For anyone who has ever suffered from acne, the marks and scarring can remain long after your skin has recovered from outbreaks. Although acne scars naturally get less noticeable over time, there are a number of treatments you can use to speed up the process, from expensive salon-based therapies to at-home ointments.

What’s The Difference Between A Pimple And Acne?

Some people get a pimple or two once in a while, while others get frequent breakouts with lots of pus-filled pimples. If the second sounds more like you, you may have acne – a chronic or long-term condition that affects many teens and adults. But don’t panic, there are many effective treatments that help keep acne under control.

You may want to read further, Difference Between ACNE and Pimples

Here are 18 Tips for Preventing Acne & Pimples

 

1. Wear Natural Fibers

Avoid scratchy, itchy or tight fabrics and choose fabrics that are breathable, like cotton. This helps keep skin free from congestion caused by trapped sweat, dead skin cells, excess oil and bacteria. Fabrics that are specifically engineered to wick moisture away from the skin are also helpful, especially during exercise.

2. Shower After Sweating

Letting sweat linger promotes an acne-friendly environment on your skin. If you can’t shower right away, apply a product that contains Salicylic Acid to help purify and clear skin of excess oils. Existing breakouts may also benefit from a Salicylic Acid spot treatment.

3. Exfoliate

Acne-prone skin tends to shed more skin cells, which can clog pores and cause acne if they aren’t removed. Exfoliate with a gentle body scrub at least once or twice a week to help prevent acne. Avoid scrubs that use nuts, pits or shells as they can create tiny abrasions in the skin.

4. Moisturize

The skin naturally moisturizes itself with sebum (oil), but when your body’s moisture levels are off balance, your skin can overproduce oil to compensate. Moisturize daily with a non-comedogenic moisturizer to help prevent this.

5. Clean Your Cell Phone Daily

Your cell phone harbors more bacteria than you know! Even if you don’t hold it against your face, you touch it with your hands, which then touches your face and spreads breakout-causing bacteria. Clean it daily with an anti-bacterial wipe.

6. Wash Your Pillowcase

Your pillowcase can collect oil, skin cells, bacteria and pore-clogging residue from hair products – all things that contribute to acne. Wash it at least once or twice a week to help reduce congestion.

7. Stay Hydrated

If you’re dehydrated, your body may signal your skin’s oil glands to produce more oil.

Dehydration also gives your skin a dull appearance and promotes inflammation and redness.To keep your body well-hydrated, drink at least eight 8 glasses of water each day.

8. Limit Makeup

It’s tempting to use makeup to cover up pimples. However, doing so may clog pores and trigger outbreaks. Go au naturel when you can. When you do wear makeup, avoid greasy, heavy foundation, and use products that are noncomedogenic, sheer, and fragrance-free.

9. Use Body Products Carefully

Greasy or oily shampoos, body washes, shaving creams, and hair styling products may all cause pimples. To help prevent outbreaks, choose oil-free, noncomedogenic options.

10. Don’t Touch Your Face

Your hands encounter grime and bacteria constantly throughout the day. And each time you touch your face, some of those pore-clogging impurities may get transferred to your skin. Wash your hands regularly, and try to touch your face as little as possible.

11. Limit Sun Exposure

Catching some rays may dry out pimples in the short term, but it causes major problems in the long run. Frequent sun exposure dehydrates the skin, which over time causes it to produce more oil and block pores. For both sun and pimple protection, wear a noncomedogenic, oil-free sunscreen.

12. Try Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is a popular folk remedy for pimples. Legends say that it reduces the number of inflamed and non-inflamed lesions. To use tea tree oil for pimples, apply a couple drops to the inflamed area. You can also add a few drops to your daily cleanser or moisturizer.

13. Use Antibiotics

Antibiotics help reduce inflammation and bacteria on the skin. Antibiotics are often prescribed by a medical professional. They may be applied topically to your skin or taken by mouth. Those taken by mouth are usually a last resort for people whose acne are severe or doesn’t respond to other treatments.

14. Avoid Certain Foods

If your mother ever told you junk food caused pimples, she was bang on. According to studies, eating a high glycemic diet may cause acne.High glycemic foods and beverages such as chips, baked goods made with white flour, and soft drinks spike blood sugar levels and are often less nutritious than low glycemic foods. The study also found eating dairy may trigger pimples.

15. Reduce Stress

Stress doesn’t cause pimples, but it may make them worse. Research has shown that when you’re stressed, your body produces more oil-stimulating hormones.

Some options to help you manage stress are:

• yoga
• meditation
• journaling
• massage
• aromatherapy

16. Skin Peels

During a chemical peel, concentrated chemicals are applied to the surface of the skin to remove dead skin cells and help new ones grow. The best type for treating acne stars is a stronger peel, which penetrates deep into the layers of skin beyond the epidermis. However, peels must be carried out by professionals only.

17. IPL laser treatment

Skin City specializes in IPL laser treatment which is excellent for helping mild to severe adolescent and adult acne. Non-invasive, the laser light destroys the bacteria causing blemishes, and speeds up the healing process of irritation which improves the overall condition of the skin.

 18. Treat From Underneath

Along with treatments which deal with the surface of the scar, leading dermatologist and Medical Director of Skin City, Dr. Niteen Dhepe says you should also look at procedures that treat the scar from underneath too, such as subcision or radiofrequency microneedling. Subcision uses special hyperdermic needles to break scars away from the tissue underneath. Radiofrequency microneedling uses radiofrequency technology to plump up damaged skin.

You may want to read further, What Are The Different Types Of ACNE?

The Takeaway

Everyone gets pimples now and then. Many things may cause pimples, such as hormones, stress, genetics, and diet. At their best, pimples are annoying. At their worst, they may cause permanent scarring, serious anxiety, or depression. Whatever pimple prevention plan you choose, patience and consistency are a key. A dab of anti-acne may shrink a single pimple overnight, but most treatments take several weeks to produce results.

For clearer, acne-free skin trust only Skin City. Call us to for a consultation and learn about our acne treatments to suit the intensity and your skin tone.