What Are the Most Effective Acne Treatments?

Creams and gels aren't enough for all kinds of acne, especially when dealing with blackheads - the deepest, most entrenched form of acne. That's when you need an acne treatment mask, and our recommendation is the Silver Powder mask by Mario Badescu. With natural, impurity-busting ingredients such as kaolin, zinc oxide, and calcium carbonate, this facial mask absorbs and extracts oil, dirt, and other buildup from the pores to reveal clearer, healthier skin. For a great deal, you can get this product from Ulta Beauty for just $12 for a 1-ounce container.

Do you have patches of red acne that don't form whiteheads? These are called papules, and they can be just as discouraging. An acne cream like this product by La Roche-Posay Effaclar is often your best bet for getting rid of papules fast. We like this cream for how it exfoliates the skin while going on cool and smooth. You will want to pair this with a moisturizer, as its key ingredient - lipo-hydroxy acid - could dry your skin. That said, this is the kind of acne treatment you want for larger patches of acne.

Anyone who has ever dealt with moderate acne knows finding relief isn't always easy. Fortunately, there's Clinique's Acne Solution Clearing Gel. This gel uses salicylic acid to exfoliate the skin and clear excess oil, opening the pores and allowing youthful skin to thrive. Meanwhile, this product also contains a healthy dose of sea whip extract, which works to soothe the skin and prevent dryness that can sometimes be a side effect of salicylic acid use. Use this Clinique gel before going to bed, or use it on troublesome acne spots during the daytime. It's on sale now for just $18 from Macy's, Sephora, and others.

We highly recommend Alba Botanica's liquid gel as one of our favorite acne treatments. With a formula based on 2 percent salicylic acid, this clinically tested skincare product also contains ingredients such as willow bark extract, aloe, and chamomile to clear acne-prone skin of dirt, oils, and expired skin cells. It doesn't take many uses for your skin to feel cleaner, softer, and smoother, without any irritation. Alba Botanica's acne gel is cheap; you can get a tube from Bed Bath & Beyond for just $8.99. And, as a bonus, this product is 100 percent vegan and was made without any animal testing.

Clearing acne doesn't happen overnight. Murad offers its Complete Acne Control 30-Day Kit as a long-term solution to restoring healthier, acne-free skin. Suitable for people with oily or drier skin, this kit includes a clarifying cleanser, skin lotion, an oil-control mattifier, acne spot treatment, and an acne-clearing solution. When used as directed, this kit effectively reduces acne, softens blemishes, removes oil, and shrinks skin pores. If you shop at Sephora, then you can pick up this kit on sale for just $25 - less than half of what it would cost to buy each product separately.