acne treatment
Article by dr shabbir ahmed
Acne treatment can be simple or somewhat of a pain depending on your severity. The first few steps are simple, however. Washing your face may be the most impressive action to be taken in the case of acne treatment. The firs thing you want to do is avoid irritation. If you try and move straight toward topical gels or creams without proper facial washing, it can lead to further irritation and breakouts. The first thing you should look for when finding facial cleansers is something marked oil-free or non-comedogenic. Some go above and beyond and are marked with non-irritating or non-overdrying. These are good options as well. For those who have inflamed acne, srubs should be avoided, the kind with little beads or balls inside. Instead, look for gentle liquid cleansers. For at-home mild acne treatment, certain acne cleansers have small doses of medication in them. For example, brands like Neutrogena acne treatment products offer “Oil-Free Cleanser” which contains 2% salicylic acid. Cleansers from Clean and Clear contain 10% benzoyl peroxide. For this reason alone, you should avoid trying to obtain creams or lotions prior to using facial cleanser for acne treatment. This being that if you apply a medication cream, then uses the acne treatment cleanser; you will wash away the medication. If you wait and apply at opposite times, then you run the risk of applying too much medication to your face (both in the cream form and the facial wash form) which can cause dryness or peeling or irritation. Therefore, do not head straight for creams and lotions until you have tried mild facial wash for acne treatment. When you do wash your face, use only your hands, not a washcloth or lufa. A washcloth can cause additional irritation to your face. Washing your hands first with a mild soap, then wash your face with the acne treatment cleanser for 10 seconds, applying all over your face then rinsing. The act of washing your face will not eliminate acne which is already present, it only prevents additional acne so scrubbing may only worsen your present outbreaks. When drying, do not rub your face dry. For the best acne treatment, you should pat your face dry to avoid additional break outs, or irritation. If this step does not begin eliminating your acne, then over-the-counter acne treatment is the next option. Over-the-counter medications for acne treatment come in the form of creams, gels or lotions which are applied directly to the affected area. These medications contain things such as benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid and they actually work to kill any bacteria on your skin and drying up the oils. Because of this they should only be applied to affected areas otherwise they could cause dryness, peeling, or swelling to non-affected regions. Over-the-counter medications come in many brands such as Neutrogena, Clean and Clear, Clearasil, and Oxy-10. Often these work for mild and moderate acne cases. If they do not work, talking to a dermatologist can provide you with a prescription for acne treatment. These can be oral antibiotics, topical antibiotics, or birth control. Some include differin or acutain.
About the Author
Dr Shabbir Ahmed is a family physician in the UK, with an interest in complimentary medicine.http://www.drshabbirahmed.com/acne.
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