Acne Tips : Basic Tips

Basic Acne Washing Routine
Before you attempt the other acne treatment techniques you must be sure that you are currently using the proper washing routine. Keeping your face clean requires that you wash it two times per day, three times at the most. You must be very careful to avoid overdoing it. Skin must maintain the proper pH levels to remain healthy. Over washing will make your face dry and irritated causing more breakouts. Many times individuals will vigorously scrub their skin when they wash it. I do not recommend this because such treatment will only serve to irritate the skin causing more breakouts.

Note: acne is not caused by "dirty" skin it is the result of clogged pores infected with bacteria. Therefore, washing alone does not prevent acne. Washing is no mystery treatment, in fact washing alone will not prevent acne. It simply serves to remove dirt and oil at the surface level. Although washing alone may not prevent acne, the wrong type of washing can aggravate acne making it worse.

Follow these recommendations: wash your face by gently rotating your soap lathered hands on your face. I do not recommend face cloths as they may irritate the skin. Use a mild nonabrasive soap. Rinse well with warm water. Using a clean soft towel, gently pat dry your face.

Touching
Perhaps one of the most often overlooked remedies. Stop putting your hands by your face! I am often guilty of this resting my hand on the side of my head while reading. Also rubbing or bracing your chin is another common problem when thinking. Avoid rubbing, touching, or itching your skin with your hands. Your hands contain a lot of bacteria that can cause acne flare-ups. Also be careful of the telephone. Clean them often with rubbing alcohol because they sometimes come in contact with the face causing more acne.

It is probably one of the most difficult things to avoid since much of the hand to face contact throughout the day we are unconscious of. Make it a habit to avoid hand contact and be conscious of it during the day to avoid bacteria.

Water
Water helps the body flush out toxins and transport nutrients to the body. Drinking water puts less strain on the skin organ to flush out toxins. The recommended amount of water you should drink is at least half your bodyweight in ounces of water( a 140lb. individual should drink 70 ounces/day ). While water alone will not eliminate your acne it will greatly assist your skin in remaining healthy and that will be one portion of the pie in fighting acne.

Caloric Intake
We are also pleased to announce some ground breaking scientific research that we uncovered while researching the role of diet and acne. We have discovered several scientific studies that illustrate what many individuals have probably overlooked or are unaware of in their diets today. Specifically it is excess caloric intake (the amount of daily calories consumed beyond those required to sustain your current body weight). You can adversely affect your acne levels through altering your diet, simply by consuming excess calories. Several scientific studies have proven this.

The scenario goes basically like this: the process of increasing your caloric intake is by nature an anabolic process for your body. When this anabolic process is put in motion your natural hormonal levels increase. Yes, that's right your testosterone(responsible for acne) will increase beyond their normal levels within your body. So, you should not be consuming excessive calories in your diet beyond those needed to maintain your current body weight. Recall that increased levels of testosterone will increase sebum production levels that result in more pimples.

And for those individuals requiring scientific proof or others that wish to examine this very important issue further, we direct your attentions to the following scientific study references:

 

A.N. Chiang, et al., "Excess Energy and Nitrogen Balance at Protein Intakes Above the Requirement Level in Young Men," Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 48 (1988) : 1015-1022.

G.B. Forbes, et al., "Hormonal Response to Overfeeding," Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 49.4 (1989) : 608-611.

G.B. Forbes, et al., "Lean Body Mass in Obesity," Int. J. Obes. 7.2 (1983) : 99-107.

Jebb, et al., "Changes in Macronutrient Balance During Over- and Underfeeding Assessed by 12-Day Continuous Whole-Body Calorimetry," Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 64 (1996) : 259-266.