acne product reviews

What causes Acne? (Acne Information)

Acne Treatment Products
RevitaClear acne care
RevitaClear 3-Step Acne Treatment is an all-natural anti-blemish system developed to reduce the frequency of facial break outs and acne-related redness through daily use of a cleaner, anti-acne gel and moisturizer.
ClearPores is an entire line of products designed to minimize acne outbreaks. The ClearPores three step acne treatment includes a Deep Wash, Herbal Formula preventative and long acting Fortifying Cream.
Murad Acne Complex
Murad manufacturers a wide variety of over-the-counter skin care products, of which Murad Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel is the most appropriate for acne treatment and prevention. Murad Gel is a thick liquid designed to be applied after cleansing the skin of the face.
ZenMed
ZenMed
ZenMed is a topical cream with natural ingredients that is used to treat scars and imperfections caused by acne, eczema, and rosacea. ZenMed also works against body acne and stretch marks.

Acne

You know whether or not you have pimples. But what is acne exactly? What causes it? This article will describe what acne is and how it works.

Pores and sebaceous glands

Your skin, especially the skin of your face, is covered with pores. These pores are channels between the surface of your skin (epidermis) and the dermis, the deeper layer of your skin. Your pores have sebaceous glands, which create a substance called sebum (a kind of oil). This sebum drains to the surface of your skin, where it keeps your skin from drying out and keeps it supple.

Sometimes, pores get blocked. When that happens, the sebum that should be traveling to the surface of your skin is trapped below the surface. Bacteria begin to grow in the trapped sebum. This blocked pore is called a microcomedone. At this point, you might not even notice that something is wrong.

As the sebaceous glands continue to produce sebum, the blockage gets bigger and becomes a comedone. There are two types of comedones:

  • When the trapped sebum and bacteria stay below the surface of the skin, they are visible as a whitehead.
  • When the pore stays open enough, the blockage is visible as a blackhead. Blackheads turn black from the skin pigment melanin. Blackheads can last a long time because small amounts of sebum are still able to travel to the surface of the skin.

Scientists do not yet completely understand the causes of acne. We do know that diet, hormones, stress and vitamin deficiency all play a role in the production of acne, but we still don't know enough about the causes to make any one-to-one correlations.

Hormones certainly play a role in causing acne. Any time a one's hormones are out of balance (puberty and, for women, pregnancy and menopause) one tends to have an acne breakout. Acne breakouts may be caused by androgens, male hormones found in both men and women. Androgens stimulate sebaceous oil production, which may lead to clogged pores and acne.

Since the causes of acne are unclear, time is better spent researching a tested and reliable treatment for acne. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for acne -- just ongoing treatment for your skin.


Our staff of experts have rated a number of products in this category and have listed their recommendations.

Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor N/A

Overall Score Complete Solution Test Results Customer Service Recommendation
Brand Price      
RevitaClear Free Trial

98%

Yes
Must Buy
ClearPores $53.99

88%

Yes
Tentative Buy
Murad $29.95

77%

Yes
Tentative Buy
ZenMed $79.97

52%

No
Do Not Buy