Salicylic acid treatment is as natural as steeped black willow bark. That of course would yield a chemical equivalent. One of its forms is a main ingredient in aspirin. Why then is this one of the four FDA approved ingredients for over-the-counter acne medications?

One of the guiding principals in facial skin care is the word "gentle". Other areas of the body are thicker skinned but the face has thin and more delicate epidermal layers. So whatever the purpose of the medication it must be gentle enough to perform its function without damaging the skin in any way.

This ingredient is often used in soaps of all forms. Cleansers for acne use salicylic acid treatment to gently exfoliate. The strength of the solution used may vary widely from medicated soap or cleansing cream to the next.

Solutions of salicylic acid treatment as low as 2% can provide antibacterial and exfoliating functions. Some companies market products containing salicylic acid treatments with solutions ranging from 5%, 10%, 20%, or 35% depending on level of exfoliating properties desired.

The very concentrated solutions are deep peeling and are not designed for daily use. Perhaps as infrequently as twice a month or less is the proper recommendation for these very high concentrations of this ingredient. You don't want to leave the stronger percentage Salicylic Acid peels on your skin too long or you could end up with a painful chemical burn.

So it seems that the difference between gently cleansing and removal of fairly deep layers of skin is simply the strength of the solution of the same ingredient. Whether weak or strong the theory of exfoliating in the routine treatment of acne is the same.

Removal of outermost layers of skin is intended to free up the plugs that clog pores and allow them to become dislodged. This is the reason that they are so often included in cleansers. Once dislodged they can be quickly washed away.