top 4 tips for treating adult acne

Acne is not a problem endured only by teens, we can all suffer from acne at any time in our lives. (To read about the main causes of adult acne, click here >)

So how do you treat acne to make sure it doesn’t get worse?

Below are a few easy-to-follow tips.

Tip 1: Wash Gently

When you are experiencing a breakout, wash your face gently, not vigorously as if you’re trying to wash away your acne. If you scrub your face you can actually make your skin more inflamed and your acne worse.

There is a common misconception that if you scrub your acne you’ll wash away the dirt that may be clogging your pores and causing the problem. But the problems that clog your pores and create acne occur much deeper in the pore so scrubbing will not help.

However, there is an exception. Once a week you should gently exfoliate your skin to scour away the dead skin cells that may be caught on your skin, unable to fall of on their own, and which stop your skin breathing and staying healthy. But when you choose your exfoliating product make sure it is very gentle.

Ideally you’ll use a product that doesn’t even feel like it’s working until you touch your skin and notice how smooth it feels after. Such products would contain gentle exfoliating ingredients such as fruit seeds. Please stay away from products which are salt- or sugar-based as they are simply too abrasive for facial skin, with or without acne.

Tip 2: Use a Gentle Cleanser

It is important to keep your skin clean when you have acne as you don’t want dirt to accumulate and make the situation worse.

However it is important to choose a cleanser that is very gentle on your skin and does not dry it out.

I recommend you, therefore, stay away from most soap products as they tend to dry the skin. Rather choose a gentle foaming cleanser but ensure you stay away from ingredients such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) as these can irritate your skin.

Tip 3: Use Your Hands

When you are washing your face, wash it using your hands and not a face-cloth or sponge. And make sure you have washed your hands before you begin to wash your face.

If you use a face-cloth or sponge you could be transferring bacteria from it onto your skin and into your pores, making your acne worse or even infected. Bacteria love water and usually face-cloths and sponges are quite damp so they’re the perfect breeding ground.

By washing your hands before you use them to wash your face you’re ensuring that any dirt or bacteria are removed before your hands touch your face.

Tip 4: Treat Your Whole Face

If you are using a product designed to treat acne make sure you use it all over your face. Don’t just confine it to individual pimples or spots.

By treating your whole face you are treating pimples and spots that are still under the skin and have not yet surfaced. This will reduce the chances of additional breakout areas on your face. Whereas if you only treat individual spots and pimples you may find you are treating new areas every day as new spots and pimples surface.