To wake up and find a huge pimple on his or her nose or in another very prominent spot is every teenagers worst nightmare. For them it is the absolute end of the world and they couldnt imagine a worse thing.

Unfortunately for them it could get a whole lot worse. One word is guaranteed to send shivers down every teenagers back: Acne.

For any teenager who suffers from severe acne, the condition can be even more devastating that an occasional pimple. Severe acne, we are talking about the kind bad enough for a person to seek out medical advice, is reported to strike about 40 percent of the population. Teenage boys tend to get severe acne much more than girls, but the condition is equally damaging to both and can cause both psychological and physical scars.

Acne is a particularly cruel condition that attacks its victims on 3 different levels:

1) It makes them feel awkward and self-conscious as the breakouts occur.

2) It can make them the centre of jesting, joking and ridicule from their peers.

3) It can leave scars that will act as a permanent reminder for the rest of their lives of the condition that embarrassed and humiliated them years in the past. These can have a deep psychological effect on the sufferer even in adulthood.

Avoiding the effects of acne isnt always possible, but there are definitely things that can help. For the average acne sufferer simple over the counter medications are all thats needed to do the trick, but even then, trying to figure out which one and how long to try it for can be a chore in itself.

If you are a teenager or the parent of a distressed teenager who is facing acne for the first time or are just facing their first breakout thats bad enough to warrant medicine, there are a few rules to help making choosing an over the counter acne remedy:

Heres what to do:

The first thing that you need to do is pick a medicine. Whether the treatment is a cream, gel or pad, you must go with the one that has the least amount of medicine first. If benzoyl peroxide is the chosen medication, pick one that has a concentration of about 2.5 percent. Dont choose one over that limit. As long as the medication doesnt cause severe drying or irritation, keep using it for about two months.

Next, when two months have passed, examine the situation. If the medication seems to have worked, keep using it. If not, try a higher dose. Two months may seem like a long time but this will give the treatment a real chance to do its stuff.

Rinse and repeat.

If the over the counter remedies, even at higher doses, show no signs of working, its probably time to enlist professional help. Going to a doctor for acne is a sensible thing to do if all else is failing. The doctor will be familiar with all of the current drugs available for severe acne sufferers and will prescribe one to suit you. Dont panic. In the majority of cases your acne will clear with over the counter products.

Remember, if everything youve tried hasnt worked, a doctor might have the solution. Treating acne is highly personalized and not all medicines will work for every person all of the time. What a doctor can offer may take time to work. Your doctor will be able to monitor your condition and adjust the medication to suit you.