And now the cosmetic industry is carving out a niche in the $234 million a year over the counter acne skincare market.

As a consumer, if a product does not help after eight weeks, it may be time to resort to prescription medications. With deeply embedded acne, pores get blocked well below the skin surface, so topical treatment may have a hard time penetrating effectively.

Acne is a controllable condition and there are several things you can do for non-severe acne. First, rather than cleaning with strong acne soap, use plain soaps to preserve natural oil. Acne soaps may be too drying and may cause the skin to produce even more oil to maintain the natural balance. Then use a mud mask. Its main function is to draw out excess oils to expedite the healing of blemishes, but mud may sap vital moisture from the skin. So if the rest of your skin is dry, limit the mud mask only to the affected area, and no more than once a week.

For pus-filled acne, benzoyl peroxide products are best, while blackheads and whiteheads are best treated with glycolic acid and salicylic acid. Blackheads can benefit from regular use of steaming and face masks.

In extreme cases, Accutane, a controversial drug to be taken orally, is prescribed by dermatologists. While 85% of acne patients who undergo Accutane treatment for four months gain a permanent freedom from acne, the drug has a string of side effects: it causes birth defects in almost 90% of the babies born to women who are pregnant while taking it, dry skin, aches and pain, mild nosebleeds, calcium deposits in tendon, cholesterol level increase, itchy, dry eyes, to name just a few.