I’m not a professional dermatologist, but when my teenage daughter started having problems with acne, I began to read up.  Back when I was a teenager all the exfoliate products for acne skin care had salicylic acid in them.  This was the medication I was familiar with and yet, I knew it was also used for treating other types of more serious skin problems.  So, I was a bit concerned it might be too harsh on my daughter’s younger skin.  I didn’t want her to end up with red blotchy skin just to solve her acne.

However, after watching Episode #69 on DermTV, “The Difference Between Glycolic and Salicylic Acid” I not only realized there was an alternative, but that salicylic acid can be just as safe.  Dr Neal Schultz speaks in plain terms about the difference between these two medications used in skin products today.  It turns out the Glycolic acid is the most common, or as he says “the work horse”, for most skin exfoliate issues because it can be safe from a mild dose of 1 to 2% to even the more stringent dosage used at the dermatologist’s office of up to 70%.  I thought that was a bit extreme, but then again that is only used by the dermatologist.  It does make me feel much more secure in getting something for my daughter and knowing it will be safe for acne skin care and her younger skin even if the percentage is as high as 5%.

According to Dr. Schultz, salicylic acid is still the most common treatment for acne skin care, although, it can become harsh on the skin even as little as 2% of the active ingredient.Dr. Schultz did point out that it’s safe for all skin types provided that the products were used as directed.  Using a product with salicylic acid should not result in any redness or irritation, which is the last thing a teenage daughter needs when facing her friends at high school. 

In the end, when used as directed both products are safe, even on younger skin.  There may be others out there which can exfoliate the skin, but these are the two Dr. Dr. Schultz said to consider.  Glycolic is the one we’re trying now.  But it’s nice to know there are options if it doesn’t provide the kind of acne skin care we are looking for.

I have struggled with acne since I was a teenager. The sad reality is that I’m not a teenager anymore, but I’m still dealing with nasty acne breakouts at the most inconvenient times in my life. I’ve talked to lots of friends about this, but never taken the plunge and turned to a doctor or real dermatologist for acne help, mostly because I’ve never had the extra cash, and I’m interested in using less medications and more natural methods of dealing with it. But now, I’m ready for some real, educated advice about what does and does not cause my acne, and if there are any lifestyle changes that could affect the frequency and intensity with which I break out.

While surfing around different skin care and medical websites on the internet the other day, I came across a unique website that was completely dedicated to explaining concepts and products related to healthy skin care. The site was called DermTV and what made it unique was that it had tons of short informative videos on acne help, as well as a whole host of other interesting topics, like how to prevent your skin from aging and the truth about using antioxidant creams.

Usually I hate sitting and watching poor quality internet videos where the sound goes in an out and you have no idea whether the person in the video is even qualified to be instructing you on the topic of the show. However, the DermTV videos that I watched were hosted by an actual dermatologist that has been treating patients successfully for years. He didn’t use big complicated terms or reiterated the same acne help tips that people have been telling me for years. In fact, the first video I watched exposed many of the half-truths or rumors I've heard for years.

The doctor was most eager to point out that no matter what age or intensity you are experiencing acne at, there are ways to treat and even completely eliminate the acne breakouts! This was great news for me. The doctor also pointed out that contrary to what I had been told by my friends, it is very uncommon for certain foods, like pizza or caffeine, to cause acne breakouts. Unless you’ve seen a direct and immediate correlation between eating a certain food and breaking out, the odds are that you just get acne for the same reason everyone else does, clogged pores.