The words ?damage control? can bring up a whole array of images. From politicians or CEOs scrambling to cover up a bad report, to a disciplinarian trying to figure out the best compromise, to a hundred other scenarios, the only thing in common is that there aren't any ?damage controls? that refer to a good thing. Same thing when dealing with acne in high school, especially during the weeks leading up to Homecoming or Prom. Fighting acne that has already appeared is like facial damage control, and there are right ways and wrong ways to go about taking care of the problem.



Like with any type of ?damage control? situation, one of the most important things to do is to start out covering your base. Acne is caused by overactive glands and hormones that result in too much oil being produced. When there is too much oil, skin pores become clogged and that is what forms acne. The most common type of acne appears on the face, but acne is also common on the shoulders, chest, and back because those parts of the body also contain a lot of oil glands. This is to be expected during adolescence and the immediate years following, but there are certain things you can do to help your situation.

While there is not a die hard rule of nutrition to say this causes acne, or this cures it, there are some general guide points that seem to apply to most cases. While there is no perfect vitamin to prevent acne, a lack of certain vitamins does make it harder for the body to fight off the hormonal imbalances that are taking place and causing your problems. Fruits and vegetables are an absolute necessity in assisting the body with fighting acne. Water is also your best friend. Water flushes your system better than anything else and keeps the skin well hydrated. Healthier skin is less likely to experience acne outbreaks. While no one has proven for sure that junk food helps cause acne, for some people the extra sugar does seem to prevent the body from fighting acne outbreaks, and in general, processed junk food is just bad for the body and should be avoided if at all possible. Multivitamins may help, though to what extent is still unclear. They don't hurt, so if you have some, then you mine as well use them.

Washing your face gently both morning and evening is a good idea, though acne is not caused by hygiene. Don't over wash or scrub. Irritating the face will actually have the opposite of the intended effect. Also, wash your hair after heavy exercise. Oils and sweat can cling to your hair, which can irritate the skin and the irritated skin is morel likely to, you guessed it, result in a break out of acne. You can use some basic acne treatment medicine, but don't overuse it. More is not always better.

Avoid touching and rubbing the skin, especially where there are pimples or spots. A lot of teens pop zits, but you should NEVER do this. Not only does it make the infection worse, but that is how a lot of acne scars take place. Even acne scarring is permanent. Young men who are just beginning to shave can have problems with that. If an electric razor really bothers your skin, you need to treat the skin after every shave, or you will experience more breakouts. Even if there is a large zit on your face, treat it, don't pop it open. Popping zits is the opposite of damage control, it makes everything worse, but follow the basic advice here and you may be amazed at how much better the problem seems to get.