Acute Acne Treatment Methods

• Acne breakouts – something we all experience because acne and hormones are directly related and, of course, we all have hormones
• Thankfully, many acne skin care products are available to help us deal with this most common and most troublesome skin care issue

During puberty the body undergoes many changes and one of the consequences of this period is a greater risk of developing acne. For some people, problems with acute acne continue periodically throughout their lives. Below is some useful information about how to treat acute acne breakouts.

What Causes Acne?

Acute acne occurs when your oil glands begin overproducing oil. The hormones released in your body when you hit puberty instigate this overproduction. When that extra oil combines with dead skin cells and bacteria, they clog pores and cause inflammation to the area. Even when your hormones quiet down after puberty, if you have oily skin or do not practice an effective pore cleansing routine, you can continue to have acute acne outbreaks.

Preventing Acute Acne

Before you start thinking about treatments, you may want to think about how to prevent these outbreaks. First, it’s important to keep your skin as clean as possible. Regular cleaning will help remove excess oil and dead skin cells so they don’t have a chance to clog your pores. Be careful about washing your face too often or of using harsh chemicals that could dry out your face. Anything that might cause irritation to your skin can actually increase the risk of inflammation and outbreaks.

You also want to avoid applying certain products to your skin that might also cause your pores to clog. When you buy skin lotions or cosmetic products, you want to find ones labeled noncomedogenic, since these have been shown to reduce the occurrence of blemishes. Washing off cosmetics at the end of the day is a good idea, too.

Treating Acute Acne

Even if you do everything mentioned above, you may not be able to prevent all acute acne outbreaks. For these mild cases, your best bet is use topical treatments. Active ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid have been shown to be effective treatments for acne. You should also continue washing your skin with a mild soap, possibly a product designed specifically for oily or acne-prone skin.

When your acne outbreaks don’t respond to these types of topical treatments, you can visit your physician or a dermatologist for prescription topical antibiotics. Antibiotics can help fight the bacteria that lead to inflammation in the pores. There are also some other acne treatment medications that can be applied to the affected area(s) as part of treatment, but these need to be prescribed by a physician. Some include tretinoin and adapalene. These products prevent the follicles from getting plugged in the first place.

One way that should be avoided in trying to treat or help acute acne is by squeezing the blemishes. This actually increases the irritation to the area and sometimes makes infection more likely to occur in the follicle. Plus, if you repeatedly engage in this activity, you could end up causing permanent acne scarring in the area. When you have an outbreak, you should avoid touching your face too much because the oils and bacteria found on your hands can actually make the situation worse.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.