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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;There are probably more &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/over-the-counter-acne-treatments-15638&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;over-the-counter acne treatments&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; available now than at any other time in history. Here&amp;amp;#39;s some more good news for you -- many OTC acne products are very effective.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;But over-the-counter acne products don&amp;amp;#39;t work for everyone. Before you spend a ton of time and money on OTC acne treatments, make sure they are the right choice for you.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Clues that Over-the-counter Acne Products are Right for You&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Your generally have &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-mild-acne-15609&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;mild acne&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;You tend to have &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/types-of-acne-blemishes-15616&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;blackheads&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and/or occasional pimples.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Your breakouts aren&amp;amp;#39;t typically deep, large, or inflamed.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Acne is not leaving &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/all-about-acne-scars-and-acne-scar-treatment-15807&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;scars&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;You feel fairly confident choosing an OTC product on your own.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;If this describes you and your skin, an over-the-counter product may be just what you need to get breakouts under control. (If not, you&amp;amp;#39;ll get better results with a prescription medication. Not sure if you should try a prescription treatment instead? This article will help answer that question for you: &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/do-i-need-a-prescription-acne-treatment-15643&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Do I Need a Prescription Acne Medication?&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;)&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Choose a Proven Acne Treatment&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Now that you&amp;amp;#39;re certain an OTC acne product is the right treatment for you, it&amp;amp;#39;s time to choose your product. But you want to make sure you &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/how-to-get-otc-acne-treatments-that-work-15863&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;get an OTC acne product that works&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;!&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Brand name here isn&amp;amp;#39;t what&amp;amp;#39;s important. What is: the active ingredient.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Choose an over-the-counter acne treatment product that contains a proven active ingredient like &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/all-about-benzoyl-peroxide-15861&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;7&amp;quot;&amp;gt;benzoyl peroxide&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; or &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/salicylic-acid-15632&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;8&amp;quot;&amp;gt;salicylic acid&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;There are many good three- and four-step treatment kits available too. These contain a cleanser, toner, treatment lotion and sometimes a &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/acne-spot-treatments-15527&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;9&amp;quot;&amp;gt;spot treatment&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; or mask.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;These are nice because they take the guesswork out of choosing products, but you can just as easily &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/make-your-own-acne-treatment-15862&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;10&amp;quot;&amp;gt;build your own acne treatment routine&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; with whatever products you like. This gives you a bit more flexibility. If you don&amp;amp;#39;t like the cleanser in the kit, you&amp;amp;#39;re stuck. You won&amp;amp;#39;t have that problem if you put together your own regimen.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Whatever OTC products you choose, use it consistently (this means every day) as directed on the product label.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Now, the hard part -- wanting to see results. This can take several weeks, so stick with it and try to be patient.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;For specifics on how to find the right OTC for your skin: &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/how-to-choose-an-otc-acne-treatment-product-15848&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;11&amp;quot;&amp;gt;How To Choose an OTC Acne Treatment Product&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Be Prepared to Move on to Stronger Treatments, If Needed&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Not noticing any improvement after several weeks? Don&amp;amp;#39;t switch to another OTC product. If your current OTC product isn&amp;amp;#39;t working for you, odds are a new OTC product won&amp;amp;#39;t either.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;You&amp;amp;#39;ll save yourself some time and aggravation, and get better results, by &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/why-to-see-a-dermatologist-about-your-acne-15766&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;12&amp;quot;&amp;gt;seeing a doctor&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; at this point.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Over-the-counter acne treatments can be effective for some people. But honestly, they don&amp;amp;#39;t work for everybody. In many cases, a &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/topical-prescription-acne-treatments-15629&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;13&amp;quot;&amp;gt;prescription medication&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; is needed.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Prescription acne medications are stronger than what you can buy over the counter. So even if OTC products aren&amp;amp;#39;t clearing your skin, a prescription medication can get you the results you&amp;amp;#39;re looking for. So don&amp;amp;#39;t wait to see a dermatologist if needed.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;cite&amp;gt;Sources:&amp;lt;/cite&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;cite&amp;gt;&amp;amp;#34;Questions and Answers About Acne.&amp;amp;#34; National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). Jan 2006. National Institutes of Health.&amp;lt;/cite&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;cite&amp;gt;Whitney KM, Ditre CM. &amp;amp;#34;Management Strategies for Acne Vulgaris.&amp;amp;#34; &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Clinical Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology &amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;4 (2011): 41-53. &amp;lt;/cite&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;cite&amp;gt;Zaenglein AL, Pathy AL, Schlosser BJ, Alikhan A, Baldwin HE, et. al. &amp;amp;#34;Guidelines of Care for the Management of Acne Vulgaris.&amp;amp;#34; &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt; 74.5 (2016): 945-73.&amp;lt;/cite&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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