If you ask your dermatologist which skin condition most teenagers and young adults suffer from, the answer would be acne, hands down.  Up to 60% of young people from the ages of 12 to 24 suffer from chronic acne outbreaks, which will most commonly cause blemishes on the shoulders, chest, neck, and face. People in this age group place a high value on their personal appearance, and it's apparent from all of the acne treatments you will find lining the shelves of any drugstore.  For people who don't want to use prescription acne treatments, there are several natural cures for acne, as well as some common sense approaches to preventing acne outbreaks listed on this page.

The combination of niacin, vitamin A, and vitamin E, have been found to be an effective acne treatment. Taking 100 mg. of niacin, along with 50,000 iu of vitamin A, 3 times a day, in conjuncture with 400 mg. of vitamin E once a day for one month should decrease the frequency and severity of acne blemishes and outbreaks.

Pounded orange peel mixed with water can be applied to blemishes once or twice a day to help treat acne. Similarly, fresh lemon juice applied with a cotton ball to the affected areas will do the same.

Fans of garlic-based remedies say to rub pimples with raw garlic several times throughout the day to treat stubborn blemishes. They also advocate eating 3 cloves of garlic each day for a month to keep acne away.

Cucumbers also have an astringent effect on the skin, and can be used to treat acne by leaving the cucumber slices on your face for about 20 minutes.

Applying tree oil to your face will help fight bacteria there. Also washing your face 3 times a day with sorbitol or glycerin soap and removing makeup before going to bed are good ways to keep the pores and sebacious glands from becoming inflamed.

And finally, drinking plenty of water, about 8 to 12 glasses a day, can improve the quality of your skin, and thereby help stop acne outbreaks before they even start.

If you've suffered from acne for a long time, it's likely that you have tried several prescriptions or topical over the counter ointments.  These medications often contain variations on basic household ingredients, and will sometimes also contain chemicals that can irritate your skin, which would slow down or cancel out any beneficial properties they might have had otherwise.

A good rule of thumb when treating acne at home is the fewer ingredients, the better.  That way you know what's working and what isn't.  It's also easy to identify the problem if you have an adverse reaction to a product.