Effective Acne Remedies

There are many skin care tips that are effective acne remedies. Following these “dos” and “don’ts” of skin care can help prevent acne breakouts and reduce the inflammation of current acne flare-ups. Proper skin care begins with the appropriate way to wash your face and other problem areas followed by using the right acne products for your skin problems. Many of the over-the-counter acne products are sufficient to control common acne providing they are used as directed after a proper skin cleansing.

Improper washing of the skin can cause acne to become a consistent rather than periodic problem. Unfortunately, some people still believe that by scrubbing their skin hard and frequently, it will reduce the acne and make it go away quicker. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth—excessive, rough scrubbing of acne wreaked skin merely irritates the skin and exacerbates the acne.


Many over-the-counter acne skin care products, which we discuss in a separate section, have an excellent track record for effective acne treatment. It’s important to learn about these products and how they work in order to choose the right acne treatment products for yourself. Still, even when you have armed yourself with the best over-the-counter acne treatments, proper skin care and cleansing are paramount to their success.

What to do

These are some of the most important skin care tips, unless otherwise directed by a doctor:

  • Skin should be washed gently at least twice a day.
  • Avoid using washcloths, exfoliating pads or body sponges as these can scratch open acne blemishes. The open blemishes become more prone to infections due to toxins in the environment. Also, the “leaky” blemishes can spread acne causing bacteria to other pores and hair follicles.
  • Pat your skin dry with a towel—don’t rub it. Rubbing with a towel can also irritate the skin or break open acne blemishes, thus exposing them to more bacteria and spread the current infection.
  • If your skin peels or is dry, use oil free, water based moisturizer on the affected areas.
  • Don’t squeeze or pick at acne blemishes—not only does this lead to further infection, it leads to acne scarring.
  • Keep hair off the face because the excess oil from the hair can build up on the skin. Additionally, hair rubbing on the face can irritate the skin or cause you to accidently open an acne blemish when trying to move it off the face.
  • Use only “noncomedogenic” or “oil-free” cosmetics, hair products and sunscreens as these products are not as likely to clog pores and hair follicles.
  • Keep your hands clean because any time you touch your skin with dirty hands you are infecting it with bacteria.
  • Do not cradle phones or any objects between your face and shoulder—phone receivers, even freshly cleaned cell phones, are magnets for bacteria and should not come into direct contact with the face.

Other skin care tips include the benefits of drinking plenty of water during the day and maintaining healthy bowels. It’s no secret that part of the body’s impurities escape through the skin; so, cleanliness on the inside is important to healthy skin as well.

Stay On Track and You Will See Results

It’s very important to remain patient with acne treatment products because sometimes it takes a month to two months to see significant results. Also, it’s important to continue your skin care practices even when you develop the clear skin you desire. Not only does it sometimes take four to eight weeks for acne products to work, sometimes it takes four to eight weeks for acne to manifest again; remember, it takes about a month from the creation of a skin cell to travel to the service and die off. That means, there is always a potential acne problem below the surface of the skin. By adhering to the skin care tips above and using the right over-the-counter acne treatment products as directed, common acne can be successfully treated so that you can maintain the beautiful, clear skin you desire.