1. Make sure that you are washing your face two or three times each day, with clean water and a pure soap, such as Ivory.
2. Try applying essential oils directly to the acne. Oils to try are Tea Tree Oil, Bergamot Oil, Clove Oil, Lavender Oil, and Rosewood Oil. If you have sensitive skin, you may need to dilute the oil with Grapeseed oil to avoid irritation. Apply the oil before going to bed, then wash it away, using pure soap and clean water, in the morning. Give it about a month to see if it is working. This is one of the least expensive acne solutions that has proven to be effective for many people.
3. If the essential oil doesn't work for you, try a good over the counter product, such as ProActiv. It is expensive, but you will spend less money using a product that has been proven to work, than you will buying creams and acne solutions that do not work. Bypass the junk, and go with what has a better chance of working.
4. If ProActiv doesn't work for you, visit an allergist to see if you have any food allergies. Often food allergies will cause acne, and the best acne solution in this case is to eliminate those foods from your diet completely. If a food allergy is causing the acne, not other acne solution should be needed.
5. If there are no food allergies, or eliminating foods did not work, it is time to see a dermatologist. The doctor may prescribe Accutane, which is also expensive. It is taken orally, and may cause side effects, but it has been proven to be quite beneficial in the treatment of acne.
6. If Accutane does not work, talk to your dermatologist about trying Retin-a. Retin-a is used to treat acne, acne scars, wrinkles, skin discolorations, and other scars and skin problems. It is very effective as an acne solution.
The key is to make sure that you give the acne treatments time to work. Give each step at least one month, and possibly more. Some acne treatments will actually make the acne appear to be worse before it starts clearing up. This is perfectly normal, and in most cases, even to be expected.
Don't waste money on cheap acne treatments that don't work. If it worked - it wouldn't be cheap. The cheapest acne solution that has been proven to work is essential oils. Everything that really works after that is expensive, but well worth the price.