If your acne is mostly internal, no product can prevent acne.

If you have nothing active on your skin now but it's oily, try a sulfur soap (ie Sulfresh, Kavi etc.) and aloe (Jason, Alba etc.) to protect/hydrate. ACV makes a good toner. A clay mask 1-2x a week. Simplicity will keep your skin from reacting to unnecessary ingredients. No need to buy a line.

If you feel more confident buying a line, Paula's Choice has many good products. If you want to go the organic route, I am partial to MyChelle and Eminence.

If your acne is mostly internal, no product can prevent acne.

If you have nothing active on your skin now but it's oily, try a sulfur soap (ie Sulfresh, Kavi etc.) and aloe (Jason, Alba etc.) to protect/hydrate. ACV makes a good toner. A clay mask 1-2x a week. Simplicity will keep your skin from reacting to unnecessary ingredients. No need to buy a line.

If you feel more confident buying a line, Paula's Choice has many good products. If you want to go the organic route, I am partial to MyChelle and Eminence.

How do you mean internal?

If...

... there's something (or somethings) nutritional missing in your diet, or if you're eating something that's breaking you out

... you are going through hormonal changes or have a hormonal imbalance

... you have another medical or genetic condition that predisposes you to acne

... you are on a medication that's causing your acne

... you are under stress

... you are healthy, your chances of getting acne are greatly reduced

Shampoos and soaps/soapscum can break out out, so avoid soaps and sulfates in your shampoo and make sure your wet hair isn't dripping on your skin.

Changes in laundry detergents can cause acne. Don't wash your face too aggressively, don't touch your face, check the ingredients in your moisturizer /makeup for irritating or pore clogging ingredients if you use them- or only use pure aloe. Only use clean washcloths to wash your face if you use them, and only sleep on clean pillowcases (or a clean towel over your pillow.)

Treating acne that doesn't exist can irritate your skin into a breakout, but there is nothing wrong with using a cleanser with salicylic acid (Clean & Clear, Biore, Oil of Olay Regenerist, and St Ives Acne Scrub are all cheap and decent) and a scrub to keep your pores open and clean, and Jason Aloe Tea Tree to protect from dirt and prevent bacteria.

If...

... there's something (or somethings) nutritional missing in your diet, or if you're eating something that's breaking you out

... you are going through hormonal changes or have a hormonal imbalance

... you have another medical or genetic condition that predisposes you to acne

... you are on a medication that's causing your acne

... you are under stress

... you are healthy, your chances of getting acne are greatly reduced

Shampoos and soaps/soapscum can break out out, so avoid soaps and sulfates in your shampoo and make sure your wet hair isn't dripping on your skin.

Changes in laundry detergents can cause acne. Don't wash your face too aggressively, don't touch your face, check the ingredients in your moisturizer /makeup for irritating or pore clogging ingredients if you use them- or only use pure aloe. Only use clean washcloths to wash your face if you use them, and only sleep on clean pillowcases (or a clean towel over your pillow.)

Treating acne that doesn't exist can irritate your skin into a breakout, but there is nothing wrong with using a cleanser with salicylic acid (Clean & Clear, Biore, Oil of Olay Regenerist, and St Ives Acne Scrub are all cheap and decent) and a scrub to keep your pores open and clean, and Jason Aloe Tea Tree to protect from dirt and prevent bacteria.

I thought the goal was to keep pores closed. Should I aim at keeping them open?

Dead skin covering the pores trapping oil and dirt are what acne blemishes are.

Clean pores are "tight" pores.; meaning, pores don't open and close, but oil and dirt do stretch out the skin of the pore making them more obvious (not good.)

Keeping pollutants and old skin cells out of and off your pores help keep most acne away, topically speaking.

Diet and nutrition and relaxed lifestyle help keep most acne away internally.

Dead skin covering the pores trapping oil and dirt are what acne blemishes are.

Clean pores are "tight" pores.; meaning, pores don't open and close, but oil and dirt do stretch out the skin of the pore making them more obvious (not good.)

Keeping pollutants and old skin cells out of and off your pores help keep most acne away, topically speaking.

Diet and nutrition and relaxed lifestyle help keep most acne away internally.

did not get that. clean pores are tight pores, so not good??

My suggestion after suffering my entire life (I am 47) is that you must address the internal issue. If you have been using birth control pills or antibiotics, or eating a diet high in processed foods and sugar for any length of time, your gut flora is unbalanced. A good quality probiotic will repopulate your gut with good bacteria which will keep the bad guys at bay. Start with 1 pill a day and increase to 3 pills until your skin is healthy.

It has been my experience that nothing applied to the surface of the skin can keep acne at bay. There are specific supplements that you can take, such as astaxanthin, that will help your skin by preventing free radical damage. This oxidative damage is a precursor to acne formation. Find skin care products that make your skin feel good, but treat acne from within.

Also, homeopathic treatments (sublingual tablets) can be very helpful, but things usually get worse before they get better. AND, if you consume coffee in any form or any mint, the sublingual tablets will not work. Coffee and mint are antidotal. Even decaf.

is there a real good brand one can use (wash, moisturizer, treatment)

The Regimen works just as well as any other product line and is a pretty inclusive system.