The five Secrets to Treating Acne

Posted by John

August 10, 2010

After reading several questions that are being sent to us there are some people who have had acne for a long time and just can’t seem to get rid of it. Some of these people have been going to Acne Clinics or the doctors for all this time and they just don’t make the situation any better.

We at AcneTreatmentAdvice.org were surprised by this because the professionals seemed to be prescribing what we thought kept in keeping with the what we would have thought (which, of course, they should as they are professionals). So, why weren’t our readers who just couldn’t get rid of acne not benefiting from these professionals? Well, not quick to shy away from a challenge, we decided that we would look into this further and investigate whether some people do have extremely stubborn acne or was something being overlooked.

Sure enough, we found some stuff that was being overlooked by the doctors. Now, I am not going to imply that doctors don’t know what they are talking about and you shouldn’t go to one because they do and you should especially if you have severe acne. However, some doctors (from what we have heard) just look at the condition and match it to the various acne medications that they have available. Once the condition is matched to the medication, their job is done. But treating acne can be so much more than just a medication that can be prescribed and some of our readers were left in the dark about this.

So, to help you all out. Here are our 5 top secrets that some doctors fail to mention that could actually improve your acne more than any prescription:

1) Never pick, pop or play with your acne

So simple.

Some people can find that their acne almost cures itself when they can overcome the urge to pop or squeeze their acne. Most people who have bad acne do not know how important this is and find it difficult to stop. There are ways that you can can condition yourself to stop. The best way is to make yourself aware of when you are doing. If you find yourself squeezing a pimple, give yourself a burning. Say to yourself that you are making your situation worse and that when you have popped your pimple you have actually made it stay there for an extra month and given yourself 5 new pimples. Was it worth it?

So many of the people that we speak to have not been told this by their doctor. Why? This is so important it is unreal but doctors look at the condition as something that needs medication and completely neglect the simple changes in habit that can make all the difference.

2) Drink Loads of Water

Again this is something that can really help. We have spoken to acne sufferers who said that this technique alone cleared up their moderate acne. One person in particular who had been going to see a doctor for 5 years said that he had never been told this and was drinking only 2 glasses of water a day rather than the 8 (at least) that you should be drinking.

Drinking loads of water hydrates the skin. Hydrated skin is more youthful and elastic which means it can heal better and fight acne naturally. Also, quicker healing means that blemishes are around for a shorter period of time which means that your face will be clearer.

If your skin is dehydrated it is dry (obvious assumption I know). Dry skin means that the outer layer can die off meaning that there will be more dead skin cells which can get clogged in the follicle pore causing more acne symptoms.

Drinking lots of water also detoxifies the skin which means that there will be less irritation so you are less likely to touch or rub your acne.

3) Don’t go overboard on washing your skin

Most doctors will tell you to wash your skin twice a day, and this is correct, but they won’t emphasize that you should not wash more than this. Many of the acne sufferers that we have spoken to have said that they used to wash more than this because they thought the more you washed the more acne you could clear.

It is a natural reaction to wash several times a day because you want to be taking a proactive approach to clearing your acne but washing can irritate the skin which can make your symptoms worse. If you are using harsh cleansers then it can dry out your skin which can also cause more acne symptoms (as if it your skin was dehydrated).

You should only wash your skin twice a day. Once in the morning and once again in the afternoon or early evening.

4) Use a good acne treatment

A good acne treatment can make a huge difference to your condition, if you use it correctly. There are two active ingredients that you can look out for:

Benzoyl Peroxide – This clears the skin of excess oil. Use a low level of Benzoyl Peroxide as this is enough to do the job and it won’t irritate your skin to the point of actually making your acne worse.

Salicylic Acid – This is great for unblocking your pores which means that the oil produced within the skin can get to the surface without causing any acne symptoms.

Acne Antibiotics – If you have severe acne or inflammatory acne speak to your doctor about going on a course of acne antibiotics as this works at a deeper level.

If you can only choose one of the active ingredients above then it is important that you choose the right one to match your skin. If you have very greasy skin then this is probably what is causing your acne so use benzoyl peroxide. If you have dry skin but are still getting acne then use salicylic acid as blocked pores are probably what is causing your condition (drink lots of water too). Find out which is the best treatment for combatting all causes of acne you can visit our best acne treatment page.

5) Ignore your acne

This is the final step. If you are doing everything that is mentioned above then the best thing you can do now is to ignore your acne. I know that it is tough as it is there every time you look in the mirror but this will really help.

If you ignore your acne then you will be less inclined to touch it. Also, studies have shown that stress can make acne worse so by stressing over your acne you are making it worse.

So, just be safe in the knowledge that it will eventually go. As long as your are not touching it, you are drinking lots of water and you are only washing twice a day with a good acne treatment then it will go. Maybe not in a week or even a month but it will go so the best thing you can do is relax about it.

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