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Acne products

Acne products seem to multiply on store shelves. Before purchasing any, save yourself time and money by researching them on line.

Advertising claims, user reviews AND lists of ingredients can be found online, on a company's website or by calling its 800 number.

You want to find out what's right for your skin type, (dry skin or oily skin) and for the kind of problem you're facing (teen acne, adult acne, acne rosacea, etc).

Cut through the manufacturer's hype and remember that labels are geared to impress and sell you. Companies want your money and are extremely good at convincing you to want - and buy - what they make. Use your head.

What to know before you begin

• Ingredients in skin, hair and acne products are absorbed into your bloodstream very quickly, and build up inside your vital organs. Absorption happens so fast that more and more medicines are in patch form.

• Chemicals and preservatives are cheaper to use than natural ingredients and extend the life of a product, so manufacturers profit more by using them. This is always good for them, rarely good for you.

• U.S. manufacturers are legally required to list ingredients according to the quantities found in the formula. The main ingredient is listed first and the one in the smallest quantity, last. Percentages are given on some labels, but usually only for active ingredients.

• In general, the Food and Drug Administration regulates products only AFTER they have been released to the marketplace, so you may unknowingly be using chemicals whose safety for human use is not yet known.

• Manufacturers change formulas frequently, so check the labels each time you plan to re-purchase an item.

Accutane (generic name Isotretinoin) has been prescribed over the last 25 years to about 16 million people as a "cure" for acne.

Accutane has been found to cause a wide array of serious health problems. Here's a page that lists the health problems, the other names for Isetretinoin and why lawsuits are being filed against the manufacturer of the drug.

A challenge?

1.) Read a label on one of the acne products you're currently using.

2.) Pick a minimum of three ingredients listed on its label and do your own research on them. As an example, click here to see the ingredients on a Clearasil label decoded.

3.) Let me know what you find out.

We live in a world of chemical overload. Is it absurd to think that toxic abuse is affecting our health and contributing to health and skin problems?

It's possible that the very acne products advertised to help keep your skin clear are, instead, contributing to the problem daily!

Try not.
Do or do not, there is no try.

Yoda