Just the mention of the word “acne” fills some people with dread.  They envision having to spend long hours caring for their skin by scrubbing it, applying expensive creams to it, and avoiding the foods they most love to eat in order to prevent pimples from breaking out all over their faces.

The great news is that advances are being made in the treatment of acne and experts are discovering new ways to prevent and treat this dreaded skin condition.  Some of the old wives’ tales about acne have proven untrue and new information about how to get clear, beautiful skin is being uncovered daily.

Take a look at these 5 little-known facts regarding acne treatment and skin care:

1)    To scrub or not?

Although experts once thought that scrubbing was necessary to get clean, pimple-free skin, they now know that scrubbing skin with harsh abrasives only serves to irritate and injure the skin.  Because skin is delicate, it can easily become damaged, leaving it unable to act as a shield against harmful bacteria.  So scrubbing your skin with or without abrasives must be avoided.

2)    Can the sun make my skin beautiful?

Although the sun is capable of stopping bacteria in its tracks, it also harms your skin by drying it out and clogging your pores.  Prolonged exposure (more than 15 minutes per day) to sunlight will not help you obtain beautiful skin and should be avoided.

3)    Will cold air help clear my skin of acne?

Extremely cold weather damages the skin much the same way as sunlight does by drying it out and clogging the pores.  Cold air should be avoided because it will interfere with any progress you are making towards clearing up your acne breakouts.  The best temperature for maintaining beautiful, clear skin is between 70 and 80 degrees F.

4)    Will swimming harm my skin?

Swimming is an excellent choice, both for your fitness level and your acne-prone skin.  Swimming in an ozone-purified indoor swimming pool, with water that is approximately 75 to 85 degrees F, will cool down your irritated skin, reduce stress, and provide great exercise for your entire body.

5)    How can I avoid coming into contact with the bacteria that causes acne?

The best way to prevent bacteria-causing acne and have pimple-free skin is to keep everything around you as clean as possible.  Bacteria thrive in linens, towels, and washcloths so you must wash them each time you use them.  Some natural products that have been proven to cut down on bacteria are vinegar, essential oils, and tea tree oil, all of which can be used to wash your linens and undergarments.

Following these 5 steps will help you effectively fight and control your stubborn acne because you will learn to change your bad habits.

Changing your unhealthy habits will lead to a healthier lifestyle which will, in turn, lead to beautiful, clear, acne-free skin.

People with acne consider it to be an annoying problem, one that frustrates them to the point of hopelessness.

Acne skin treatment does take time once acne has developed, but the truth is, if acne hasn’t already started, then it is fairly easy to prevent its occurrence.  If it has started to appear, then following your prescribed acne treatment should bring positive results in a short period of time.

No matter what your predicament, you can have healthy skin if you will keep a few guidelines regarding proper skincare in mind.

Keep your skin clean

Perhaps the most important part of your daily skin care regime is keeping your skin clean.  It should be washed twice daily, morning and night, with a mild hypoallergenic cleanser.  In addition, it should be cleaned after any activity that causes you to sweat an abnormal amount, such as strenuous activity or exercise.

Of utmost importance is the type of cleanser you use on your skin.  Scrubbing your skin with a harsh, abrasive soap will only make your acne worse.  If you don’t know of a good cleanser for your skin type, then consult your dermatologist for advice.  Once you have washed your skin (gently), then rinse it and pat it dry.

If your hair is oily, like your skin, then it should be shampooed daily because oil from your hair can easily find its way to your face and cause problems.

Shave carefully

Shaving is a problem generally affecting only men.  As far as choosing which type of razor to use (electric or safety), it depends upon which is the easiest and most comfortable to use.  When using safety razors, the short blade should be the only one used on acne-prone skin.  Before apply the shaving foam, the beard should first be softened using soap and water.  Shave very carefully and lightly to avoid irritating the blemishes that might be present.

Keep your hands off of your face

Manipulating (squeezing or popping) the bumps on your face will only cause them to spread or form ugly acne scars.  Keep your fingers completely off of your acne blemishes or you run the risk of interfering with your acne treatment.

Cosmetics

Check your make-up products to ensure that they are hypoallergenic and do not contain oil.  If they do, or if they are old, you should toss them out and buy new products.  Be sure to read the product labels to ensure that they don’t contain ingredients that will conflict with your acne treatment.  Until your treatment progress, it may be difficult to use foundation or other liquid make-up products on your skin.

In addition to checking your make-up, you should also look at the shampoo and conditioner you use on your hair.  If they contain oil, acne could start appearing on your forehead.  Make sure all hair products are non-comedogenic.

Stay out of the Sun

Even if you think tanned skin makes your blemishes look better, beware of exposing your skin to the sun, especially throughout your acne skin treatment period.  Prolonged sun exposure will age your skin rapidly and put you at risk for skin cancer.

In addition to the harmful effects of the sun on your skin, the acne medication you are using can react negatively when exposed to the sun’s rays, making you much more likely to get sunburned.

No one in the world is immune to acne.  It affects people from all walks of life and from any age category.  Acne does not show preferential treatment to males, females, rich people, or poor ones.  Because everyone’s skin is different, they all have different contributing factors that cause their particular kind of acne.

The most important part of your acne treatment is understanding what skin type you are and the most effective acne treatment to use on it.  If you have oily skin, you would not want to use cleansing products, moisturizing products, or cosmetics that contain oil.

You should buy products that are oil-free.  On the other hand, if you have dry skin, you would not want to use the oil-free products because your skin could use a little extra oil.

Both oily and dry skin need to be moisturized daily.  Just because skin has extra oil does not mean it doesn’t need moisturizer.  Plenty of good oil-free moisturizers are available to use on oily skin.  Dry skin has its own specific problems and should be moisturized with a product made especially for dry skin.

Topical skin treatments are designed to keep pores from clogging while getting rid of excessive dirt and oil on the skin’s surface, as well as acne-causing bacteria.  Certain oral medications exist that will keep your body from producing so much oil.  Prescription creams and ointments will help keep your breakouts dry and will even promote fast cell replacement in those areas of your acne-infected skin that need it.  Other medical and natural remedies exist that help in the treatment of acne.

Before you understand how to develop the proper acne care skin treatment for your skin, you should try to understand what is causing the acne in the first place.

Causes of Acne

Acne has many causes and all of them aren’t fully understood or substantiated yet.  Here are some of the most common causes:

• Hormones play a major role in acne development.  The early teen years bring many hormonal changes to the body and those changes often cause constant breakouts of pimples, pustules, and even cysts.   The adult years bring changes, too, especially for women.  Premenstrual and pre-menopausal difficulties cause breakouts in alarming numbers of women.  Because of the excess oil produced during hormone-caused acne, products that help to eliminate and reduce oil will be most helpful for this type of acne.

• Stress is certainly a common factor to the development of acne.  When the body becomes tense, it releases chemicals and hormones that eventually turn into toxins and waste that the body must expel.  Some of these waste products will be excreted through the skin and will contribute to acne.

• Some people still believe that chocolate, sugar, and other foods can cause acne to form.  Most experts deny that food has anything to do with acne’s development but the subject is still widely debated and researched so we can’t be absolutely certain that particular foods don’t contribute to acne.

• Cosmetics and skin-care products can also contribute to acne if the products being used are not for the correct skin type.  Using oily products on oily skin can certainly contribute to outbreaks so it is important to choose your personal care products very carefully when deciding on the best acne treatment for your skin.

Other factors, such as lifestyle and environment, can also affect your skin.  The best things you can do for your skin is learn how to properly care for it, keep it hydrated, keep it moisturized, and try to eliminate the factors that are causing your skin to have acne.