Acne: What NOT to do!

Don’t Pick or Pop Pimples

This is common advice, but it’s also sound. In the first place, the pus inside can sometimes spread out beneath a person’s skin. Secondly, the closed blemish becomes an open wound, so it can receive even more bacteria from the air. Thirdly, touching acne with one’s hands is always a bad idea since a person’s hands are significant carriers of oil, dirt, bacteria, and other deposits that are unfriendly to skin.

Don’t Forget the Sunscreen at Any Time of Year

Sun damage can darken acne spots and scars, but a lot of women don’t bother protecting themselves from sun damage in the winter. The temperature may be colder, but the sun is still blasting us with the same levels of UV radiation in the winter. The best bet against sun damage is to wear SPF 30 sunscreen every day.

Don’t Wash Your Face Too Much or Too Hard

Washing the face with products that contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide is good for the skin when done properly. Similarly, scrubs and creams can help if they’re not overused. If, however, someone resorts to acne treatment products too often in the day, they’ll end up removing their skin’s natural oils that help to keep it moisturized. This leads to their body overproducing these oils.

In the same way, scrubbing too hard or too much can push bacteria further into the skin. It can also cause skin inflammation that makes pimples look worse. Finally, it can dry out the skin and accentuate acne scars.

Don’t Ignore Clean Hair

Just keeping your face clean isn’t enough. Women who ignore proper hair care and hygiene will end up seeing pimples growing on their necks, the back of their ears, or their hairlines. These are the result of natural hair grease getting onto their skin, but they can also come from excessive use of hair products irritating the skin. The best solution is to wash your hair once a day or every couple of days. If there’s a need to use products, use them sparingly.

Don’t Forget to Stay Hydrated and Moisturized

Believe it or not, getting the recommended eight glasses of water a day is a good acne treatment. Keeping the body properly hydrated will unify skin tone and texture, which will lead to fewer acne blemishes and acne scars. Another good tip is to apply moisturizer twice a day, once before bedtime and once after waking up. Anyone who showers in the morning should use it when they’re done.

Don’t Ignore Your Other Daily Habits

Passive treatments also include making healthy lifestyle changes. For example, don’t keep using the same old pillowcase or sleeping without one. Anyone who does ends up with a hotbed of oils, dirt, and bacteria taking over their faces. Try and keep your phone screen clean since it goes onto your face quite often. Don’t use the same makeup brushes for weeks on end.

Another good idea is for people to look at improving stress management since too much stress can also lead to aggravated blemishes. Finally, people who sleep just the right amount of time, which is about eight hours a night, will also see improvements.

What If This Isn’t Enough? What Other Treatments Are There?

Proper professional treatments can reduce the levels of blemishes that are currently on a women’s face and the appearance of scars down the road. Treating acne itself can be done through the usage of simple antibiotics that target the kinds of bacteria that are found on the skin. Retinoid creams can also be used.

Since hormones can play a role in breakouts, some professionals may suggest hormone therapy or even birth control pills for some women. Micro-needling is another treatment that involves very fine needles making minuscule tunnels in the skin. Acne medication is applied to the area beforehand, and the needles push it into the tunnels.

What About Acne Scars?

As for treating the scars, there are many common professional treatments available. Chemical peels are common and use varying levels and intensities of acid to remove facial bacteria and reduce scarring. The amount and intensity of acid used to depend on the condition of the skin in question. Microdermabrasion is another common technique that exfoliates the outermost skin layer with a diamond tip. That skin is suctioned through a vacuum, and the dead skin cells are removed.

Women without chronic blemishes may consider laser treatments like skin resurfacing. This acne treatment uses a laser to remove the top layer of skin. The laser’s heat stimulates collagen production on the second layer, which leads to better skin all around.