today.

The concept of detoxification is a simple one: To aid your body in ridding itself of toxins. The process can last anywhere from a couple of days to a month, depending on your needs. Several components are included from simplifying your diet to drinking lots of water, juices and teas to taking herbal supplements to aid in ridding your body of waste.

During the detoxification process, your body may experience symptoms similar to being sick, such as headaches, nausea, diarrhea and fatigue. This is because the toxins are being processed out of your body. Once you get passed the initial symptoms, you’ll find that you not only feel better but your skin will look better. And if you keep up a healthier diet by not reintroducing toxins to your body, you can continue to manage your acne for the rest of your life, without the use of acne products.

There are many forms of acne treatments and they vary depending on the severity of your acne. The first stage of acne is called mild acne and it is characterized by about three dozen comedones or blackheads and scattered papules which are small pimples without the pus. You won’t be able to notice some of the symptoms unless you take a closer look. Acne treatments recommended by dermatologists for this acne stage include washing the affected areas twice a day with a mild cleanser and applying topical oil free, non-comedogenic, and non-acnegenic gels, solutions, creams, and lotions.

The second stage is the moderate acne and it is characterized by inflamed red lesions, numerous comedones or blackheads, as well as numerous pustules which are pimples filled with pus. Acne treatments recommended by dermatologists include prescription oral drugs such as minocyline, tetracyline, doxycyline, erythromycin, ibuprofen, and isotretinion. These acne treatments can also be partnered with application of topical medications and other anti-acne products.

Severe acne is the worst stage among the three because it is characterized with numerous blackheads, large pus-filled pustules, highly inflamed lesions, cystic acne, and large interconnected nodules that are very painful. This skin condition should be treated immediately to avoid further complications. The acne treatments recommended will be combinations of oral medications such as anti-inflammatory and antibiotics. Topical anti-acne products will no longer be as effective to severe acne cases. You should bear in mind that oral medication is the only effective means of treatment for this severe acne stage.

Our problems regarding our skin don’t stop when the acne is treated. It’s just the beginning of a new chapter in our fight against the remains of acne, the acne scars. There are typically two kinds of acne scars, one is the hypertrophic scars and the other one is the deep craters on the skin surface.

Hypertrophic scars are sometimes called keloids and they are characterized by their thick elevation above the normal skin surface. The craters on the skin surface come in three shapes, the ice-pick, box-car, and the rolling scar. Ice-pick acne scars are the most common and they’re shaped like deep pits in the skin. Box-car acne scars are somewhat similar to the chicken pox scars and they may either run deep within or just superficial on the skin surface. The rolling acne scars are not as deep as the other crater acne scars and they just form a wave-like appearance on the skin.

There are many acne treatments for removing scars. You can use commercially prepared exfoliating products to peel off the skin surface and reveal the fresher skin underneath. However, if your scars really run deep, you might need to undergo a dermatologist’s acne scar treatments. You can choose from punch techniques, laser resurfacing or laser treatment, dermabrasion, and chemical peeling.

The punch techniques aim to join together the loopholes of your skin by scarring your face once more. This is a painful process that needs a longer time period to heal but it is very effective in acne scar craters. Laser resurfacing, dermabrasion, and chemical peeling methods aim to remove the skin surface that manifests the acne scars using different materials and technology. However, these are not one-time treatments because you will need to undergo several sessions in order to achieve the desired results.

Remember the angst ridden acne years of your youth? Or perhaps you are still a youth. By youth, I mean either adolescent or teenaged. So many people today suffer from teenage and adult acne. The effect acne has on your self esteem can be devastating, especially at a young age, when appearance seems so important, and people can be cruel. The nutraceutical acne pill is now changing that scenario for many teenagers, and is also helping many people suffering with acne into adulthood to permanently clear acne.

There are some excellent, and fairly new acne pills that actually clear acne through precise combinations of herbal compounds and pure, natural ingredients. These acne pills have been used as very successful, and often times permanent, remedies to clear acne on both adults and adolescents.

How do acne pills work? Acne pills actually work by correcting the hormonal and chemical imbalances in the body that lead to acne flareups, persistent acne, and the more severe form, cystic acne. People suffering from cystic acne can really benefit from a natural acne pill, since they are designed to treat acne at it’s source, from the inside of the body, rather than topically. Cystic acne sufferers really tend to have hormonal issues, which acne pills address by “calming”, soothing and balancing.

Some of the common ingredients in these complexion-clearing acne pills are actually known in herbal communities for their skin soothing and “calming” properties, and have commonly been used to treat various skin disorders in the past. Natural acne pills actually blend several of these ingredients together in precise combinations to effectively clear acne permanently, or with very little follow up treatment.

Let’s look at some of the common skin clearing and therapeutic herbs and compounds that are found in an acne pill. First, vitamin E is a common ingredient. Vitamin E has been used as a skin soothing and repairing agent for decades. Vitamin E actually will help smooth rough skin when taken in the proper dosages, and actually helps facilitate the clearing of acne in combination with other ingredients.

A second common ingredient in the acne pill is aloe vera. Aloe vera actually has many of the same skin soothing properties and advantages as vitamin E. I’m sure you’ve used aloe vera at least a couple times to treat sunburn or irritated skin. Aloe vera seemed to be a staple in everyone’s home growing up for it’s skin repairing benefits.

Two more ingredients you may find in an acne pill are alpha lipoic acid and collagen, both of which are actually beneficial for both aging skin and skin suffering from disorders such as acne or acne rosacea. Alpha lipoic acid is gaining a lot of recognition in recent years, especially with the publication and advocation of popular cosmetic dermatologist Nicholas Perricone in his book The Perricone Prescription and other popular follow up books on how to stop and reverse the aging process of the skin.

Other skin cleansing, purifying and balancing ingredients botanicals found in the acne pill are chamomile, rosemary, rose essential oil, and horsetail, all traditionally used to clear, tone and purify the skin for the most blemish-free complexion possible, even back as far as the early 1800’s.

The bottom line is, I highly recommend investing in either a natural acne system that combines topical treatment with an oral acne pill or just investing in a natural acne pill that is high in purity standards and has a good track record of customer satisfaction. These treatments have proven to be just as effective as many of the often long-term and sometimes harmful treatments dermatologists prescribe. Not only that, you can order them from the comfort of your own home, and don’t need to be burdened by dermatologist visits, or repetitive costs. It is truly one of the best investments you can make in your skin!