Many teens and young adults often face a skin condition called acne. Acne forms under the skin, thus washing away the oils from the surface of your skin does little to cure or even prevent acne. There is still a myth that acne is caused by not washing enough. Gentle washing is important as one step in to get rid of acne, however, washing too much often does more to irritate whiteheads and blackheads. Infection of these conditions only causes more pimples to form.
Gentle cleansing of the skin should be done using only mild cleansers. There are several of these cleansers that are specifically designed for persons who have acne problems.
Exfoliating is also an important step as it removes the dead layer of skin cells off the face. This process needs to be done one to two times each week. After the use of a gentle cleaner, use the exfoliate on a facial scrub. Once again this should be a slow and gentle process to avoid irritation of the acne. Exfoliating helps in the reduction of dead skin cells and removal of other debris that can clog the pores which will cause even more acne.
To keep pores from becoming more clogged, anything you put on your face needs to be oil free. Oil free lotions help to avoid skin that becomes overly dry. To prevent sunburn, choose sunscreens that are oil free. Watch out for hair products that often contain a lot of oil.
Cosmetics and other products which are designed to prevent pore clogging are termed noncomedogenic. These products are an import part of the process to get rid of acne.
If acne is still a problem, consider stepping up the treatment using some of the non prescription acne medications that are now available. The most effective of these treatments are those that contain benzoyl peroxide. Benzoyl peroxide was once only available by prescription but has been available over the counter for at least thirty years. Begin with the 5% solution and try using this strength for four to six weeks. If you do not see an improvement, try the 10% solution for another four to six weeks.
If there is still no improvement in your acne, then you need to schedule an appointment with a dermatologist. Dermatologists can prescribe several medications that will often improve the condition of your skin.
Retin-A can sometimes cause the skin to become very red and dry. It may cause peeling of the skin and should only be applied at night since it increases the chance of a sunburn. Use of Retin-A may take two to three months before causing any significant improvement in skin condition. There are times that the acne actually gets worse before you see any improvement in skin condition.
Antibiotics are often useful if other medications do not make a difference in the condition of the acne. They help when you suffer from red or swollen acne. Antibiotics help to prevent whiteheads by killing the bacteria responsible for them.
Acutane is another drug that is only available by prescription. It is useful if acne is likely to cause scarring or cannot be controlled using any of the other medications. Acutane has some serious side effects in some people and can lower blood count, making frequent testing necessary.
It is not always easy to get rid of acne, but these steps can help to reduce any long term effects.
Are you tired of all the attention acne draw to your face? Do you think that you spend too much time trying to get rid of it just to have it return? Stop driving yourself crazy and learn
how to get rid of acne now! You can also learn
how to get rid of pimples - the ins and outs.
