Taking Care of Acne
During the teenage years, one of the biggest problems is managing acne. It's that time of their lives when they start getting unflattering pimples at the exact stage in their life that they want to look flattering.
What causes acne?
The sudden spike in hormones is the major culprit of pimple breakouts. This is why the condition occurs during the teenage years, because this is the time when a person's hormones are starting to generate, thus catching the body unprepared.
Blackheads are developed with the sudden spike in hormones because of the oil buildup in the skin. Add a bit of dirt in the equation and you get yourself a large, attention grabbing pimple.
How to Treat Acne
Possible ways to get rid of acne include pills, laser treatments and even creams that can be applied directly. What would be discussed now is how to treat acne using products directly applied to the skin, the correct order that they must be used and why.
Cleansers
As mentioned above, what causes acne are the clogged pores in the skin that are irritated overtime. With the help of cleansers, these can be unclogged, removing the dirt, dead skin cells and minimizing the oil on the skin. However, when buying a cleanser, make sure that the one you choose contains salicylic acid. This is currently the best pimple ingredient used in most products. Cleansers should be used every day, preferably at night prior to going to sleep. For teenagers who are at the peak of their pimple breakouts, cleansing twice a day is also an option. However, this may depend on the intensity of the cleanser used.
Exfoliating
Exfoliating basically removes the dead skin cells, allowing the new ones to appear and generate faster. There are actually various types of exfoliators in the market today. What you should be looking for is something that would do the job without irritating the skin. The ingredient to look for here are alpha and beta hydroxyl acids since they are capable of sweeping deeper into the pores. The two basically comes in cream forms although facials masks and facial scrubs are also considered as excellent exfoliators. Unlike cleansers, daily application is not necessary. Three to four times a week should be able to do it for you.
Toners
When it comes to skin care, toners are basically used to tighten pores and thus prevent further clogging of dirt. It can also double as a cleanser as well as an exfoliator and comes in different types with liquid form being the most common. Since some cleansers and exfoliators today are also capable of toning the skin and vice versa, then what it boils down to is finding the right product for the skin.
What to Avoid
Don't use products that contain oil or are too abrasive to the skin. For example, when shopping for a cleanser to use in your face, the best choice would be ones with small grainy materials in the product rather than large ones. This would seep better into the pores, cleaning them properly while abrasive ones would only cause more pimples to show.
Also, make sure to follow the instructions of the cleanser that you bought. Don't use the product more than you're supposed to.
Too much usage may rob the skin of the right amount of oil it needs, hence making the skin overcompensate by producing more oil and thus starting the acne problem all over again.
About the Author
Allan Pooh
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