I had terrible skin for the majority of my life. I got my fist pimple when I was 9 years old and I had my last pimple when I was 25. Curing acne is big business and as a result there are tons of products on the market that do not work. I have found over the counter acne free products that help treat acne on my face but I have never found an over the counter cream that effectively treated my body acne.
After five years of trying all different kinds of creams, washes and spot treatments at longs and rite aid I gave up. I came to the conclusion that the only thing that made my skin better was sun exposure. Lying out in the sun dried off my acne. It never cleared up my skin entirely but it dramatically helped. After years of lying out in the sun I realized I was terribly damaging my skin, especially the trips to the tanning salon in the winter. I decided to go see a dermatologist.
The dermatologist was shocked at the number of whiteheads, blackheads and cystic nodules I had all over my chest, back and neck. She prescribed a drug called Accutane. This was a miracle drug. Within two months all of my acne had cleared up. This drug had extreme side effects, as a result there is a lot of costly doctor patient interaction. I had to get monthly blood tests, monthly meetings with my doctor, birth control was mandatory, and you are not allowed to consume alcohol. Birth control is mandatory because if you get pregnant while taking Accutatne you have a very high risk of birth defects. As a result it is a lot harder for females to get prescription.
The only side effects I experienced was my skin peeled, my skin peeled a lot! The skin around your lips became especially sensitive. It was like how a snake sheds their skin occasionally but in my case I was experiencing this every day. However, my skin was clearing up. My body acne was the first to go and then a month later my skin was completely clear. I used Accutane for six months and was skin does not have one blemish on it.