If you are a person suffering from acne, you have most probably heard the pieces of advice that mention something to the effect that you should ‘try cleaning your face regularly’ and ‘avoid certain foods’ – before resorting to acne medication if all else fails. In actual fact, although are indeed some quite undeniable links between acne, diet and hygiene, there are also many other factors that can trigger acne.
Now there is also no denying that good acne skin care can definitely minimize acne breakouts on your face, as can the various natural acne treatments – often doing away with the need for you to use acne medication. Even if you are already afflicted of acne, these can still help to reduce the acne scars, which by the way, very few acne medication drugs have shown true efficacy at treating.
One of the core factors that can cause acne is the clogging of skin pores – hence the often (not too mistaken) connection people make between acne and hygiene. Obviously, as far as this clogging goes, scrubbing your skin can help to unclog some of the pores. Just remember to be gentle as you go about scrubbing your skin. Wash your face thrice a day using lukewarm water; and avoid ‘rough soaps’ because some of the chemicals that they contain may cause further damage your skin. Go for mild cleansers, they are the best acne skin care products . It is best to avoid touching your face.To be sure, this can sometimes be rather tempting, but remember that pricking pimples can cause acne scars. For guys who shave beards, it is best to check your razor. Twin blades are much better to use. Always shave gently in order to avoid acne scars.
Worth of special mention is what is sometimes referred to as cosmetic acne, which normally affects girls. At its core, cosmetic acne is acne that is caused by use of unhealthy cosmetic products: as some cosmetics have been known to induce acne in some people. In this regard, since acne tends to favor very oily skins, and it is best to avoid oil-based make up. Instead go for water-based make up, wherever possible to.
If you love sun bathing then watch out. Although it can dry the pimples, the sun can also cause acne breakouts or worsen acne afflictions.
Turning to the acne skin care - diet relationship, it has been shown that there are certain types of food that can increase ones affliction with pimples. Fat, oil and sugar – and especially very high amounts of them, are major culprits here. It is therefore best to avoid too much fat, oil and sugar. To further protect oneself from acne, it is advisable to add nutritious foods in the diet. Foods that are rich in antioxidants can go a long way in this regard; as they can help in generating new skin cells. Add vegetables to your diet. To keep the skin well hydrated, it is best to drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. Avoid drinking carbonated soft drinks and artificial fruit juices; as they tend to contain too much sugar. Eat plenty of fruits to avoid having skin discoloration.
In addition to acne skin care tips, try adapting a system. There are some excellent skin care products (in addition to the various acne medication drugs) that are available in the market. These include deep facial cleaners, creams and moisturizers. There are also herbal supplements that you can take in order to fight acne from the inside.
If good acne skin care fails in addressing your case of acne, you might considering other acne treatment solutions such as acne laser treatment and naturopathy acne products.
1. Is Acne related to skin hygiene?
Not directly. Contrary to what some people think, acne – in spite of being a bacteria-related condition - is not one of afflictions that are directly caused by poor standards of personal hygiene, though poor standards of skin cleanliness can have an indirect ‘hand’ in its causation. At its core, though, acne is caused by a mix of hormonal and physiological factors. As such, people maintaining the highest standards of persona hygiene have still been known to fall victim to the condition, with people not observing very high standards of personal hygiene somehow failing to fall into acne’s way. In other words, if you happen to have acne, it is not really an indication of personal hygiene failures on your part. Yet maintaining high standards of hygiene is one of things that can (indirectly) go a long way towards reducing one’s chances of falling victim to acne, and a whole host of other infections as well.
2. Can some skin care products cause acne?
Yes, some skin care products have been shown to be culpable in causing acne. This comes to be when you take into consideration the fact that the long term use of certain skin care products has been known to have the effect of blocking the pores on the skin. When this happens, there is a possibility of the hair follicles getting entrapped under the skin, with the oil produced by the sebaceous glands of such entrapped hair follicles (through interactions with androgens in the body) having the ultimate effect of causing the type of acne characterized by blackheads and whiteheads.
3. What preventive measures can I take to keep myself from acne?
There are a number of things you can do keep yourself from falling victim to acne. One is steering clear of the previously mentioned skin care products that are known (or even suspected) to have the effect of blocking the pores on the skin. Second is keeping your skin reasonably dry (especially if you have the oily skin type), because acne is known to have a tendency to afflict oily skin. Third is maintaining high standards of hygiene, because although acne is not directly caused by poor standards of hygiene, ‘dirty’ skin nonetheless makes a more habitable place for the bacteria responsible for causing acne.
4. I am afflicted with acne, what skin care practices can help?
One, in case you can trace your case of acne to the use of a certain skin care product, the best advice would be to immediately stop using such product immediately. If your skin is the oily variety, you need to take steps to keep it dry (to a healthy extent). Oily skin can aggravate an acne affliction. Third is keeping your skin clean (through regular washing with plenty of soap and water), taking note of the fact that acne can make an opening on the skin for other even more serious skin infections.
5. Do acne skin care products really work?
Yes, some acne skin care products really do work. Unfortunately some don’t. Yet there are ways of knowing what works and what doesn’t work, if you are keen enough. One is examining the ingredients that go into the making of each acne skin care product you consider using, and then researching to know what their effects and efficacy as far as combating acne goes is. Second is tuning in to acne forums (any place where acne is discussed), and really listening to what the people’s sentiments are, regarding the various acne skin products. Focused online research can also go a long way towards giving you hints as to what works and what doesn’t work, in terms of combating acne and the effects of acne on the skin.