Proactive Acne Treatment

Taking matters into your own hands is not such a bad idea when we talk about acne. In fact, a proactive approach to acne treatment can be extremely beneficial. A proactive approach means to take charge of your acne and your life. A proactive approach can also save you from unnecessary expenses.

But like all things, too much of a good thing can be bad. So what is too much of a good thing when it comes to being proactive?

One example is self-medication. Acne is one of those things that most people think they do not really need a doctor for. To a certain extent that is true. Mild to moderate acne can be easily treated with over the counter treatments. More often than not following the 3 basic rules of skin care of cleansing, toning, and moisturizing should bring positive results.

Things can take a turn for the dangerous when we talk about stronger ingredients that are used for acne treatment like tretinoin and hydroquinin. Being proactive is one thing; playing around with ingredients that need medical supervision is another.
Bear in mind that these chemicals need medical supervision for a good reason. One very good reason is when used improperly, they can cause damage to the skin that is irreversible.

Another potentially dangerous and even fatal area to self-medicate on is oral treatments. Topical treatments only affect the outer layer of the skin. When you bring into the fray anything that you have to put in your mouth, it is best to speak with a doctor first.

Oral treatments include antibiotics, birth control pills, hormones and medications like isotretinoin. These treatments are extremely potent and are commonly reserved for severe cases of acne.

Oral treatments are dangerous because they affect your internal organs and your nervous system. Most oral treatments are also used to treat other disorders or diseases that may or may not be related to acne. They may cure your acne but you can never be sure if they are causing damage to other parts of your body.

A proactive approach to acne treatments is not a license to self-medicate. Self-medication is allowable to a certain degree if the products used do not need medical supervision. However, there are certain acne treatments that cannot be used without medical supervision. Using these treatments without proper medical supervision can be costly; it might cause damage irreversible damage to the skin. In a worse case scenario, self-medication can even be fatal.