Facts About Acne

Acne is unavoidable at certain times of your life – especially puberty.  But proper skin care can remove much of the material that can lead to acne and prevent or at least reduce outbreaks.  Here are ten tips to prevent acne:

1. Gently exfoliate your skin daily to remove dead skin cells before they can plug your skin’s pores and facilitate the onset of acne. Use a gentle product designed for skin exfoliation.

2. Use an anti-bacterial soap designed especially for acne to kill the acne-causing bacteria Propionibacterium Acnes that breed in your skin’s pores and cause the acne infection.

3. Try to not wash more than twice a day.  Too much washing can irritate the skin and remove essential skin oils.  Yes, you do need some skin oil.  It is only excessive oil that contributes to acne.

4. If your skin feels really oily or greasy, so greasy that you feel like it’s dripping off of you, then wash gently.

5. Use warm water to wash your skin.  Never use hot or cold water as extreme temperatures can damage your skin.  Damaged skin is more susceptible to infection.

6. Always use a soft towel to dry your skin.  Rough towels will irritate skin.  Use a clean towel because towels do hold bacteria and dead skin cells. You don’t want to spread what you previously cleaned off back onto your skin.

7. Never scrub your skin roughly.  Besides the potential for skin damage, you can spread the P. acnes bacteria around your skin.

8. Keep your body  healthy inside and your skin will be able to rid itself of toxins and other pore plugging material much easier.  Drink plenty of fresh, clean water.  Eat properly – lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

9. Exercise is great for your whole body.  Sweat helps clean out pores but you must wash it off quickly because bacteria love it.

10. Take note of the ingredients of any products you put on your skin, including make-up, as some ingredients can contribute to acne. Avoid anything with alcohol or oils (except herbal extract oils like tea tree oil).  Watch for any bad reactions on your skin after using any product.  It’s always best to use water-based products when possible.

These ten tips are very easy to include in your everyday life and following them will help your skin fight off acne infections.