There are four stages of acne. Now, in order to understand how to treat your acne, it would help if you knew what stage your acne is in. Acne can be a very complex disease. And this is why you have to make sure you are getting the right treatment when needed. The four stages of acne are:

Whiteheads

Blackheads

Pustules and Nodules

Cysts

Whiteheads: are small whitish bumps that are underneath the skin. Oil build-up in your skin will cause you to have whiteheads. If you have whiteheads, don't try to remove. It would be pretty hard to. The whiteheads are usually hard white bumps. A experienced dermatologist can extract these whiteheads from your skin. You can also go to your drug/pharmacy and buy some Biore Strips. These strips are very good for whiteheads. You can also use a gel or cream that contains salicylic acid. Give this a try. And ladies, if you need to go out, you can conceal a whitehead. Cover with a concealer and then brush over with a base powder. In order to prevent whiteheads, get regular facials. This will keep your pores clean and you will have less breakouts.

Blackheads: are small bumps with a very small opening and when in contact with air, these small bumps turn black. Some Biore Strips are very good at taking care of blackheads. Cold Cream is also great. And ladies if you are going out, you can use a liquid concealer. Dot the area and then finish it off with a powder. In order to prevent blackheads in the future, you can steam clean your face at least once a week. Then cleanse your skin using a mask. You should also get a deep cleaning facial once a month and this will keep your skin clean. Once you get started with these facials, you won't be able to stop. You are going to love how your skin looks. I love a good facial.

Inflamed Red Bumps(Nodules and Pustules: A pustules is a whitehead with a ring of redness around it. Nodules are the deep inflamed red bumps. The redness comes from the inflammation. So if you have those little red bumps on your face, benzoyl peroxide would help at this point. A drying lotion or a clay mask can work as well. And these red bumps are very hard to conceal. But their is a alternative to this. There is a thick concealer out there called Dermablend that can hide anything. It's very good. You should also think about seeing a dermatologist at this stage.

Cyst: This is an erupting blemish: If this pimple is open, then apply a drying lotion. Do not squeeze it. If you do, then you will have a scar. If you are having many outbursts of these erupting blemishes, then go see an dermatologist. And there is no concealing at all here. Just let it drain. You can also use some benzoyl peroxide.

Gentle cleansers everyday

Frequent masks weekly

Steam your face once a week

Deep cleaning facials once a month

This should keep your acne under control. And don't forget to drink plenty of water and watch what you eat.