Though just about everyone has had to battle acne at one time or another, an unsightly blemish can still make you want to hide your face from the public. Whether you're a teen or an adult with acne, you don't have to simply put up with it.
Hopefully you can have a better understanding of where acne comes from, and the remedies you can take to both treat and prevent it, with this list of ways to get rid of acne.
1. Don't Touch!
Don't pick, press, rub, or otherwise manipulate your pimples. If you do, you risk spreading the bacteria and increasing the chances of scarring. Similarly, don't rest your chin on your hands or constantly touch your face. Tight sweatbands and chin straps from baseball caps and sports equipment can have the same effect.
2. Use Benzoyl Peroxide
When to See a Doctor There's no reason to put up with serious acne, because a number of medications can treat it successfully. See a dermatologist if you:
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Use an over-the-counter product containing benzoyl peroxide once or twice a day. It helps break up the plug of dead skin cells, bacteria, and oil that clogs the pore and forms an acne blemish. And it cuts down on the bacteria, too. Start with the lowest concentration -- a 2.5 percent or 5 percent lotion or gel once a day. After a week, increase to twice a day, morning and night, if it doesn't irritate your skin.
If your acne doesn't improve within four to six weeks, use a 10 percent lotion or gel once a day and, if needed, twice a day. Work your way up gradually, especially if you have sensitive skin, because the higher the concentration, the more irritating it may be.3. Try Sulfur or Resorcinol Products
Try over-the-counter products containing sulfur or resorcinol, which help unplug oil glands by irritating the skin. However, most dermatologists believe that benzoyl peroxide is the most effective over-the-counter ingredient for acne.
4. Cover Your Bases
Don't just spot-treat acne; put the product on acne-prone areas, too. That can include your entire face (avoid the lips and eyes), back and chest.
5. Go Easy on Washing
Go easy on your face. Washing removes oils from the surface of the skin, not from within the plugged ducts. In fact, if you're too aggressive in your quest for cleanliness, you may end up drying out or irritating the sensitive skin on your face.
6. Wash Properly
Wash properly once or twice a day, using a soap or nonsoap cleanser labeled "mild" or "for sensitive skin", and rub lightly with your fingertips and warm water. If your skin is oily, use a soap with benzoyl peroxide for its drying properties.
7. Be Careful with Exfoliants
Exfoliating refers to removing the top layer of dead skin cells using a rough washcloth, loofah, or specially designed product. But skin with acne is already irritated, and scrubbing can make things worse. Don't use brushes, rough sponges or clothes, cleansers with granules or walnut hulls, or anything else of that nature on the delicate facial skin. For the back and chest, where skin is less sensitive, you can try one of the acne scrub pads along with soap that contains benzoyl peroxide.8. Avoid Oily Products
Is it Rosacea? if you're over 40 and suddenly develop severe acne, you could be suffering from acne rosacea. Acne rosacea is characterized by redness, inflammation (swelling), and dilated blood vessels. Further clues: You don't have any blackheads, the acne is located mainly on the central part of your face (nose and cheeks), and you have a lot of pustules (pus-containing pimples). |
Don't use oily products, such as hair pomades, heavy oil-based facial moisturizers, or oily cleansers. Likewise, protect your skin from cancer and wrinkles without aggravating your acne by choosing an oil- free sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher. Unfortunately, many waterproof sunscreens are too likely to clog oil glands to use on the face; so if you'll be sweating heavily or plan on swimming, you'll have to stick to the oil-free variety but be diligent about reapplying it often (as recommended on the label).
9. Choose Better Make-up
Use water-based make-up, it won't clog pores as much as other types. Check the label to find out if makeup is water- or oil-based. If the label is unclear, use this guideline: If it separates into water and powder when left to sit undisturbed for a while, it's water-based, and if it stays mixed, it contains oil. Better yet, use powder blushes and loose powders instead of liquid. Eye makeup and lipstick are okay, because you don't generally get acne in those areas.
10. Avoid Facials
Don't get a facial. You may end up doing more harm than good.11. Pay Attention to Food
Chocolate, greasy foods, nuts, and other foods have not been proven to have anything at all to do with causing teenage acne. Of course, if you notice a correlation between something you eat and your face breaking out, you could try avoiding the offending food.12: Watch Out for Iodine
Watch out for iodine, which can be found in multiple vitamins and iodized salt. Some doctors believe iodine may encourage acne.
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