basic facts about controlling acne

by Frank Senturi

Most adult acne sufferers had probably thought that this affliction would pass with the end of their teenage years. They thought that once the raging hormones of adolescence slow down, their acne would clear up as well. For some people that did not happen and controlling acne has become something to be concerned with during adult life as well. Luckily, there are many weapons in the battle to treat acne .

The best approach to acne would be to avoid an acne outbreak altogether, if possible. There are actions you can take to help prevent the acne from occurring. Some actions to take include preventing the pores of the skin from becoming clogged; unclogging pores that are already infected; combatting any bacteria that are the cause of the infection; and reducing any redness that may already be present because of the acne.

Washing the face twice daily using a gentle soap and warm water will go a long way toward preventing the clogging of your skin pores. Beyond that, cleansing your skin with benzoyl peroxide will also help it dry out. Benzoyl peroxide is the active substance found in cleaning wipes such as Oxy Pads. A major benefit of benzoyl peroxide is that it can be used in conjunction with other acne treatment products.

Exfoliation is one more method of acne control. Exfoliation removes the dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. These dead cells can cause acne breakouts by clogging the active oil glands in the skin, especially those found on your face. Exfoliation can also make your skin much softer and healthier. One drawback is that some exfoliating products can be very harsh, so a new product should first be tried out on a small area of the skin before applying it to the entire face.

Many of the products available to treat acne have a dual function: the exfoliating agents which remove dead cells from the skin can also kill the bacteria associated with acne and reduce the inflammation of the skin. Therefore these products not only help to prevent acne, but also reduce the swelling and redness associated with an acne breakout.

Checking your acne products will reveal sulfur and azelaic acid as commonly used ingredients. It is always best to test acne products on a small patch of skin prior to using it everywhere, just to check for any adverse reaction. If you find that salicylic acid listed as one of the ingredients in acne product, you should be careful; even though salicylic acid works well in keeping your pores unclogged, it has been found to be very irritating to facial skin.

For very persistent or severe acne a consultation with a dermatologist may be needed. The dermatologist can help set up an effective cleansing routine. He or she may also use lasers or write a prescription to fight tougher cases of acne. Acne medications can be very harsh, and you should be made aware of any possible side effects by your doctor.

If you don’t want to go to a dermatologist for prescription treatments, you can try some of the over-the-counter acne products first. You might find that one of the more inexpensive and easily available acne care products like benzoyl peroxide can work well for you, and you’ll avoid the dangers and possible side effects of harsh acne medication.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, February 28th, 2008 at 12:40 pm and is filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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