Prevention Methods

Preventing future outbreaks of acne takes less time, effort, and loss to one's self-esteem than managing outbreaks that have already occured. If you are susceptible to acne, keep in mind that a proactive approach to treatment is always better and healthier for your skin than a reactive approach.

The following prevention guidelines will greatly help in preventing future outbreaks and limit the severity of those outbreaks whether you have mild acne problems or moderate to severe acne problems.

• Keep your face clean of oil and dirt. Gently wash your face 2 to 3 times a day with a mild soap or anti-bacteria soap. Keep in mind that aggressive scrubbing can actually damage your follicles and interrupt their normal life cycle. Scrub pads are not recommended and astringents should only be used on oily skin.

• Wash your hair every day. If you have oily hair, it can transfer that oil to your skin when it brushes across your face or forehead.

• Wash your face, hands and entire body (if possible) if you work or play outside and were sweating excessively.
  
• Avoid exposure to oil and petroleum based products and wash your face and hands frequently if you are required to work in such environments.

• If you live in a high humidity area, you may need to clean your face and hands more frequently than those who live in low humidity regions.

• If you wear make-up or use skin care products, you should definitely avoid those which are oil based. Instead, substitute products that are labelled noncomedogenic.

• Besides skin products that contain oil, you should also avoid hair products, such as gels, that contain oil.

• Sunlight can have a short-term effect on the appearance of acne, but the long-term damage it does to your skin's health and future acne outbreaks is detrimental. The UV light can damage the normal life cycle of the pilosebaceous unit (hair follicle and sebaceous glands) and make them more susceptible to clogged pores and sebum production.

• Besides these simple but often over-looked home prevention treatment methods, you should also consider the benefits of using Over The Counter acne medications which are discussed more thoroughly here.