Like the title? It is a great question. Hang out with me for a few minutes and let's see if we can find out whether or not it's actually possible. What I'd like to do is take a look at the origins and causes of acne first, so that we can decide whether or not the promises made by Proactive, Acne Free and the various Internet products we see sold everywhere can actually be kept.

Let's begin at the beginning. What is this crap on my face anyway? Well, cut me some slack here because I’m about to get all medical on you. Regardless of the underlying cause, which can be anything from hormonal fluctuations during purity or menopause, poor hygiene or diet, acne is defined as a disorder of the oil glands (also known as sebaceous glands) in your skin.

The real name for your pimples is "acne lesions". Normally these will appear on the face or upper back, but some people get them on their neck, shoulders and even their upper chest. Unfortunately for me, I sometimes get them on my butt, but at least that means they are where I don't have to look at them.

Why do we get acne?

Well that can be a complicated question -- supposedly, acne happens because they're some kind of change in the lining of a hair follicle, that prevents sebum (the liquid that the sebaceous glands make) from passing through the follicle to the surface of the skin. The mixture of this fluid and dead skin cells causes will back area to grow in the plugged follicle. The bacteria thralls waste products because inflammation. When the plugged follicle is swollen to its limits, it burst and everything runs out into your skin -- the sebum dead cells, dead bacteria and God knows what else.

Whiteheads and blackheads

If all this stuff stays underneath your skin, or normally form a white bump -- what we call whitehead. If the lesion reaches the surface of the skin and opens up, a chemical reaction will turn the opening black. This is what we call a blackhead. The black part is not dirt, but simply a discoloration of the infection where it meets the outside air.

Other kinds of acne problems can develop too:

• Papules are small pink or red bumps on your skin. They can be tender to the touch.

• Pimples, or pustules as they are more properly called are inflamed acne lesions that can be read at their base and are usually full of pus.

• Nodules are large and painful, and feel solid to the touch, almost as if a BB is lodged deep within your skin.

• Truly deep and inflamed acne lesions called cysts are the worst. These are normally full of pus like a pimple, but they can cause pain and permanent scarring. Once this happens, even if you manage to get acne free skin it will be too late, although there are some products that can fade your pimple scars.
  

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Acne Creams

In truth, acne can arise from several different conditions working together. One of the most important is rising hormone concentrations. Male sex hormones called androgens increase during puberty in males and females and cause the sebaceous glands in your skin to enlarge and make more sebum. Genetics is also an important factor, and the tendency to get acne can be passed on from your parents.

Many other things can either produce acne or increase the severity. For example in the week before their menstrual period starts women experience a change in hormone levels. Just as in puberty these changes can produce acne. In fact, anything that you do to change the level of androgens and your body may produce acne including starting or stopping birth control pills or getting pregnant. If you are under stress, especially severe stress for a long time, your existing acne may increase.

You can also get acne from drugs. If you are taking male hormones, barbiturates or certain antidepressants you may see either an increase in the severity of an existing acne outbreak or the beginning of a new one. If you use greasy makeup products, you can make your follicle cells sticky. You can even cause acne by applying pressure or friction to your skin over an extended period by wearing helmets or tight clothing. Other factors are air pollution and your own actions.

There are some things that you can do to make your acne worse -- be sure never to squeeze or pick at blemishes or scrub them roughly.

Now we get down to the crux of the biscuit, the apostrophe! We usually have one of two reasons for getting our acne treated by a physician, or trying to treat it ourselves:

It looks terrible, and especially for teenagers it's very embarrassing.
We want to prevent scarring.

Normally a doctor will recommend either a topical med medication to be applied to the skin, or oral medicine. Sometimes your doctor will provide you with both at once. He may also recommend an acne free diet, if he thinks your eating habits are a contributing facor.

Usually however most of us will try and over the counter acne remedy first, in an effort to save money and take care of things by ourselves. Normally this will involve the purchase of a topical medication that we can rub into your skin, or be used to wash our face. Common brand names would be Clearasil, Acne Free or Proactive.

All of these over-the-counter, or OTC medications provide one of four common ingredients to treat the acne.

• Benzoyl peroxide kills the P. acnes bacteria, and may reduce the amount of oil produced.

• Resourcinol -- this chemical breaks down blackheads and whiteheads.

• Salicylic acid also helps dissolve blackheads and whiteheads, and helps reduce the destruction of the cells around the follicles in the oil glands.

• Sulfur can dissolve and break apart blackheads and whiteheads

These OTC acne creams are inexpensive and readily available but can cause side effects like irritation, discoloration of the skin or a burning sensation. These symptoms usually lessen or disappear as you continue to use the medicine. These medications can be effective in treating your skin if you use them on a regular basis, and per the manufacturer's instructions. Unfortunately, most people do not see improvement for one or two months after they begin treatment. It kind of blows the whole “acne free in three days” thing out of the water.

Prescription Acne topical medications and treatments

In addition to the OTC treatments described above, there are quite a few prescription treatments as well. Some of these are simply stronger versions of over-the-counter medicines, like acne free or proactive. Some are completely different.

One of the most commonly prescribed prescription medications is benzoyl peroxide, which is included in many over-the-counter acne free treatment medications, and works exactly the same way in either case. The reason doctors will prescribe dental peroxide, instead of simply directing the patient to buy something online or in their drugstore is to make sure that the patient gets the form of the medication the doctor feels will be most appropriate.

Now, having covered the entire above, can we get acne free in 3 days or not? Personally, I doubt it. If you search the net, you will see all kinds of offers claiming near instant relief, but if you read the above, you now know that acne is not a simple thing – it can have several causes, all working to increase the problem at the same time.

But – it is also clear that we can attack these ourselves and most of the time, achieve at least some measure of success. We cannot really change the fact that we are going through puberty or menopause. However, we can do some other things to help reduce the frequency and severity of out outbreaks.

We can try to reduce stress, and keep our skin clean. Moreover, we can use an OTC medication with benzoyl peroxide to get the bacteria under control, and cut down on the amount of oil produced by our glands.