How to Manage and Prevent your Acne using Skincare

A good skin care regimen may arguably be one of the most important steps you can take to preventing acne. The most important affects you want to have on the skin are, preventing future breakouts by managing the oil flow on the skin, reducing the build up of dead skin cells, reducing redness and inflammation. There are some basic daily skin care steps that every person wanting to prevent acne should follow;

• Cleansing twice morning and night, it is important not to use harsh soaps and cleansers on the skin. However it is important to wash twice as it is rare that you will remove all of the make up and debris from the skin with just one wash. It is best to wash in the morning and night, and if you are very active during the day, sweat a lot and have a very strong oil flow then you might like to occasionally wash during the day as well. It is best not to use a washcloth as these can harbour bacteria, which then spread onto the face. The same goes for sponges used to apply make up, if you can use disposable ones or be very diligent with disinfecting them regularly.

• Moisturise- It is commonly thought that people with acne don’t need to moisturise, however this is not true. If you cleanse and don’t moisturise your skin is more likely to produce more oil. so in order to prevent acne it is best to use a water base moisturise or lotion. Avoid heavy oil based moisturisers. You also have the option to use a lotion with tea tree essential oil or azealic acid which will continue to have an anti-bacterial effect while its on. It may also be helpful to use one that has an SPF during the day.

• In cases where blackheads are an issue and hyperkeratinisation, exfoliation can be very helpful in removing dead skin cells and reducing blackheads. Having said that you should not use any abrasive scrubs or other products on the skin as these will cause irritation to already inflamed skin, spread infection and cause scarring. It is amazing how many people still use scrubs and brushes to exfoliate the skin, thinking they are doing their skin a service, this is NOT the case for acne. The best option is to use a gentle enzyme based defoliant. The enzymes work to dissolve and remove dead skin cells leaving the skin soft and smooth. Applying the pulp of a papaya fruit on the skin and leaving for 10-15 minutes is good as it contains a fruit enzyme.

• Masks are great to use directly after exfoliants, different masks obviously have different affects on the skin. The major affects you want is to draw out excess oil, and impurities, and reduce swelling and redness as well as scarring. There are a few options here in terms of home remedies;

Clay masks- these are great for preventing acne as they help draw out impurities and you can mix them up with different botanical waters like orange floral water, and essential oils like tea tree. You can apply a thin layer to the skin and leave for 15 to 20 minutes then wash off and moisturise as normal.

Medicinal honey- this is a great mask for acne sufferers as it has very strong anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory affects on the skin, I would suggest applying a thin layer on affected areas and leave for ½ hour then rinse off.

Oatmeal mask- is a great home remedy to include in a regular skin care regime. You can apply organic ground oats mixed up using warm water to the skin and it will have a very anti-inflammatory affect, and reduce redness.

• SPF- sun protection factor is an absolute must for acne sufferers. It will protect the skin from sun damage. Over exposure to the sun can exacerbate scarring, if you are out in the sun you should reapply sunscreen every two hours. It is best to use an oil free product with a minimum SPF of 30+.

• Some Advice on Natural Mineral Make-Up for acne, when you are suffering bad bouts of breakouts it is tempting to want to pack the make-up on. Try to avoid having makeup on for extended periods of time. Many foundations and powders contribute to the clogging of pores, and promote breakouts so it’s best to use mineral make-up to prevent acne from getting worse. Definitely don’t sleep with your makeup on, and do a double cleanse to make sure you get everything off at the end of the day.

• There are several Vitamins for Acne that can be used topically and internally, to help prevent the incidence of breakouts as well as minimizing the chances of scarring from pimples.

• In order to prevent acne you need to treat the inside as well, taking a Cleansing Diet can be very effective in reducing toxins in the body and therefore preventing the incidence of breakouts.

• A commonly asked question is whether toothpaste is a good spot treatment for breakouts. There are a few points to take into consideration here. Firstly many toothpaste’s contain menthol, alcohol and baking soda, these are substances that dry up the skin and may have some affect on breakouts. However you should take into consideration that toothpaste also contains many other strong chemical ingredients that are not designed to be put on the skin. They can irritate the skin cause it to become dry and red. There are better, more effective home remedies that will prevent acne.

As part of a successful acne skin care regime you may consider Laser Treatment for Acne to help you with treating and maintaining your acne condition. Make sure you checkout the suggested Acne Home Remedies at our store that will help with preventing your acne from a variety of treatments.