How to Prevent Acne

Acne is a huge embarrassment for most individuals, no matter what age they are. Over 85% of humans have experienced acne in their life. Like most other health conditions, people wait until acne gets out of hand before they ever address the problem. While it is good to treat acne early, it still won't stop it from happening nor will it stop you from getting those acne scars on your face. The best way to stop acne is by treating it before it ever starts.

There is still no way to stop acne completely as of yet, but there are ways to stop it before it starts. One of the ways to stop acne before it starts is by adopting a daily cleansing routine. While acne is not caused by poor hygiene, it is still very important to use a wash cloth or any other material, that will help exfoliate the skin. The reason for this is because too many skin cells can be a contributing factor to acne. Do your cleansing routine twice a day and stay away from moisturizers with oil in them.

When you're finished washing your face, use a 2% salicylic acid solution like stridex. What salicylic acid does is remove those excess skin cells that clog the pores and cause acne. If this regimen is followed daily, it will certainly reduce the number of acne breakouts that you will get.

If there is a case, in which the salicylic acid doesn't work then use a 5% benzoyl peroxide. Don't use any benzoyl peroxide that is over 5% because it will cause severely dry skin. The 5% benzoyl peroxide is a strong enough solution to stop acne without causing excessive dry skin or irritating the skin. If you don't want to use benzoyl peroxide, an alternative is tea tree oil which has been proven to be just as effective as benzoyl peroxide.

The final step to this regimen is to use oil free sunscreen to protect your skin before going outside. Of all the steps mentioned, this is the most important one. Sunlight can not only damage and irritate the skin but it has also been a leading cause for skin cancer. When skin is damaged, the chances of developing acne increases.

For this regimen to work, you must do it daily, regardless of whether you have acne or not. When you exfoliate the skin by using salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide and sun screen, you're chances of developing acne are extremely low.

There are numerous alternatives to treating acne, but the effectiveness of them greatly differ. Prescribed acne medications like, Retin-A and Accutane can help slow down the acne process. Retin-A can be used without causing side effects and it also helps to reduce wrinkles and lines in the face.

The negative side of prescribed acne medications is that it can make the skin more sensitive to sun exposure, so when using these medications you have to wear sunscreen. Acne can not be cured but it can be greatly reduced for those who already have it and it can be prevented for those who have not experienced acne. Remember the key to stopping it is getting to it before it starts.