Acne is an annoying but easily manageable condition. Perhaps what makes this condition so difficult in terms of treatment is that people tend to do particular “cures” that exacerbate the problem, eat the wrong foods or even have certain habits that cause the acne to spread.

Here are a couple of easy to understand tips that not only make treatment manageable, but also accessible in your own home:

1. Clean your face. This basic tenant means that you should clean your face at least twice a day in order to insure that your face is cleared of dirt and grime. Cleaning it too much can clear sebum on your face, which is not a good idea since it keeps your face hydrated. Cleaning your face too much can cause either overproduction on your skin or dry skin.

2. Less make up, the better. Even if you’re using specialized makeup that prevents pore clogs, it still risks in clogging them. Concealers are the usual suspects since they already cover blemishes like acne scars or even dark circles around your eye. The trick here is to remove you make-up immediately after using it as prolonged stay on your skin can cause acne no matter how hypoallergenic or natural it is.

3. What you put on your hair can affect your skin. Always take precaution when putting oils, fragrances or even hair gel for extended periods of time as they might, again, clog your pores. Also, if you have exceptionally long hair, always keep it away from your face.

4. Never pop your pimples. The temptation is always there, but don’t. Acne scarring can carry over a long period of time and could lead to more acne plus it could lead to concealer use which can also clog your pores. Whatever you do, don’t.

5. If using anti-acne products don’t work, go to your dermatologist. Your doctor knows mores than you, so if you think that your acne medication doesn’t work; don’t hesitate to ask.

Additional Notes

Understand what “clean” means. There is delineation between keeping your face clean and cleaning your face way to much. You see, despite the fact that our body is programmed and adapted to be able to resist the elements, there are certain things that one can do that can make it difficult than it has to be.

You see, your face expels specialized oil called sebum. The sebaceous gland is responsible for expelling a fixed amount of this light yellow fluid all over your face. This oil is responsible for hydrating your face. If the gland produces too few, it makes your skin feel rough; if it produces too much, it will make your skin oily and all shiny.

Also, not all skin types are made equal; this means that certain over the counter medication might not work all the time. Sometimes, they even work too well. Retinol for one is a sensitive chemical that can potentially cause more harm on your skin.

There are a lot of cures to be had when it comes to acne. You can try for topical over-the-counter medication or you can try home remedies; no matter where you go, acne treatment is pretty much open and shut in terms of accessibility a well as treatment. So it is not a matter of where and how you get treatment, but choosing what are the best options for your skin.

Skin can be fickle organ to please; not only is it the largest organ in the body, it can also be perhaps one of its more sensitive. In fact, skin treatment aside from acne relies on pre-tests in order to make sure that treatment does not cause ill reactions. This is also the reason why most acne companies develop better formulations so it can be safe for most types of skin.

Worst Case Scenarios

Acne may be nearly unavoidable during your teen years, it is still treatable. We all get acne, just at varying degrees that are due to hygienic issues, complications from certain diseases or even your genetics.

Worsening cases of acne can be triggered by a variety of ways. Hair gels and excessive use of makeup can cause build up in your pores, thus exacerbating the build up of acne on your face.

Perhaps one of the worst case scenarios I’m talking about are Comedonal and inflammatory acne. Comedonal acne is your whitehead and/or blackhead outbreaks that are formed due to the ungainly mix of old skin and sebum that clogs your pores. Inflammatory acne on the other hand are Comedonal areas that have taken the appearance of reddish or even inflamed skin.

Again, their treatment can cause varying degrees of problems, but they are not impossible to cure. They can still be treated via topical over the counter medication to be paired with antibiotic use in order to counter its effects. Retinol creams, which anti-wrinkle connoisseurs are very familiar of, helps restore your skin to its more supple and elastic form by stimulating the growth of collagen in your dermis. Doxycycline and tetracyclines are choice antibiotics that should be used in conjunction with the retinoid medication.

Hormones and Acne

Acne is not only caused by clogged pores, there are also cases in which your hormones are directly responsible for the spread and increase in acne activity. They are pronounced in women who have hormonal fluctuations due to the menstrual cycle. In such cases, dermatologists recommend the use of contraceptive pills in order to distill its effects.

Products such as Estrostep, Ortho Tri-Cyclen are known to be effective in such cases. However, one must understand that oral contraceptives or pill-form contraceptives need time to work as their effect is gradual rather than instantaneous.

One characteristic side effect that is commonly attributed to these types of medication is that it can cause frequent urination.