Acne Prevention
Acne is a skin disorder that is extremely common and affects millions
of people each year. While there is no cure for acne, the good news is
that it can be treated. Today, you can find plenty of over the counter
and prescription medications that can help treat acne whether it is
mild, moderate or severe.
There are plenty of products on the market that make magical claims,
either treating or preventing acne and the truth of the matter is that
since acne differs from person to person, each product or treatment
will work different. A treatment or product may work for one person
very well and completely fail on another person s skin. It is important
to experiment with a few acne products to find the one that works right
for your specific skin type and acne condition.
Because acne is caused by a few conditions, there are ways to help
reduce the severity of acne and in many situations prevent acne
altogether. Here are some of the most effective ways to reduce or
prevent acne.
One of the best ways to prevent acne is to wash your face
gently each and everyday. It is important to wash your face with warm
water, a soft cloth and some gentle soap twice a day (once in the
morning and once before bed time). It is important not to scrub your
face; your skin is delicate and can become damaged or irritated when
scrubbed.
If popping a pimple, use extreme caution. While you can pop a
blackhead or whitehead, you should never pop cysts or certain zits.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist on the correct ways to pop a pimple.
Incorrectly popping pimples can cause infection, spread bacteria and
sebum and cause additional pimples or breakouts.
Do not use products that clog your pores. These products can include cosmetics or facial types of products like lotions.
Avoid applying oils onto your skin. If you accidentally get oil
on your skin, gently wash it off immediately, do not apply oil to your
skin in the form of lotions or facial products. You are trying to get
rid of oil, not increase facial oil.
Stress can be a factor in acne break outs. Since stress can
affect hormonal changes in the body and hormones can affect production
of sebum (oil), avoiding stressful situations can help prevent or
reduce acne.
It should be noted that current evidence suggests diet is not
a factor in acne. Many people believe that foods such as chocolate or
oily foods can increase the risk of acne. This has shown not to be the
case. However, if you notice a flare up of acne after eating specific
foods, you should refrain from eating those foods.
Besides common sense approaches to preventing or reducing the
risk of acne, there are also acne prevention products that can help.
These products include special cleanses, pads, and ointments that can
kill bacteria on contact, help unclog pores and wipe away cellular
material including bacteria and sebum from the surface of the skin.