8 step guide to treating acne

1. Hygiene: Wash your face with a face cleanser once in the morning and once at night. Use warm water first then cold water to wash off the soap. The warm water will open up your pores so the face cleanser can cleanse deeper. Then the cold water will close the pores (actually it will just make the pores smaller) so that its harder for dirt/germs to get in. Here is a good gentle face cleanser that I reccommendhttp://www.amazon.com/Cetaphil-Facia...acial+cleanser you'll find it to be much cheaper at your local Walgreens. 

I'll also reccommend the acne.org regimen, which is a three step process of using a gentle face wash (see above) Benzoyl Peroxide(2.5%) and a moisturizer. You can get the details here http://www.acne.org/regimen.html. Many people have had success with this regimen, I highly recommend you give a try for a couple months.

Another hygiene tip: Change your pillow case daily if you can, or use a towel over your pillow. This can further help you out, I know it did for me. The problem is your hair can collect alot of dirt and grease, and while sleeping your face and hair will both make contact with your pillow. So it is also a good idea to have a solid shampoo for your hair, and to daily wash your hair, before bed might be a good idea aswell.

Don't touch your face. Also, don't pick or pop your acne, ive heard from dermatologists that it can spread the infection deeper. Your acne can turn into cystic acne, boils, other lesions in time if your a chronic popper. If you are going to pop a zit, make sure its ready to go, at a head. Wash your hands before and after. Also keep in mind scarring, you will scare if you mess with your acne. Most scares will go away in a couple weeks or a month, but some people will get more severe scars. The best thing to do, to kill a zit, is use Benzoyl Peroxide . 

3. Benzoyl Peroxide: This is a great acne killing chemical, its said to both repair your skin and kill acne causing bacteria. But be aware its quite strong, fortunately there's different percentages you can get, the common one is 2.5%. I recommend using a specialized acne cream with BP in it. There's quite a few you can find at your local walgreens or on amazon. Here is a well reviewed product I found on Amazonhttp://www.amazon.com/Clean-Clear-Pe...+peroxide+acne .Also the acne.org regimen uses a 2.5 blend, again, for further info on it look herehttp://www.acne.org/regimen.html. Another good product, especially for bacne (acne on the back..) is Panoxyl soap. It's basically a special bar soap containing BP. Here it is on Amazon 
http://www.amazon.com/PanOxyl-Acne-F...+peroxide+acne

4. Diet. The thing is, certain foods will cause acne for one person and no problems for someone else. Some of the common problem foods are dairy, fryed food, candy and soda (anything high sugar or high fat), and anything greasy. So try cutting out the junk foods and dairy, see how you react. Keep in mind to eat lots of greens and make sure your getting your vitamins. Overall, I think some people put to much weight into diet, ive heard of people going vegan and still getting acne. Its definitely important but is just one of many factors. 



5. Mental health. Anxiety and stress is big factor when it comes to acne. Whenever I was having a stressful day, I knew I was going to have a bad breakout the next day.. Ever since I got into exercise my stress and anxiety has lessoned 10 fold. So, if your not exercising yet, get to it, cardio and weightlifting is best. If your having chronic mental health issues please see a professional.


6. Skin care. Some of you will either suffer from dry skin, or oily skin. Neither is good, so lets get it under control. For dry skin use a good moisturizer couple times a day. For oily skin I recommend some oil absorbing pads, here is what im talking about...http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Clear-Oi...+for+oily+skin

Also, the Acne.org regimen will help in this manner aswell. 



7. See a dermatologist. If you've been taking these basic steps and your still not happy with the results its time to see a dermatologist. See what they recommend. I myself tried a couple prescription products, a couple creams, and a product called Retin A. I highly recommend Retin A, especially if you have oily skin. It's a great skin product, however, it wasn't strong enough for what I was dealing with. I tried quite a few prescriptions and nothing was REALLY getting rid of my acne. So I took the plunge and got...

8. Accutane. Really, THE cure for acne. However it has an assortment of risks, all of which are real. People have committed suicide when taking the drug, people have gotten weird skin ailments, the acne may return to you a year down the line, you may get horrible scarring, you might destroy your liver etc etc etc.. ONLY think about using this product if you have moderate to severe acne that is persistent despite taking care of your skin, following diet, trying minor prescription drugs first (like retin A). Always consult with a dermatologist to see if you would be a candidate for taking Accutane. Despite the possible side effects it is an awesome drug. I took it and 6 months later I was cured of acne. You have to be very careful with this drug though, picking acne will cause severe scarring while on it. Do your research. Its a personal decision, just be aware of the possible side effects.