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Rosewood oil
If you have extremely oily skin then rosewood oil is the best option for you. This essential oil scours away excessive sebum and also limits the sebum production, thus treating your breakouts. The splendid aroma of this essential oil is known to have a rejuvenating effect on dull and damaged skin. If you have very sensitive or dry skin then rosewood oil is not the right option for you.

Bergamot oil
Bergamot oil has a revitalizing fragrance that helps it rejuvenate dull and damaged skin. It has excellent drying properties and absorbs excessive sebum giving you a shine free and clear skin. To add on, bergamot oil also works as an anti bacteria agent. This essential oil is not used alone to treat acne. It is generally used as a part of a blend of various oils to treat acne. It is suggested that you use this oil in lower concentration to avoid extreme drying and peeling of skin.

Lavender oil
Lavender oil is one essential oil that not just treats acne but also restores dull and damaged skin. It’s antibacterial properties make it apt for acne treatment

. Lavender oil also has a soothing effect on the skin. It sooths the itching and also neutralizes the redness that is accompanied with acne. Experts suggest using a diluted form of this essential oil.

Clove oil
Clove oil tops the list of essential oils for acne treatment in terms of efficacy. It is highly effective and destroys the acne causing bacteria completely. Clove oil not just treats pimples and zits but is also helpful in treating acne scars, blemishes and spots. Since clove oil is very strong, it is suggested that you dilute it with grapeseed oil. Using this essential oil in high concentration may help clear stubborn acne but can cause extreme burning of skin.

Think back to the three basic causes of acne and you can understand why the focus of both home treatment and prescription therapy is to (1) unclog pores, (2) kill bacteria, and (3) minimize oil. But first a word about…

Lifestyle: Moderation and regularity are good things, but not everyone can sleep eight hours, eat three good meals, and drink eight glasses of water a day. You can, however, still control your acne even if your routine is frantic and unpredictable. Probably the most useful lifestyle changes you can make are to apply hot compresses to pustules and cysts, to get facials (see below), and never to pick or squeeze pimples. Playing with or popping pimples, no matter how careful and clean you are, nearly always makes bumps stay redder and bumpier longer. People often refer to redness as “scarring,” but fortunately it usually isn’t in the permanent sense. It’s just a mark that takes months to fade if left entirely alone.

Open the pores

Cleansing and skin care: Despite what you read in popular style and fashion magazines, there is no magic product or regimen that is right for every person and situation.

• Mild cleansers: Washing once or twice a day with a mild cleansing bar or liquid (for example, Dove, Neutrogena, Basis, Purpose, and Cetaphil are all inexpensive and popular) will keep the skin clean and minimize sensitivity and irritation.
• Exfoliating cleansers and masques: A variety of mild scrubs, exfoliants, and masques can be used. These products contain either fine granules or salicylic acid in a concentration that makes it a very mild peeling agent. These products remove the outer layer of the skin and thus open pores. Products containing glycolic or alpha hydroxy acids are also gentle skin exfoliants.
• Retinol: Not to be confused with the prescription medication Retin-A, this derivative of vitamin A can help promote skin peeling.

Kill the bacteria

• Antibacterial cleansers: The most popular ingredient in over-the-counter antibacterial cleansers is benzoyl peroxide.
• Topical (external) applications: These products come in the form of gels, creams, and lotions, which are applied to the affected area. The active ingredients that kill surface bacteria include benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, and resorcinol. Some brands promoted on the Internet and cable TV (such as ProActiv) are more costly but not really any better than ones you can buy in the drugstore.

Benzoyl peroxide causes red and scaly allergic skin in a small number of people, which goes away as soon as you stop using the product. Keep in mind that benzoyl peroxide is a bleach, so do not let products containing benzoyl peroxide leave unsightly blotching on colored clothes, shirts, towels, and carpets.

Reduce the oil

You cannot stop your oil glands from producing oil (unless you mess with your hormones or metabolism in ways you shouldn’t). Even isotretinoin (Accutane, see below) only slows down oil glands for a while; they come back to life later. What you can do is to get rid of oil on the surface of the skin and reduce the embarrassing shine.

• Use a gentle astringent/toner to wipe away oil. (There are many brands available in pharmacies, as well as from manufacturers of cosmetic lines.)
• Products containing glycolic acid or one of the other alpha hydroxy acids are also mildly helpful in clearing the skin by causing the superficial layer of the skin to peel (exfoliate).
• Masques containing sulfur and other ingredients draw out facial oil.
• Antibacterial pads containing benzoyl peroxide have the additional benefit of helping you wipe away oil.

• Rosacea: This condition is characterized by pimples in the middle third of the face, along with redness, flushing, and superficial blood vessels. It generally affects people in their 30s and 40s and older. There is sometimes no “bright line” separating acne from rosacea; however, there are no blackheads or whiteheads in rosacea.
• Pseudofolliculitis: This is sometimes called “razor bumps” or “razor rash.” When cut close to the skin, curly neck hairs bend under the skin and produce pimples. This is a mechanical problem, not a bacterial one, and treatment involves shaving less (growing a beard, laser hair removal.) Pseudofolliculitis can, of course, occur in patients who have acne too.
• Folliculitis: Pimples can occur on other parts of the body, such as the abdomen, buttocks, or legs. These represent not acne but inflamed follicles. If these don’t go away on their own, doctors can prescribe oral or external antibiotics, generally not the same ones used for acne.
• Gram-negative folliculitis: Some patients who have been treated with oral antibiotics for long periods develop pustules filled with bacteria resistant to the antibiotics which have previously been used. Bacterial culture tests can identify these germs, leading the doctor to prescribe different antibiotics or other forms of treatment.

Rosacea (roz-ay-sha) is a very common benign skin disorder that affects many people worldwide. As of 2008, it is estimated to affect at least 14 million people in the United States alone. The main symptoms of this facial condition include red or pink patches, visible broken blood vessels, small red bumps, red cysts, and pink or irritated eyes. Most people with the disease may not even know they have rosacea or that it is a diagnosable and treatable condition. Many patients may just assume they blush easily or have gotten sunburned.

Rosacea is considered a chronic (long-term), non-curable skin disease with periodic ups and downs. As opposed to traditional acne, most adult patients do not “outgrow” rosacea. It characteristically involves the central region of the face, causing persistent redness or transient flushing over the areas of the face and nose that normally blush — mainly the forehead, the chin and the lower half of the nose. It is commonly seen in people with fair or light skin, and particularly in those of Irish and Scottish backgrounds. Some famous people with rosacea have included former President Bill Clinton and W.C. Fields.

What does rosacea look like?

The redness, often aggravated by flushing, may cause small blood vessels in the face to enlarge (dilate) and become more visible through the skin, appearing like tiny red lines (called telangiectasias). Continual or repeated episodes of flushing may promote inflammation, causing red bumps that resemble teenage acne. In fact, rosacea can frequently be mistaken for common acne. Rosacea is also referred to as acne rosacea.

Anyone can develop folliculitis wherever hair follicles are present on the body. The lesions in folliculitis most frequently involve the chest, back, and legs. Other common locations include the face, neck, thighs and buttocks. Although possible, it is rare to have it widespread all over the body. It does not affect the eyes, mouth, palms, or soles, where there are no hair follicles. Folliculitis is estimated to affect more 10%-20% of people at some point in their lives.

Certain groups of people are more prone to develop folliculitis. People with diabetes and those with a compromised immune system (such as from HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, chronic illnesses, cancer, systemic chemotherapy, immune-suppressing drugs) may be more prone to develop folliculitis.