Maybe you tried home remedies for curing acne and found that, for you, they just didn't work well enough. You heard about Acne Free and wondered if this could be the acne solution you were looking for.

After all, Acne Free is touted as a major breakthrough in the treatment of acne. Is it? Will it really help you achieve acne free skin?

The basic Acne Free system includes three items - an exfoliating cleanser, a toner and a lotion - all containing benzoyl peroxide. Benzoyl peroxide has been used to treat acne since the 1920s, so it's nothing new. What is new is the ability to have this active ingredient delivered regularly to your skin through a time-release formula.

Using the system, you can see results of Acne Free in 3 days, but it can take as long as two weeks. It is also not uncommon to see your condition worsen before it improves as the acne free treatment draws up bacteria from your pores. The cleanser is a mild exfoliant, sloughing off dead skin cells and impurities that can clog pores and cause outbreaks. The toner removes excess oil from your skin and restores its pH balance. The time-release lotion delivers a dose of blemish-drying benzoyl peroxide all day.

Acne Free has been shown to clear the skin of users with cystic acne, says its makers, but they caution it will likely take longer to see results. For sufferers of severe acne, including cystic acne, there is Acne Free Severe, a four-product acne treatment that offers 10% benzoyl peroxide and retinol. The system is meant to clear out the buildup of keratin in your pores, allowing acne-fighting oxygen back, while the retinol helps keep keratin buildup at bay. And like the original Acne Free system, the 10% benzoyl peroxide in the severe formula is also time-released.

A common side effect of benzoyl peroxide use is dryness and mild skin irritation. These symptoms generally diminish in about a week or so with continued use as your skin builds up a tolerance to it. There are some people who are far more sensitive to benzoyl peroxide and may experience itching, burning, peeling, redness and swelling. If this is the case, stop using the Acne Free products.

However, this doesn't necessarily mean you can't benefit from acne free skin care. When the more severe irritation subsides, start using just the cleanser and the toner just once a day and see how that goes. (The cleanser contains a lower concentration of benzoyl peroxide - 2.5% compared with the 3.7% in the time-released formulated lotion.) Then add the lotion to your routine, using in the evening just twice a week for starters and increase gradually. You may eventually be able to use Acne Free as recommended, twice a day. But if once a day is all your skin can handle, that may be all you need to zap your zits.

Of course, nothing works for everyone. But the Acne Free solution is a low-cost system, using a tried-and-true ingredient in a new way. So if you're ready to give something else a try in your quest to be free of acne, this is an option to consider. On this page, http://www.acnefree.com/node/100, it says you can request an Acne Free trial, which is one week's worth of product, for free. But you may need to call about it as the option was not readily found.