Sunday, December 7, 2008

Preventing Acne Outbreaks

By Jennifer King

Preventing an outbreak of acne before it happens is a much more successful way of dealing with acne than trying to clear your skin after the event has happened. There are lots of reasons why a person may experience an acne breakout. Hormonal imbalances are a common cause of acne breakouts, and so are the wearing of tight clothing that can trap dirt and sweat in the pores of the skin.

Essentially, acne care involves insuring the sebum from the sebaceous glands does not have the chance to mix with dead cells. This causes acne and pimples because it blocks the pores, and causes a build up of bacteria.

Some experts believe that certain foods are to be blamed for acne outbreaks, but science has not yet been able to find any connection. Also, acne care is not something that only people going through puberty or other hormonal changes need to worry about. Acne knows no age limit and does not effect a specific gender. Acne can cause problems for people of any age unless good skin care is exercised.

A person has an extra high risk of experiencing an outbreak of acne after they have enjoyed some strenuous exercise. That risk is even greater if they were wearing tight clothes. Showering as soon as you can after exercising will help to prevent any acne breakouts. Exfoliating the skin as well as just washing it will help to remove more dead skin cells. After exfoliating, you need to use a moisturizer so that dry skin does not begin to flake off.

A lot of acne sufferers think that they are doing everything that they can to prevent breakouts of spots and pimples, yet they still suffer from poor skin. Sometimes the soap that people think is helping to prevent acne is actually the source of the problem. Some drier sheets used in laundry and some deodorant soaps can be responsible for acne breakouts. Certain types of make-up contain high amounts of oil, and this can make the skin prone to a breakout of acne as well.

Using a weak benzoyl peroxide cream ( 5% ) on sensitive areas of the skin, and a 10 percent on areas where the skin is stronger is usually recommended for acne care. You have to be careful though, benzoyl peroxide can cause dry skin and irritation so using an oil-free moisturizer can help keep the skin looking and feeling better.

You may need to visit a dermatologist if you're still suffering from your acne breakouts after trying everything you can think of to cure your condition. The dermatologist could suggest a topical treatment, or even a prescription antibiotic if they believe it would be necessary in your case. - 16463

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