Acne can be painful, annoying, itchy, and drive an you crazy. However if you don’t like the amount of acne you have you can take steps to reduce or even eliminate your acne. By following the information that you will find in this article you can achieve your dreams.
Do not waste your money on overly expensive acne-fighting products. Start with something that is inexpensive and sold over-the-counter, at your local drug store. If your acne persists, make an appointment with your regular doctor or dermatologist. There is no point wasting your money on pricier products, before you see if the less expensive ones will work on your skin.
Rubbing a bit of fresh garlic on an acne breakout can hasten healing. Garlic is well known as a natural antiseptic as well as an antibiotic. If you want to avoid smelling like you are trying to repel vampires, a garlic supplement will help, although it’s not as effective as direct application.
Try using witch hazel on your acne. Witch hazel is great at drawing out infection. It works well on acne as well. Just pour a little on a cotton ball and dab any area that is afflicted with acne. Feel free to repeat the process once a day or so.
Here is a way of treating acne that is a little bit off the wall. You want to mix cut up strawberries with sour cream and make sure it is blended well. Then apply the mixture to your face like a beauty mask. This mixture will cool your face and clear up problem areas.
You always want to have a little bit of patience when it comes to acne and pimples. It takes at least a week for a pimple to go away completely once it has made a place for itself on your face. Continue to nurture that area, but understand that it will not go away immediately.
Oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy can sometimes help with adult onset acne. Many women have acne flare ups as adults, when hormones are out of balance, especially in the week prior to menstruation. Under the direction of a physician, success can sometimes be seen when hormone pills and topical treatment are used in combination.
If you want to shrink the appearance of your pores, switch to a facial cleanser that contains the ingredient salicylic acid. This will wash out excess oils that can stretch out your pores. It is a bonus if the cleanser can exfoliate, as well. When you exfoliate, you wash away dead skin that could clog and stretch the pores.
If you must shave during an acne breakout, consider using a standard blade and not using an electric razor. Try to shave with the direction of hair growth, not against it. Shaving can irritate acne prone skin and lead to scarring, so be very gentle with your skin while shaving.
To help clear up that troublesome acne, be sure to use only gentle, natural products on your skin. Products with too many chemicals will strip the natural oils from your skin and lead to more clogged pores and acne. The best policy to follow, is to use as little as possible on your skin so that it can heal.
Reducing caffeine intake is one way to help prevent and get rid of acne. Many caffeinated drinks increase stress hormones which in turn, increase acne levels. For those who enjoy soda or coffee, try to stick with decaffeinated versions. Because chocolate also has caffeine, it is recommended to reduce or eliminate your intake.
Applying hydrocortisone or products that contain it will reduce the redness and swelling associated with acne flare-ups. Care must be exercised, though, because hydrocortisone is a fairly harsh treatment that can irritate and damage skin. This damage makes skin vulnerable to the spread of acne. Hydrocortisone should be used sparingly on isolated trouble spots.
If you are a smoker who is concerned about preventing or treating acne, it is time to give up those cigarettes. Recent studies have shown that excessive smoke is damaging to the skin and can actually worsen your acne condition. It is important to give up smoking, or at least reduce the amount of smoke your body is subjected to in order to prevent breakouts.
To aid in fighting acne, try to avoid foods and drinks which help boost the body’s production of oil. Sugar, caffeine, and refined carbohydrates are known to have a tendency to help enhance oil production by the body’s sebaceous glands. The excess oil can build up and clog skin pores, which can lead to acne.
One thing sufferers of body acne often don’t think of is the daily laundry! We often forget that wearing a shirt or other clothing all day can trap harmful oils and bacteria next to the skin and cause outbreaks. So, wash your clothes frequently for less-frequent body acne breakouts!
Many people claim that the use of potatoes can make acne disappear faster. Slice a potato, and hold it to the affected area for about 15 minutes. That is all you have to do. The pimples will now disappear much faster after having done this simple yet very creative step in preventing acne.
When using a topical treatment for acne, it’s important to read and follow the directions on the label. This way you can make sure you’re not making the break-out worse when using the treatment with a cleanser that may give your skin too much medicine or dry out your skin with too much use. Remember, the more irritated your skin gets, the longer it will take to heal.
Once you have decided to do something for yourself to get rid of the acne that you have gotten fed up with you can clear yourself of acne and feel better over all about yuor life.