When you go looking for acne treatments that work, the main thing you find is acme treatments that do not. Everyone has had to deal with acne at one point or other, so there are a lot of old wives tales and myths out there being spread.

The assumption is that if you do something and your acne goes away, then whatever you did must be why your acne went away. Someone who scrubs their face with a sponge is not actually doing anything that they could not do with a washcloth, but if their acne happens to clear up the next week due to hormonal changes or what have you, then they report to everyone that the sponge is what did the trick, and thus a myth is born.

In truth, the list of remedies that are scientifically proven to work is actually quite short. Here are a few of the acne-zapping tricks that will actually get the job done…

Benzyl Peroxide

For many who suffer from acne, this is all they need. As far as at home acne remedies go, anything with benzyl peroxide can be trusted. Acne is caused when a hormonal imbalance is creating too much oil and too many cells, which build up and clog pores. Benzyl peroxide cleans pores out, simple as that.

This is basically the only way to fight zits: eat well, wash your face regularly and clean pores out as well as you can. Other than that, there is only so much snake oil and misinformation.

Toothpaste/Zinc

This is actually one of the rare old wives tales that works. Putting a dab of toothpaste on a zit can sometimes clear it up overnight because it contains zinc. However, this can also lead to irritation and sensitivity around the area, so you may be better off looking for at home acne remedies that contain zinc, instead. Still, if you have a hot date in 24 hours and you have a zit suddenly appear on the center of your nose, this might just do the trick.

Salicylic Acid

Another pore-cleanser. In the future, it is believed that acne medications will be developed to deal with not only the clogged pores, but the inflammation. Until then, we can simply do our best to keep pores clean.