Skin Care to Reduce Acne

While skin care is always important it is even more important when you are dealing with a bout of acne. By taking care of your skin you can reduce the amount of issues associated with acne. To keep your skin healthy you must keep it clean as well as protect if from sources of damage like excessive exposure to sunlight and irritating cosmetics.

Cleaning The Skin

You should wash your face once or twice a day with a gentle soap or specialized cleaner. If you aggressively scrub the skin of your face when you clean it you will only aggravate the acne. Just moisten you face with a soft cloth and then apply the soap or cleanser to your entire face and forehead. Be sure to completely rinse the cleaner from your face with generous amounts of water and then gently pat it dry.

If you have extremely oily skin you might want to consider the using an astringent. If you choose to use one you should use it with care, only apply it to the areas of your skin where excessive oil is present and discontinue using it if there is any irritation. It is advisable to consult a dermatologist before electing to use an astringent.

Taking care of your hair is an important aspect of skin care. You should wash and shampoo your hair at least two or three times a week, if you have especially oily hair you may need to wash it daily. You should also try to keep your hair off of y our face as much as possible.

Protect Yourself From the Sun

Developing a suntan my make your skin appear to dry out and reduce your acne problems but this is only temporary. Once your skin has become accustomed to the exposure to the sun your acne will flare up again. Of course this exposure to the ultra-violet rays from the sun may be damaging your skin causing it to age prematurely and possibly even lead to the development of skin cancer. For these reasons it is important to always wear sunscreen if you will be exposed to the sun.

Selecting Your Makeup

No makeup at all is the best option for healthy skin, however if you feel you must wear makeup then be sure to find some that does not clog pores. Makeup products that do not clog your pores should be labeled as noncomedogenic. Even noncomedogenic makeup will cause acne in some people. You should never wear any makeup that has an oil base, as this will only aggravate your acne. Use makeup as sparingly as possible and be sure to always read and follow the directions.

Shaving

You should try both electric and safety blade razors to determine which one is most comfortable for you. If you use a safety razor be sure to keep the blades sharp, you should change blades every two or three shaves. Soften the hairs as much as possible with water and shaving cream and be sure to shave around any lesions to avoid cutting them. During times of severe acne breakouts it might be best to skip shaving.

Touching Your Skin

Many people thing that it is best to squeeze pimples to pop them but this is not true. Popping your pimples will only spread the bacteria in them leading to even more lesions plus popping them increases the risk of permanent scars.
You should also avoid touch your face as much as possible this only increases the oil and bacteria on your facial skin. Acne can be treated and in many cases controlled, take care of your skin as much as possible to assist in treating and controlling the acne.

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Acne Treatment - Prescription Medicines

While it is true that in most cases acne can be safely and effectively treated with over the counter treatments any time you have an unusual skin condition it is advisable to consult a dermatologist. The doctor can provide you with valuable advice on treating the condition even if it is only acne.

Severe acne should always be treated by a dermatologist, they can provide prescription medication that is effective at treating the more sever acne outbreaks. Moderate and mild acne can usually be treated without the advice of a doctor but even with moderate acne prescription medications may be able to treat it better and faster then over the counter solutions.

Medications for treating acne are given in one of two forms; oral or topical. In many cases the doctor will use a combination of both types to treat the outbreak. Antibiotics are frequently used to treat acne and can be provided in either form. Other topical medications will usually include ingredients such as zinc and retinoids.

The most common antibiotic for treating acne is tetracycline. It works with a dual action both killing the acne causing bacteria as well as helping to reduce the inflammation. Antibiotics are not an immediate fix and will usually have to be taken for weeks or even months before the acne clears up, you will also have to continue the antibiotic even after the acne clears up to prevent a re-occurrence. There are some side effect reported with the use of tetracycline, with extreme sensitivity to the sun being the most common one. Any one taking tetracycline needs to be very careful about exposure to sunlight to avoid severe sunburns. Some people may also experience nausea, hives and even dizziness.

Women undergoing treatment with tetracycline may notice an increase in vaginal yeast infections. Young children and pregnant women cannot take tetracycline because it can cause discoloration of growing teeth.

Ointments that contain antibiotics have a lower rate of reported side effects. These ointments will kill the bacteria and but there can be some cases of the bacteria becoming resistant to the antibiotics. Combining other medications such as; benzoyl peroxide with the antibiotic lotion can greatly reduce the chance of such problems.

Retinoids are a derivative of vitamin A and are usually applied directly the skin in the form of a lotion or crème. The use of topical retinoid medications is very effective in treating blackheads and whiteheads. It produces the positive results by cleaning out the pores that cause the acne; the only common side affect is dry skin.

If the acne is severe and is not responding to other treatments then an oral retinoid medication may be used. This will cause the top layer of skin to peel off which will also open the pores. The oral retinoids also cause the body to create less sebum, which also reduces the acne issues by reducing the oil on the skin.

There can be some rather serious side effects associated with using oral retinoid medications. Since they can cause serious birth defects any woman on oral retinoids should use two forms of birth control to avoid the possibility of pregnancy. They can also cause depression and liver damage so anyone using these medications must be closely monitored by their doctor.

There are some other medications that have the side effect of helping with acne. In some women birth control pills help reduce acne by changing the hormone levels and reducing the testosterone levels. Zinc can also be used to treat acne.

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