Acne most commonly rears its head around the age of adolescence For some people, it’s particularly severe. There are a number of things to know about acne which can help most people avoid acne and reduce how much it affects them.

The main causes of acne

Acne happens when pores become clogged with oil called sebum. With regular washing and hygiene maintenance, Sebum keeps the skin and hair smooth, only becoming oily when washing becomes irregular. During the adolescent stage, the body’s hormone levels yo-yo and will cause it to over-produce Sebum. The most frequent place acne occurs is in the ‘T zone’ which is the forehead, nose and chin. This is usually the first and most likely place pimples will pop up.

When pores become clogged, they become inflamed, which can cause pimples. Most often, you see “whiteheads” appear in these areas, which is an inflamed area surrounding a small white “capsule.” At times, the top of the whitehead will turn darker and become whats known as a “bleackhead.” Much to people’s surprise, whiteheads only become pimples once bacteria enters and infects the whitehead.

Taking care of acne

There is more to acne care than just giving your face a good scrub numerous times a day. Scrubbing is actually counter productive to reducing acne, as the action of scrubbing cleanses the pores but at the same time, stimulates more oil production in the scrubbed area. Increasing Sebum production will only compound the problem and cause the acne to multiply.

What you can do to control acne

Do wash your face twice a day with warm water and soap specifically designed for acne. DO NOT SCRUB. Instead, massage gently in a circular motion to remove excess oil, but do not irritate.

The next step is to find and apply a skin lotion that contains benzoyl peroxide, which will remove bacteria and reduce oil production. The moisturizer in these lotions will also help with keeping your skin fresh and holding back the acne.

Things acne sufferers should avoid

Do not use just any moisturizer, only use moisturizers that are specifically designed to treat and combat acne.

These oil-based moisturizers can make your acne worse. DO use moisturizers specifically made for oily skin and/or those that contain benzoyl peroxide.

Avoid popping pimples.

I know its difficult sometimes, but when you realize it causes infection to spread and even scarring, you may find it a lot easier to resist the urge.

Don’t touch your face unless your hands are clean.

Common sense should rein here as you will have to touch your face during the washing process, but resist the urge during the day when your hands are dirty. Your hands contain more bacteria (and other peoples Sebum) from daily interactions, so transferring this to your face will only make your acne worse.

Avoid wearing tight clothing if possible and be sure that you keep your glasses or sunglasses clean.

Tight clothing (including even such things as headbands or scarves) can cause acne breakouts on the skin. If you wear glasses, make sure you clean frames, etc., daily so that the parts that touch the bridge of your nose or other parts of your face are always clean. If you don’t do this, you could risk reinfecting yourself with bacteria from previous wearings.

Anyone wearing makeup should clean it off before going to bed.

Make sure your makeup is labeled as being water-based. Keep your eyes peeled to ensure that it is labeled “noncomedogenic” or “nonacnegenic”.

Keep your hair tied back as much as possible.

Having hair touching your face can aggravate and spread acne to more areas of your face.

Finally, if you can’t seem to get your acne breakouts under control with these methods, you may want to visit a dermatologist for particularly severe cases. He or she will have treatments and other options available for you if you can’t seem to keep it under control with normal methods. However, for most people, they will be able to keep their acne in check by following the tips listed above.

To find out more, visit a page on acne cures.