Sulfur acne treatments have been around for a very long time. It is unclear exactly when sulfur was seen as a cure for acne, but ancient baths have long been considered to be great for a patrons skin. Since these baths contain a high level of sulfur it stands to reason that they would also assume that it is the sulfur that has this effect on the skin.

This long history should be seen as a strong point in favor of at least trying out sulfur as a way to treat your acne. If it really was a bad way to get rid of zits then it would not have stuck around for hundreds upon hundreds of years. People would have become savvy to the fact that it didn't work and it would have quickly fallen out of style. Sulfur has stuck around and that means a lot when the history of some of the current acne treatments can be measured on one hand.

Another point in favor of sulfur is that it is available over the counter for the treatment of acne. You don't need to go to the doctor and you dont have to worry about seriously messing with your bodies chemistry to get rid of unwanted pimples. Sulfur is relatively safe and can be used on your skin without worry that you will experience excessive redness or do long term damage. This is huge if you are a teenage acne sufferer who doesn't necessarily know what they are doing and you want to prevent major accidents from messing up your face even more.

However, there are some downsides to using sulfur as an acne treatment. It does have a noticeable odor that is viewed by many as unpleasant. In fact, many 'stink bombs' use sulfur in them to give that rotting egg stench that they are so famous for. They also can cause discoloration of the skin.

The way sulfur works is by cleaning out the pores. This is important because most outbreaks are caused by deal skin cells, dirt, or oil build up blocking the pores and trapping an infection inside. The body then fights the infection which leads to a build up of white blood cells. This creates the puss that so many zits are famous for. If you can prevent the pores from becoming blocked you can prevent 90% of zits from ever forming.

If you are using a product called Novacet or Sulfacet-R you are using a sulfur product to clean face. Other than an acne treatment, sulfur is also used to treat rosacea, and seborrheic dermatitis (a red, flaking skin rash).

If you are allergic to any sulfa based products you should definitely consult your doctor before beginning a sulfur acne treatment regimen. This is because you want to avoid any serious or life threatening side effects in your fight again acne. If you experience any of the following you should stop use of a sulfur product immediately and get medical help:

• an allergic reaction (shortness of breath; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, face, or tongue; or hives)
• new or worsening signs of a skin rash
• soreness of the joints
• fever
• sores in the mouth

The most common side effects while using a sulfur acne treatment are redness, warmth, swelling, itching, stinging, burning, or irritation of the treated area.

Whether or not you go with a sulfur treatment for your acne you should know that acne is not the biggest problem that people face today. Safe drinking water for the world is much more important than the plight of acne prone teens in the developed world. Please, for every dollar that gets spent on sulfur acne treatments let a dollar be spent in developing things that matter for all of humanity.