Acne Skin Care Tips - A Solution For Those Suffering With Acne

To help reduce your acne breakouts and its resulting damage to your skin, the following acne skin care tips may be a beneficial add-on to your acne arsenal.

• Avoid using facial bleach astringents as they tend to aggravate acne and ultimately cause the entire situation to become worse.

• Start by using a mild, water soluble facial cleanser that contains salicylic acid. This is one of my favorite ingredients as it will help to make your face feel smoother, keep it free of bacteria, exfoliate the dead skin cells, and reduce excess oil production.
• In case you wear makeup, the applicator brushes must be washed and changed frequently. Ideally you will want to wash them every day; therefore, you might want to consider changing to disposable applicators to save yourself a little time.
• Speaking of makeup, it is also imperative that you remove all makeup before going to bed. Give those pores opportunities to freely breathe without being inhibited with foundation, powders, and blush.
• In case you are also suffering from body acne, you will want to avoid wearing clothes that are too tight, as they will restrict the circulation of air and could increase the chances of skin irritations, which is one of the causes of acne problems.
• Be sure and use a good anti-dandruff shampoo because persistent dandruff may aggravate acne on the face, shoulders and back areas. Cleaning the hair frequently to remove excess dirt and oils will definitely help you prevent the transference of these substances to the forehead and cheeks.
• The frames of any eyeglasses and sunglasses should be cleansed daily and preferably before each use to keep dirt, oil, and bacteria off the face.
• Avoid the sun as it will enlarge the pores, which in turn will give excess oils and dead skin cells a larger "home" to live in. In addition, sun exposure to UV rays will damage the skin, create wrinkles, and may lead to skin cancer.

In addition to the above acne skin care tips, there are several things that can be done to protect the skin from the ravages of winter. As an example, your skin might become overly dry during the cold months, which in turn causes your skin to become a virtual desert of flakiness, redness and irritation.

Generally, an individual is more prone to acne breakouts in their T-zone, which pertains to the forehead, nose, and chin areas. Therefore, during the winter months you might want to only apply toner to these areas as toner tends to be a bit more drying to skin in the colder months.

If you enjoy using an exfoliation product, just be sure to select one that doesn't contain ingredients that tend to irritate acneic skin. Things like alcohol and witch hazel should be completely avoided. Care should be taken when using a product that contains benzoyl peroxide as it may cause a tight, dry feeling to the face, along with inflammation, irritation and redness.

Be sure to keep up with your water intake. When it's cold outside we sometimes forget about keeping our bodies properly hydrated. As the skin fails to receive the necessary fluids, it becomes dehydrated and starts to feel a bit tight or dry.

You may find your acne treatment products are too harsh for your skin during the winter months. Therefore, you might need to switch to an every other day routine until any flaking, dryness, and tight feeling subsides. If you are using any prescription meds, you will need to check with your doctor before scaling back a bit.