Tips for dealing with acne

Whether or not you decide to seek treatment, always remember that less is usually better than more. Only if self-help fails to produce genuine improvements should you consider moving up from the over-the-counter products into the more powerful medications.

Washing It is not necessary to wash your face more than twice a day. Once in the morning and last thing at night is sufficient. Always wash your face gently with a plain soap or the mildest of natural cleansers. Then rinse all the soap or cleanser off your face and pat your face dry. Never use “strong” soaps or scrub at your skin with pads. This can make the problem worse. In general, it is not advisable to use an astringent unless you have very oily skin. If that is the case, restrict the use of the astringent to those oily spots. Should you have oily hair, you should wash it once a day with a natural shampoo to reduce the transfer of oil to your face. Make sure you rinse the shampoo off your face with fresh water to keep all your pores clear.

Avoid touching your skin The more you touch or rub at your skin, the greater the likelihood of transferring grease or other contaminants from your fingers to affected areas. It is definitely not advisable to squeeze or pinch at pimples. Picking at any zit or blemish can lead to infections if the surface of the skin is broken. Blackheads and scars may be the result.

Always shave carefully Young adults and men with acne should experiment with different ways of shaving to find out which provides the best removal of facial hair with the greatest comfort. There is no hard-and-fast rule. Some will find that electric razors are better than safety razors. If safety razors seem better, always soften the beard as much as possible using soap before applying shaving cream. Then shave gently to reduce the risk that you will nick the top of raised portions of skin.

Ultraviolet can be dangerous Many of the over-the-counter products and prescription medications can make you burn more easily in strong sunlight. Although it is true that a tan can hide some of the less obvious blemishes, this is only a temporary benefit. Exposure to the sun can dry out your skin, make it age faster and, over the longer term, raise the risk of skin cancer. So always use a sun-blocking cream if you cannot avoid being out in the sun for any length of time.

Take care when choosing your make-up If you have acne, you should check all the cosmetics you use and discard any that contain oil or grease. Pick foundations, blushers, moisturizers, eye shadow, and hair-care products that are clearly marked “noncomedogenic” or claim not to block or close pores. However, even those products advertised as “safe” for use with problem skin may prove to aggravate your acne. Be realistic and stop using anything that makes your condition worse. This is so even though your skin may be red or scaly and appear unsightly. It is better to reduce the use of anything making your condition worse. Wash your face gently and allow the medications to do their work.