For most of us, and rightly so, taking care of the face is the most important part of our skin care regimen. However, the importance of taking care of your face increases manifold when acne becomes part of the equation. Therefore, when you feel that there is even a remote chance that acne is entering your life, step up your skincare regimen, particularly for your face.

Research has proved that proper skin care can actually help treat your acne, as well as prevent it. Working on the 'prevention is better than cure' principle, work to minimize your acne flare-ups rather than depend on over-the-counter drugs to get you out of trouble once acne has set in. And for the love of God and His cherubim, do not try and 'uproot' your acne lesions. That is one skin care routine you can do without.

"First up, whether you have dry, normal, or oily skin, do not use harsh chemicals on your face. In most cases, these will either exacerbate already existing acne, or leave your face vulnerable to a new attack. The ideal solution is to not use soap at all. Instead, opt for mild face wash with anti-oxidant properties that will contain acne-causing bacteria.

"As an appendix to that, if you have excessively oily skin, an antibacterial soap for your face is an option, because your face will not dry as rapidly as others.

"While washing your face, DO NOT SCRUB. We are yelling, we know, but a staggering number of people believe that scrubbing hard will get rid of acne or at least clean better. That is rubbish, with due respect, because what it does is rob your skin of essential moisture. What you should do is gently remove oil and dirt from your pores - allow it to soak out - and pat your face dry later so that it does not become dry and rough.

"When you are done washing, apply some lotion on your face that enhances moisture content. Once again, this is not strictly necessary for those with excessively oily skin, but for normal to dry skin types, an anti-oxidant lotion is a good idea.

"How many times should you wash your face? That is an important part of your acne skincare regimen, and we suggest you do so at least thrice. For normal to dry skin, you could use face wash twice and plain water the third time, while those with oily skin can use mild soap or face wash all three times.

The bottom line: keep the skin on your face clean, but don't brutalize it by scrubbing. Cleanliness keeps bacteria and dirt under control, and these are two of the biggest contributing factors to acne.