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Acne Prevention and Skin
Care
Acne prevention and skin care go hand in hand. By paying attention
to your skin and facilitating its health, acne can be eradicated,
controlled and prevented. Skin care goes well beyond simple
cleansing (although cleansing should not be underrated) and
in many cases medication is not needed to prevent acne. Here
are a few examples of healthy skin care.
Nutrition
Probably the single most important promoter of healthy skin
and acne skin care is good nutrition. When you eat properly,
and your body gets all its necessary vitamins and nutrients,
your skin flourishes. When your skin is healthy, it is able
to heal itself quickly, generate needed proteins easily and
effectively, and exfoliate properly. Further, when you eat properly,
your body’s immune system is strong, enabling it to fight
of or keep in check the millions of different types of bacteria,
fungi and viruses in and on your body. Nutrition and healthy
eating habits cannot be stressed enough when connecting its
importance in healing skin conditions, and will probably be
one of the first recommendations made by your dermatologist
when prescribing a routine for combating acne.
Hydration
Hydration comes a close second to nutrition. When your skin
becomes overly dry, it is not as healthy. Dry skin also tends
to scale or shed. When dead skin cells are present on the face
or body, they can easily mix with the natural oils on your skin
and cause blockages in skin pores and follicles, resulting in
acne flare-ups. To properly hydrate, make sure you drink at
least 8 cups of water per day. Hydrated skin also tends to be
more youthful looking and has the ability to produce collagen
and elastin easier than dry skin. There are some acne
creams that contain ingredients that hydrate the skin as
well.
Cleansing
Implementing a daily skin cleansing routine and sticking to
it can be one of the best acne prevention methods available.
Combined with good nutrition and hydration, little else is usually
needed foracne prevention. Most people, however, have difficulty
maintaining a daily cleansing regiment. Daily cleansing can
be performed with water, mild soaps, natural ingredients (like
rose water or milk of magnesia) or with acne cleansing products.
When cleaning your skin, you should never scrub and always use
either your bare hands (preferred) or a soft cloth or sponge.
Scrubbing your skin causes skin irritation and is literally
reversing the positive effects of cleansing and hydrating. Exfoliating
procedures can be considered cleansing as well. Exfoliation
helps remove excess debris and dead skin cells from the affected
area which not only makes your skin look and feel healthier
but prevents the blockage of pores, thus helping to prevent
acne.
Other Acne Prevention
Some of the cleansing techniques may cause the skin to dry out.
Using rose water or some acne cleansing products in particular,
can leave your skin dry regardless of your hydrating habits.
Find a moisturizer that is oil free and non-comedogenic for
use after your cleansing routine. If you wear make-up (again,
only use non-comedogenic make-up), always wash it off before
you go to sleep. Try to scrub as little as possible when you
remove your make-up. Further, if you work in an area with high
pollution or suspended particulate (such as car or machinery
exhaust), always rinse your face immediately after leaving the
area. Any type of irritant on the skin can exacerbate inflammation,
the core symptom of what
causes acne.
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