Alpha-Hydroxy Acids

Please note that this is a general example of a skin care and acne treatment programme and that you should speak with your healthcare provider or pharmacist before you start to use any acne treatments, especially as not all acne treatments can be safely used together. You should also read your product’s information carefully and follow its instructions for use.

Not everyone’s acne is the same and therefore certain acne treatments may be more effective for some and less effective for others. It’s about finding what treatments work for you. Below you will find an example of a skin care and acne treatment regime to give you an idea of what one looks like.

Morning

1. Cleansing: Start by cleansing your skin, including the acne affected areas. Soap might cause your skin to become dry, especially around the face. You may wish to use a product known as a cleanser instead of soap. It can be beneficial to use a cleanser specifically designed for the treatment of acne. Both cleansers and acne specific cleansers are widely available at pharmacies.
2. Treatment: Apply your acne treatment. This is often a product that is left on the skin and may be one that you have purchased at a pharmacy or that has been prescribed to you by your healthcare provider. If you tend to cover your acne with products such as makeup or skin camouflage then you may find that applying an acne treatment might cause these products to not stay in place. If this is the case for you then you may wish to skip this step and apply your acne treatment at night. It is important to remember that some acne treatments can irritate your skin. You may have to build-up your skin’s tolerance of a treatment by only applying it for only a few days a week to begin with. Please see your product’s details for full directions on use and details on warnings.
3. Further Products: Wait fifteen minutes after applying your acne treatment to allow your skin time to absorb the treatment before you apply any further products. If you apply a further product too soon then it may dilute the acne treatment and make it less effective. Some acne treatments can cause the skin to become dry. You may wish to apply a moisturiser to help prevent this. It is also common for some acne treatments to make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. If you are using such a treatment then you may like to consider applying a sunscreen to help keep your skin protected. Remember that sunscreens should be reapplied every few hours and after activities that may accidentally remove them, such as swimming or towel drying. Other products that are often used include cosmetic concealers that cover the discolouration caused by acne.

Night

1. Cleansing: Cleansing your skin at night is an important step as it removes sweat and oil that may have built up over the day and might be at risk of blocking your hair follicles. Gently cleanse your skin using your chosen product (this may be the same cleanser that you used in the morning).
2. Treatment: Apply your acne treatment, this might be the same treatment that you applied in the morning and may be one that you have purchased at a pharmacy or that has been prescribed to you by your healthcare provider. Often these treatments are left on overnight. Again, it is important to remember that some acne treatments can irritate your skin and that you may have to build up your skin’s tolerance of the treatment by only applying it for a few days a week to being with. Please see your product’s details for full directions on use and details on warnings.
3. Further Products: As in the morning, you should allow for fifteen minutes to let your skin absorb your acne treatment before you apply any further products. If your skin is dry then you may wish to apply a moisturiser, after your treatment.

Please note that oily products may cause or worsen acne by creating blockages in the skin’s hair follicles. To help prevent this you should seek to use non-oily products and look for products that are labelled non-comedogenic, which means that it is less likely to cause acne. However, these products may still have the potential to block your hair follicles which could then lead to acne forming or worsening.

Depending on the type of acne and how many acne lesions you have, acne can be categorised as being either mild, moderate or severe. These groupings are sometimes used by medical professionals to determine what type of treatments are likely to work. They can also be helpful in enabling people to understand and manage their acne.

There are no set definitions as to what exactly counts as mild, moderate or severe acne. However, the descriptions below serve as a general guide. Please note that this is just one method of classifying acne. When deciding whether you think you have mild, moderate or severe acne you should also consider how long you have had acne; whether or not your acne leaves scars; how many different treatments you have tried that have not been successful; and if and how your acne is impacting on your mental and emotional well-being. These factors are also extremely important in determining acne severity.

Please note that the use of the word ‘lesion’, both on this page and on this site more generally, is used to refer to any kind of acne blemish or spot. This includes blackheads, whiteheads, papules and pustules (inflamed acne spots), acne cysts and acne nodules (large, inflamed acne spots). For more information on the different types of acne visit our ‘Acne Types’ page.

Mild Acne

Mild acne is described as having 20 or fewer blackheads or whiteheads; 15 or fewer inflamed acne lesions; or having 30 or fewer acne lesions in total.

Moderate Acne

Moderate acne is described as having between 20 to 100 blackheads or whiteheads; 15 to 50 inflamed acne lesions; or having between 30 to 125 acne lesions in total.

Severe Acne

Severe acne is described as having more than 5 acne cysts or nodules; more than 100 blackheads or whiteheads; more than 50 inflamed acne lesions; or having more than 125 acne lesions in total.