I have some long standing acne that won't go away, doc told me to take short (and not hot) showers. Other than that, the pantothenic acid (vitamin b5) works good. Also benzoyl peroxide cream (the active ingredient in most anti-acne creams). And salicylic acid work well too. The salicylic acid should be rinsed off 30seconds to 2 minutes after application. The benzoyl gets left on. You can get the salicylic acid cheap at walmart, and the benzoyl peroxide cheap off ebay. Don't go right to the 10% until you get used to the 5%. You'll get a rash on your skin if you use too much of that 10%.