One of the top searches online is for products to treat and remedy acne blemishes including pimples, blackheads and whiteheads.
However, preventing future outbreaks is even more important and should be carefully considered when thinking about getting rid of existing skin problems.
Below, you will find four ways that you can help your skin to recover from current blemishes and prevent future ones. None of these steps is going to perform an overnight miracle on your skin, but using them in combination and regularly should produce good results in a relatively short time.
Cleansing Your skin
Some people with problem skin feel that they must wash and wash and wash their faces in order to get rid of all the excess oil. However, this is actually counter-productive and not at all helpful!
Not only can this over-zealous cleansing cause irritation and inflammation, damaging the surface of the skin and giving acne-causing bacteria the opportunity to get established, it can also trigger oil producing glands to produce even more oil to compensate for the artificial drying out of the epidermis that is being caused by stripping the oils through too much washing. Both can cause even more blackheads, whiteheads and infected pimples.
You should only use very gentle products on your skin and never wash your face more often than is recommended on the product packaging. This is usually twice a day, morning and night.
Using an Exfoliator
[easyazon-image align=”right” asin=”B007RHZRWA” locale=”us” height=”250″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41NvALGOXeL.jpg” width=”127″]Exfoliating is a great way to prevent skin pores from becoming clogged. Exfoliation helps with this because it sloughs off the dead skin cells on the surface which would otherwise end up clogging up the pores and providing a meal for those acne bacteria. The other benefit for your skin is that removing this outer layer of dead cells, reveals younger cells underneath and this can transform your complexion from looking dull and lifeless into a fresh and glowing one.
You can use this link to view a range of gentle exfoliating scrubs at great prices from Amazon!
Use Products That Help Keep Your Skin Clear
Choose oil-free makeup products, cleansers, moisturizers and sunscreens. Moisturizing is very important after cleansing and exfoliating as it helps to rehydrate the skin – so you should not skip this step even if your skin is oily.
Make sure that any hair products you use are kept off your facial skin. It is a good idea to avoid using hair products before exercising so that they do not get mixed with your perspiration and end up running down onto your face and getting into the pores.
Always look closely at product labelling and make sure that anything you put on your skin states “non-comedogenic”. Comedones is another way of saying whiteheads and blackheads and non-comedogenic means that the product is not going to clog pores and give rise to these.
Use Acne-Fighting Medicated Products
A very popular and effective product that can be bought without prescription is Benzoyl Peroxide. This kills acne-causing bacteria and promotes healing by ‘unplugging’ pores, thus helping blemishes to heal. Products containing Benzoyl Peroxide come in different strengths and you may need to experiment to find the product that is right for your skin. It can cause drying and irritation and you should make sure that you never use this in conjunction with any other medicated product.
A product that we have reviewed and which contains Benzoyl Peroxide, is Peter Thomas Roth Acne Clearing Gel – please use the link to read the full review.
A helpful tip is not to use this near your hair as it can bleach it. If you suffer from scalp acne, you will need a shampoo and skin treatment using salicylic acid instead. For the same reason, be careful to wash any product off your skin before drying with a towel – or your towel will get bleached too!
Protect your skin from the sun when using acne medications as they can increase sensitivity and you do not want to end up burning!
Finally, If topical, over the counter treatments don’t have the required effect on your blemishes, your doctor may recommend antibiotics, especially for inflamed acne pimples and whiteheads containing pus and bacteria. Unlike antibiotics to treat a sore throat or minor infection, those for treating acne, may need to be taken for some time to get the desired effect.
It is vital that treating existing skin problems is accompanied by steps to ensure that new blemishes are minimized. Unfortunately, short-term, your skin may look worse when treatment starts. However, persevere as this is a really common effect and once you get over that stage, your skin will be well on the way to recovery.
Alison Graham on Google+