I dealt with severe acne for about 4 to 5 years and it wasn't easy at all. As of today, I am so happy to say that I no longer deal with severe acne. I may have occasional breakouts here and there but that's it. My face has mostly cleared up and even the acne spots are slowly fading away. If you want to know more about my acne story, click the link to my article below:

• My Acne Story (5 years of severe acne!)

If you read my article above, you know that I had very persistent acne and I tried a lot of different things but all of the methods failed. No face wash, no cleanser, no acne beauty products were improving the condition of my face at all. However, there was one face wash that did the trick just a little bit. It helped me control acne but it wouldn't always prevent new acne forming. Though, my skin would look cleaner (compared to using other products) and the face wash had a cooling effect that helped minimize my pores. I believe, to some extent, it did help reduce my acne by almost an unnoticeable amount, which was good, but not enough.

The product I'm talking about is the Neem Face Wash by Organic Harvest.
Now if you haven't heard of the company, it makes sense. It isn't very popular yet. The company is based in India but I'm pretty sure they also ship to other countries. But you are definitely in luck if you are in India or someone from India can get this product for you (less shipping fees or no shipping if you buy it from a store)
This product made the most difference to my skin than any other non-medicated/non-prescribed product I have tried.

I also attempted to make changes in my diet, like reducing my intake of dairy products, consuming less of oily foods, etc. I cannot be certain if these changes helped my acne or till what extent they did but I definitely noticed a slight reduction in my facial acne during this "dietary change" period.

However, let me tell you what really cleared up all of my acne in just a matter of few months.
Medications. Yes, that is right. I did a whole course of medications to eliminate my acne. I am honestly surprised of how less this is recommended on other blogs. Prescribed medicines can sound a bit scary and I don't blame you, because sometimes they do have side effects. Some side-effects I experienced were frequent hunger pangs (totally random, right?) and a minor skin allergy. However, the side effects subsided in a few days and weren't bad at all, to be honest. If you have been dealing with acne for as long as I have, you know that a few days of hunger pangs and a little itchiness on your face is completely worth for getting rid of your acne. Other than those minor side effects, I didn't really have another trouble.

When you visit a dermatologist, he/she can tell you exactly the reason why you have acne. Acne isn't only caused due to "not keeping your skin clean". There could be several factors that cause and aggravate it. In my case, most of my acne was hormonal. My dermatologist also diagnosed that the acne on my left cheek was due to UV radiation. Note that I applied sunscreen (SPF 40 and PA++ or above) almost every time I stepped out of my house. Turns out you can get acne due to UV radiation even if you take such precautions. You can't diagnose your own acne unless you are a dermatologist, and I'm assuming you are not since you wouldn't be reading this if you were. It really helps to know exactly why you have acne and to be prescribed medications to get rid of it quickly. The time for the treatment obviously depends on what kind of acne you have, how long you have had it, and how severe it is. The process requires patience and some efforts from your side too but I, personally, thought it was the best decision I had made.

I was prescribed 2-3 different tablets/capsules every time I visited my dermatologist (which was about once a month) for around 5 months or so. As of now, I am only on external (cream) medication.

I noticed that I had absolutely no new acne forming on my face for a good few months after my oral medications stopped. My acne is still very in control but I have very small bumps (very, very small) appear on my face once in a while. The cream I am currently prescribed is to help with that. Overall, I have had very clear skin even after my oral medications stopped and my skin's quality is definitely way better than it used to be (absolutely no doubt!).

One thing I'd like to share is that, before I decided on getting an appointment with the dermatologist, I decided I wanted to make at least some of my acne disappear before I went. I was determined and found a few face packs to make at home and other remedies and they actually did some good. One thing that I did twice every single day was spritzing my face with diluted rose water using a spray bottle.
I will probably put up a post on this method, and other face packs that helped me, soon.

If you think that going to a dermatologist is not an option for you (though I highly, highly recommend it), you should also visit the link below. The article is a complete skin care routine that helped me manage my acne and still helps me maintain my skin:

• Complete skin care routine for acne-prone skin

I've had oily skin and acne since as long as I can remember. At first, I didn't really notice the bumps on my forehead till my teachers and classmates started pointing it out. I didn't really have anyone tell me to not touch it so I didn't think it would do any harm. So I did touch my forehead a lot and try to "extract" the small bumps on my forehead. I was lucky enough to have it only on my forehead...but not for long. The acne became worse, red, weird.