Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Acne Care: The Best Way to Prevent Breakouts

By Nathan James

Instead of trying to deal with an acne breakout after it happens, people who have to deal with regular acne breakouts would be better off if they worked to prevent breakouts from ever happening in the first place. There are lots of reasons why a person may experience an acne breakout. For example, excessively tight clothing or clothes that trap sweat and oil can cause the skin to breakout with acne. Hormonal imbalances can also be responsible for acne.

Proper acne care requires that a person prevents dead skin cells from mixing with the sebum that is secreted from the sebaceous glands. It is this mixture that clogs pores and appears on the skin as acne.

Some people remain convinced that acne can be caused by eating certain foods, but there is no scientific proof that links eating food to the outbreak of acne. It is also important to keep in mind that adolescents going through puberty are not the only people who should practice good acne care. Any person of any age, male or female, can potentially be susceptible to acne.

A person has an especially high risk of experiencing an acne breakout after they have done strenuous exercise; that risk is even greater if they were wearing tight clothes. To prevent acne, you should always shower right away after you exercise. Exfoliating is another important part of acne care, since dead skin cells need to be removed from the surface of the skin. After exfoliating, you need to use a moisturizer so that dry skin does not begin to flake off.

Proper Skin Cleansing: Not Just Soap and Water

Despite what many people do to avoid acne breakouts, they still suffer repeated problems, as many times it could be the soap they use. Many deodorant soaps, and even the drier sheets used in the laundry, can contribute to acne outbreaks regardless of the efforts for acne care. Many types of make up can also add more unwanted oils to the skin, and can contribute to additional problems with skin acne.

To care for the skin, you should use a 5% benzoyl peroxide solution on sensitive areas and a 10% formula on areas where your skin is thicker. Remember, however, that moisturizing the skin with an oil-free moisturizer is important after administering a benzoyl peroxide solution since the latter dries out the skin.

You may need to visit a dermatologist if you have found that, despite using several different acne products, your acne problem has not gotten better at all. The dermatologist can suggest a topical medication or even a prescription antibiotic if they believe it would be necessary in your case. - 16003

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