Acne Products

Acne is the appearance of those ugly little red bumps—that sometimes even cover a significant amount of one’s body. Body acne can even include abominable blackheads, whiteheads and cysts. That’s all the more reason why you need to know how to and how not to treat acne.

The Basics

- Consume around 10 glasses of water a day—but no more, as you don’t want the adverse effects of over-hydrating.
- A good, lukewarm shower is practically mandatory. It’s recommended that you have at least two a day.
- Use only soaps that are approved for use with acne. This means they’ll probably contain one or more of the following: astringents, comedogenics-free labeling, benzoyl peroxide, retinoid or salicylic acids.
- With acne outbreaks on your back (aka “bacne”), it’s ideal to use heavier-duty cleansers and medications. This is due to the fact that the skin on the back is much tougher than other parts of your body.
- If you’ve got an unconscious habit of touching your face, neck or any other affected area, you should know that you could be exposing your body acne to even more toxins and contaminants like bacteria and oil.
- Oil is the enemy, in this case. An overactive sebaceous gland, delivering too much sebum the skin and hair follicle pores, clogs those spots and welcomes-in things like bacteria, dirt and germs. Nasty acne is almost always the end-result.
- There is a ton of homemade and over-the-counter remedies you can try.

Some of those remedies include: tea tree extracts, olive leafs and oil, and toothpaste. The latter, however, is mainly good for isolated occurrences. If that’s the case, though, apply a little bit of toothpaste to the pimple(s), let them soak-up the toothpaste and wash it off after a few hours.

When you have body acne—acne that isn’t limited to traditional places like the face and neck—wearing loose, airy clothing is extremely ideal. Not only do you get fresh air (or, hopefully it’s fresh air) to the breakout, but you also reduce your chances of sweating. Sweating will do nothing but exacerbate the problem several times over. That’s all the more reason to also keep up your body’s hygiene.

If your acne is widespread, multi-colored and/or riddled with pus-filled pimples and cysts—then it’s time to see your dermatologist. Never mind all the acne-cleansers and acne-washes on the drugstore shelves—for now. Right now, you need to concentrate on getting to a dermatologist as soon as possible. Not only are you at a heightened risk for permanent scarring, but you also could be facing a much-more serious medical condition. Acute acne—which may include cysts, white and blackheads, and even boils–are horribly hideous, as well as medically critical. You’re dermatologist is even likely to opt for surgical procedures to remove the more significant spots.

Mild to moderate acne, however, is usually treatable with over-the-counter products and good old common sense. Occasionally, people choose to see a dermatologist anyways—and there’s nothing wrong with that. As long as you are taking an active stand against the damaging effects of acne, you are far more likely to avoid scarring in the future, in addition to social and self-esteem issues.