Individuals with acne face a number of challenges that impact their day-to-day lives. Acne care demands careful steps to improve, rather than worsen acne symptoms as well as avoiding activities that can harm the skin. At the same time, people with acne must cope with emotional issues that acne can cause.



Perhaps the most significant good health habit that people with acne can do is keeping their skin clean. Having clean skin keeps bacteria from spreading, reduces excess oil, and helps the skin shed dead cells. For acne patients this requires maintaining a delicate balance between cleansing the skin without irritating acne lesions, drying the skin or spreading bacteria.

Although many people think that frequently scrubbing acne-infected areas stops acne outbreaks, this is not true. As a matter of fact, washing too often or using ordinary soaps can make the skin dry and sore witch worsens acne symptoms. Rather, acne patients use mild facial cleansers, which are specifically developed not to irritate the skin.

Regular soaps on the other hand, contain harsh ingredients that can irritate and inflamed acne lesions by drying out the skin. Whenever the skin becomes too dry, the sebum glands compensate by producing even more oil which exacerbates acne outbreaks. Not only do acne patients use gentle soaps, they also utilise disposable washing pads or their fingers rather than a washcloth or loofah made from scratchy fabrics that can irritate acne lesions and worsen inflammation.

Individuals with acne must maintain delicate balance when they shower and shampoo their hair as they do in cleansing their faces. Otherwise, residue from shampoos or conditioners can clog the pores on a person’s back and forehead.

Additionally to using water to keep their skin clean, people with acne are suggested to drink at least half their body weight in ounces of water each day. This means a one hundred pound individual should drink fifty ounces, or about seven class of water daily. Water carries waste material out of the body. Without adequate water the kidney cannot produce enough urine to flush out wastes.

Another good health habit that is especially crucial for people with acne is getting adequate sleep. Sleep strengthens the body by allowing the body to rest which in turn beefs up the immune system’s ability to fight off acne-causing bacteria. It also helps modulate hormone production.

A 1999 study at the University of Chicago Medical Center showed that cortisol production increases when people do not get enough sleep. Since excess cortisol leads to increased sebum production, getting plenty of sleep keeps cortisol levels down and thus helps control acne. While getting adequate sleep is significant, acne outbreaks can be aggravated if the bedding on which acne patients sleep is not changed frequently. When people sleep, oil, bacteria and dead skin cells rub their skin off and accumulate on their bedding. The bedding absorbs these items which then find their way back onto the skin, clogging the pores and causing new acne outbreaks.

Exercise is another good health habit that helps improve acne symptoms. In addition to being good for a individual's overall health, exercise causes the body to release endorphins, natural chemicals that give exercisers a feeling of well-being. This reduces stress and stress-induced acne outbreaks.

As beneficial as exercise may be, people with acne must take special care after they exercise to get rid of excess perspiration from their skin in order to prevent acne outbreaks. The reason for this is that perspiration can trap bacteria on the skin. If it is not washed off, the bacteria will eventually get trapped in hair follicles and worsen acne symptoms.

Another good health habit that many individuals with acne practice is eating a healthy diet. Good nutrition helps the body to work properly. This is crucial in keeping healthy skin. Eating a balanced diet high in vitamins, minerals and fiber helps support the immune system and the body’s ability to battle infection including the bacteria that causes acne.

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