Acne Treatments and Solutions

If you are between 16 and 20 years old, odds are you are having problems with the old enemy, acne, and that you are trying to find a solution to it. You're far from being alone in this matter, as nearly 70% of all youths suffer from more or less severe types of acne. And for many people, moving into the late 20s does not mean an end to acne, but the same old problem.

The most embarrassing, of course, is facial acne. Pimples on you back or chest can be hidden under clothing even in the summertime, but your face is always exposed. Every person you meet will look you in the face and even if no comment is made you know what they are all thinking, don't you? Fact is, people tend to judge others from the clothes they wear, the state and color of their skin and other such superficial aspects. This is why you have to get rid of acne.

Acne is as much about how you feel as how you look. Over the years, the research methods and medical treatments may have changed, but the answers to the question "how does your acne make you feel?" have remained alarmingly constant: Ugly. Angry. Dirty. Depressed. These answers are consistent across gender lines, age barriers and national bordER.

TO GET RID OF ACNE :

1. Don't Touch!

Don't pick, press, rub, or otherwise manipulate your pimples. If you do, you risk spreading the bacteria and increasing the chances of scarring. Similarly, don't rest your chin on your hands or constantly touch your face. Tight sweatbands and chin straps from baseball caps and sports equipment can have the same effect.

2. Use Benzoyl Peroxide
Use an over-the-counter product containing benzoyl peroxide once or twice a day. It helps break up the plug of dead skin cells, bacteria, and oil that clogs the pore and forms an acne blemish. And it cuts down on the bacteria, too. Start with the lowest concentration -- a 2.5 percent or 5 percent lotion or gel once a day. After a week, increase to twice a day, morning and night, if it doesn't irritate your skin.

If your acne doesn't improve within four to six weeks, use a 10 percent lotion or gel once a day and, if needed, twice a day.

3. Try Sulfur or Resorcinol Products

Try over-the-counter products containing sulfur or resorcinol, which help unplug oil glands by irritating the skin. However, most dermatologists believe that benzoyl peroxide is the most effective over-the-counter ingredient for acne.

4. Cover Your Bases

Don't just spot-treat acne; put the product on acne-prone areas, too. That can include your entire face (avoid the lips and eyes), back and chest.

5. Go Easy on Washing

Go easy on your face. Washing removes oils from the surface of the skin, not from within the plugged ducts. In fact, if you're too aggressive in your quest for cleanliness, you may end up drying out or irritating the sensitive skin on your face

6. Wash Properly

Wash properly once or twice a day, using a soap or nonsoap cleanser labeled "mild" or "for sensitive skin", and rub lightly with your fingertips and warm water. If your skin is oily, use a soap with benzoyl peroxide for its drying properties.

7. Be Careful with Exfoliants

Exfoliating refers to removing the top layer of dead skin cells using a rough washcloth, loofah, or specially designed product. But skin with acne is already irritated, and scrubbing can make things worse. Don't use brushes, rough sponges or clothes, cleansers with granules or walnut hulls, or anything else of that nature on the delicate facial skin. For the back and chest, where skin is less sensitive, you can try one of the acne scrub pads along with soap that contains benzoyl peroxide.

8. Avoid Oily Products

Don't use oily products, such as hair pomades, heavy oil-based facial moisturizers, or oily cleansers. Likewise, protect your skin from cancer and wrinkles without aggravating your acne by choosing an oil- free sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher. Unfortunately, many waterproof sunscreens are too likely to clog oil glands to use on the face; so if you'll be sweating heavily or plan on swimming, you'll have to stick to the oil-free variety but be diligent about reapplying it often (as recommended on the label).

9. Choose Better Make-up

­ Use water-based make-up, it won't clog pores as much as other types. Check the label to find out if makeup is water- or oil-based. If the label is unclear, use this guideline: If it separates into water and powder when left to sit undisturbed for a while, it's water-based, and if it stays mixed, it contains oil. Better yet, use powder blushes and loose powders instead of liquid. Eye makeup and lipstick are okay, because you don't generally get acne in those areas.

10. Avoid Facials
Don't get a facial. You may end up doing more harm than good.

11. Pay Attention to Food

Chocolate, greasy foods, nuts, and other foods have not been proven to have anything at all to do with causing teenage acne. Of course, if you notice a correlation between something you eat and your face breaking out, you could try avoiding the offending food.

12: Watch Out for Iodine

Watch out for iodine, which can be found in multiple vitamins and iodized salt. Some doctors believe iodine may encourage acne.