Clearing acne uses acne treatments that work by breaking the chain of events that ends in the painful and embarrassing pimple you see on your face. The first event is a hormone surge. Male hormones, or androgens, over-stimulate the sebaceous glands that lie deep within hair follicles or pores. Dead skin cells are shed as part of natural skin renewal but sometimes they are shed more rapidly, for example during puberty. These dead skin cells mix with the extra sebum and both harden to form a solid sticky plug in the follicle. Bacteria already present in the follicle then grow in the enclosed space and an inflammatory response follows, which is when white blood cells flood in to attack the bacteria. The whole process can take about two weeks. Treatments for clearing acne target different stages in this process.

Chain Reaction
Hormone therapy targets what is thought to be the first step in the birth or of a blemish: a rise in hormone levels. Antiandrogens and/or oral contraceptives are used to regulate hormone levels. Other treatments such as retinoids work at clearing acne by targeting the next stage: sebum production. This drug shrinks the sebaceous glands and reduces the amount of sebum on the skin.
On the other hand, topical treatments containing ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide clear acne by sloughing away the dead skin cells that are needed to mix with the sebum to form a plug. Acne ingredients such as AHAs and salicylic acid also have an exfoliating effect. Lastly, fighting acne with antibiotics targets the end game of a spot: the inflammatory response.

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