Acne is a problem with people of any age or gender. Most people believe that acne is only something experienced during the years of puberty. While yes, many young adults experience acne when puberty arises, there are also other reasons that could cause acne in any person, of any age.

A skin infection is what causes acne, bacteria gets within the pores of your skin and allows it to grow. The skin then becomes irritated from the bacteria, which then creates what we know as acne. Oily skin is also a direct cause of acne, which could be a result of various life occurrences such as health issues, puberty, pregnancy, or even stress.

While we might get acne from any number of reasons, we can enjoy the fact that there are many treatments that can help us fight off acne, whether we have a severe case or a mild case. There are medical treatments from prescription to "over the counter" medications, as well as natural treatments, and changes you can make in your life to help in preventing or treating acne.

When it comes to naturally fighting acne, you want to make sure that you wash your face each and everyday, twice a day. Washing your face each morning when you wake up and each night before you go to bed, you will be eliminating the breeding grounds for bacteria. Make sure you wash thoroughly and for best results, use a good quality anti-bacterial soap. Makeup worn by women and oil build-up will definitely result in clogged pores, which creates acne. There are many over the counter washes that work very well for cleansing the face and preventing or treating acne. You will want to avoid using regular soap as it can dry out your face too much. Other natural methods include drinking water everyday, avoiding caffeine, exercising, getting the right balance of minerals and vitamins, following a proper diet, and getting enough sleep each night. All of these can be beneficial to any acne treatment you decide to use.

Over the counter medicines and prescriptions are also available in efforts to combat acne. If you have a serious case of acne, you should see a dermatologist, who can help by prescribing a stronger medicine or suggest cleansing routines to help relieve the acne. There are many over the counter medicines and treatments that can help such as acne pads, creams, or gels. The key to choosing the right products is finding one that works. All of these products will claim to treat or prevent acne, but depending on the cause of your specific breakout, it may not work. And what works for one person may not work as well for another, so you need to find the one that works best for you and your body chemistry.

If you do not define the reason for your breakout and eliminate the problem, it may be difficult for you to find products that work. For example, if you have extremely oily skin, but do not wash your face twice daily, the oil will still be there, which means so will the acne. If stress is the factor in your breakout, you must eliminate the stress. If you do not eliminate or work on the factors causing the acne, the products might work at first, but the acne will always return.

Depending on your lifestyle, a certain amount of acne may be unavoidable, but there are changes to your daily routine that you can implement, starting today, that can make a huge difference in the severity of your acne.