Does Acne Treatment Need to Be Expensive?

How much money do you need to spend to get clear, acne free skin? We are constantly bombarded with skin care ads that tell us about how their product will transform our skin within a week. So you give in to temptation and buy it. You walk out of the store all excited, thinking you have found the holy grail of all products. You can’t wait to get home to try it out. Religiously the product is applied every night, or whenever suggested. You check your face in the mirror every day to see if there is any improvement.  A week later? Crickets!! Your skin is the same as it was a week back. A month later this cycle gets repeated. The only thing that changes is your bank balance while the state of your skin remains the same. Or if you are really unlucky, gets worse.

I did the same thing for years. Multitudes of products were bought, all the while deluding myself that more expensive the product, the better it would be. I kept on applying various products to my face thinking that if I did nothing the acne would get worse. When the acne did not heal, I added more products to my already crowded dressing table. I was so convinced that if I did nothing, my acne would get worse, convinced that I needed to spend even more money to get clear skin. This was not restricted to products alone, I spent even more on dermatologists and skin care clinics.

Today when my skin is clear, all that I have on my dressing table is oil, sunscreen, petroleum jelly and body lotion. Petroleum jelly is only for my feet. Unlike before I do not have multiple products for multiple things. I use oil to clean my face as well as moisturise it.

So how do you know if it’s time for you to quit using products or visiting clinics for your acne? Here are a few guidelines I have put together for you to make this decision.

It’s time to quit using products for your acne if

• You are over 25
• Your struggle with acne has lasted for more than a year
• You have used multiple products without any results
• Your skin keeps getting worse.

It’s time to quit seeing someone about your acne if

• You are told to continue the same treatment even after 2 months of no improvements.
• The same treatment is given to you time and time again.
• The treatment seems generic and not tailored for you.
• The doctor does not really listen to you.

So, what do you do if you do not use any products? Well, for now, NOTHING! Yes, you read right. If you have had no result you’re better off stopping all treatments. Chick here to read this article on how you can do that.

Will your acne get worse? I highly doubt it. If you have had no results, whatever you are using is NOT HELPING you. If a product is doing something for you, you should see results in 2-3 weeks at the least. Continue with the same face wash or moisturiser you are using (even if they are for acne prone skin), but stop using products only meant for acne. After you finish with your current face wash and moisturiser you can switch to regular ones.

Note: If you are taking antibiotics or any internal medication please consult the doctor before stopping it.