At what stage of acne is treatment recommended?

The thing I'm most unsure about right now is whether I really need acne treatment, haha. It's not like I have a really severe breakout, but that doesn't mean my skin stays clear for very long either.

Usually, it's just one or two, so I think I can just leave them alone, but on days when I'm not feeling well, several suddenly pop up and leave red marks, and that's when I feel like I really need to get acne treatment right away lol.

Is acne treatment recommended only for people with severe breakouts? I am curious if people like me, who have recurring but not very severe conditions, often start treatment for management purposes.

I actually think that starting now, when it's still ambiguous, might help prevent it from getting worse. On the other hand, I'm also worried that I might be overmanaging it unnecessarily since it isn't severe yet.

If I receive a consultation for acne treatment, could I get an explanation on whether my current condition really requires management, or if doing just a little more home care would be sufficient?

I don't necessarily want to do a lot of things; I just want to do exactly what is necessary, haha. So, if I start acne treatment, I want to understand why my skin keeps breaking out repeatedly first.

It’s hard to say it’s similarly severe, but has anyone experienced this repeatedly for several months and eventually started doing it?

I am curious whether the criteria for recommending acne treatment is based solely on the number of pimples, or if the duration of recurrence and skin condition are also considered.

For those of you who, like me, kept hesitating but eventually decided to get counseling, please let me know what you actually heard :) I'm also curious if you felt it was a good decision to start earlier than expected.