Take Care Of Your Skin

Proper skin care is important when it comes to acne control and prevention.  While sometimes acne does spring up from hormones or other factors but there are many things you can do for your skin to keep it healthy and radiant.

Taking care of your skin means how you clean it, how you moisturize and feed it, and other things you do to take care of it.  Let's take a look at what your skin care regimen should look like and what you should be doing in order to have the best skin possible.

Cleaning

Keeping your skin clean is important for acne prevention and treatment.  But unfortunately cleansing too often, with products that are too harsh, or not cleaning properly will not only fail to prevent acne it can actually irritate your skin and even cause breakouts.

Cleaning products. 

Some years ago just about the only product available for cleaning your face was bath soap; some time later there was a small selection of cold creams available as well.

Bath soap is meant to clean areas of your body that are very germy and that have extreme bacteria buildup.  The delicate areas of your face are just too sensitive for this type of cleaning product.  Using bath soap on your face is just going to dry your skin and irritate it.

Cold creams have actually been around for centuries; it's believed that the ancient Greeks actually invented the mixture of animal fats, beeswax, and water to soften the skin and remove makeup products.  The fats would mix with the makeup products and lift them from the skin and the only residue left behind were traces of these same fats, actually leaving the skin soft and smooth.

During the 1950s and 1960 the use of cold cream by women to remove makeup was very popular, as makeup brands at that time were much heavier than they are today and so needed something heavy to remove them.  It wasn't long before makeup manufacturers realized that there was a market for products that removed makeup and soon the market was flooded with other cleansing products.  However, many believe that cold cream is still one of the best products for removing makeup as it doesn't contain a lot of unnecessary ingredients or drying agents.  It can easily dissolve all makeup products from the face without harming the delicate areas around the eyes.

What to look for in a cleanser. 

Wander into any department store or pharmacy looking for a facial cleanser and you could spend literally all day picking and choosing through the many options.  Remember that you may have a special sensitivity to certain products but in general here are some guidelines you should be remembering.

§         Cleansers should be water soluble.  This means that they will rinse away completely with water and leave the least amount of residue on your face.

§         Avoid any cleansers with perfumes or added scents; they should be fragrance and perfume free. 

§         Your cleanser should also be soap free.  You may think that a good soap is going to kill everything that causes acne but there are many other cleansers that will do the trick without the drying agents of soap.

Organic and natural cleansers. 

Scientists and dermatologists have done quite a bit of research and work over the last few decades to produce some amazing products that are very good for your skin, but many people still have a strong sensitivity to anything unnatural especially when it's put on the face.  So while there are many skincare products that are very good for removing makeup and keeping your face clean, sometimes organic and natural products are just plain healthier and less harsh.

How to Clean

Acne is an irritating fact in your life, there's no doubt about that.  It's not unusual for those who suffer from it to be angry and resentful of its presence.  Because of that they're often angry when they clean their face, and this results in them actually abusing their skin or being too harsh with it.

Realizing that acne happens deep under the surface of your skin also makes many people think that they need to really dig up all that bacteria and those germs, and this too can mean harsh treatment.

When you clean your skin it's important to treat your face delicately.  There's no need to pull or tug or dig deep during cleansing.  Cleansers are typically strong enough to get all the makeup, dirt, and other residue without having to scrape your face.

If you're using cold cream or foaming cleansers, apply in a circular motion using firm but gentle movements.  For other cleansers that require a cotton swab or cotton ball, move the swab very gently across your face in an upward motion.  Again, there's no need to push down harshly on your skin or to tug on it.

Exfoliate

The purpose of an exfoliant is to remove the topmost layer of skin, taking with it dead skin cells and other impurities that make your face look dull and unhealthy.  There are many products on the market that you can use to exfoliate, but there are some necessary words of warning needed as well.

Removing the top layer of skin means removing necessary oils and moisturizers as well!  Exfoliating too often or with products that are too harsh means that you're going to be constantly stripping your skin of this necessary oil, and your skin will just get dry.  It's not unusual for those with acne to exfoliate far too often and then have dry skin on top of their acne.  It seems like a cruel oxymoron, that you could have dry and flaky skin over acne prone skin, but it does happen.

What to use to exfoliate. 

There are loofah mitts and other such products you can use but usually these are very harsh on your skin.  Imagine rubbing your face with the same scrubber pad you use for your dishes!  And that's what you're doing with these loofah mitts and products.

Some exfoliate creams also have ground up peach pits and other natural ingredients that work to slough off this top layer of skin but these too can be very harsh on the skin.  Remember, you don't want to punish your skin for having acne or for being dry; instead, you simply want to remove that one layer with the least amount of secondary damage as possible.

A better choice for an exfoliant would be a mild coating for the skin that rinses off clean.  You need to choose one that is gentle and delicate, and water soluble.

Exfoliating too often is another common mistake that many people make.  They think that as long as they have dry skin or flakes, they need to exfoliate.  In reality it's much better to address your dry skin problem at the cause rather than constantly exfoliate.  If you are prone to dry skin patches and flakes, you need to consider how to moisturize your face.

Moisturize

If you have acne because your skin is too oily, why would you moisturize?

When you strip your skin of essential oil, it has a tendency to overcompensate by producing even more oil than before.  You think it's a good idea to get as much oil off your face as possible in order to treat your acne but then notice that the oil keeps coming back.

After cleaning it's important to moisturize and this includes acne prone skin as well as dry skin.

But when it comes to moisturizing, this is where it's important to pay attention to the product you use and its ingredients.  Heavy creams are going to build up on your face, whereas moisturizers that are too light are not going to be absorbed into the skin and do their job.

Tip From The Experts:  Try vitamin E oil.  A tub of it is usually less than ten dollars at any pharmacy and it's natural enough that it won't irritate even the most sensitive skin.  Many women find that they can use it even in the morning underneath their makeup.

Ingredients to Look For

When it comes to any skin care product, it's important to look for natural ingredients and oils.  Vitamins A, C and E are very important for skin's health and so they should have these as well.  Unfortunately very often these ingredients are called Retinol, Retin A, or another such name.  Products that have vitamins usually advertise as such so look for this on the label.

Fruit enzymes also work as natural exfoliants so check for these as well.

Cleaning Routine

It's surprising how people neglect their facial care and cleansing routine, or go in the opposite direction and clean far too often.

Virtually everyone's cleaning routine should consist of:

§         Light cleaning in the morning.  Usually a gentle toner is just enough to get rid of any oil buildup during the night.  Using soap or harsher cleansers in the morning is usually not necessary. 

§         Moisturizer should be lightly added; for women, do this in enough time for it to set before you apply makeup.  For men, keep in mind that moisturizer can keep your skin protected from dirt, oil, sweat, and pollutants, so don't be shy about using it.

§         An additional cleaning during the day should not typically be necessary unless you live or work in a very dirty or dusty environment or have worked up a sweat for some reason.  If this is the case then you need to give your skin a good cleansing when you get home or are done working out. 

§         Nighttime cleansing is when you should be taking your major steps in facial care.  This means removing all of your makeup with cold cream or another water soluble cleanser.  A toner should be applied to protect the pores that are now exposed.  After the toner has dried it's time to moisturize, and this means both men and women and even if you have oily skin or a very severe case of acne.

§         Exfoliating should be done once or twice per week and no more than this.  Taking this step too often will mean dry skin and exposed pores.  Always moisturize after an exfoliant.

Nighttime is the Right Time

Most people know to take off their makeup and to clean their skin at night, but it cannot be emphasized enough how important it is to clean and moisturize your face at night when battling acne.  Why is that?

When we sleep the body uses this time of rest to rejuvenate and to repair every part of us, including our skin.  Any repair that's needed is usually sped up while we sleep; muscles are fed, dead skin cells are removed, and so on.  This vital time is when our body works the hardest to feed the skin and to perform any repairs that are needed.

So if your body is repairing your skin at night, how appropriate that you help it along by removing the dead skin and surface dirt, and give it that added benefit of moisturizing cream or lotion.  Using moisturizers during the day is very important but at night it's even more so.  The body needs this added nutrition and help to keep the skin healthy, and nighttime is the most important time for this.