Acne Care Tips

Every patient having arne should know that arne is a selflimiting disease and it will disappear by the time the patient attains the age of 25 years or so. She/he should however, also be aware that the tendency to develop acne will continue till it ultimately disappears by the age of 25 years. The best way to manage acne is to prevent acne, because, if not prevented, the patient is likely to be left with permanent scars for the rest of his /her life. Prevention will also help to keep the face clear. We therefore, recommend that as soon as a child attains puberty, he/ she should start observing the following precautions and schedules for preventing arne.

Cleaning the Face is commonly recommended that arne patients should wash their face frequently. Washing the face properly and thoroughly is more important than washing the face frequently. Washing the face once or twice a day is as a rule sufficient, provided it has been washed properly. Proper washing includes applying an adequate quantity of soap and massaging it thoroughly into all parts of the face, taking special care to clean the folds around the nose, between the lower lip and the chin, behind the ears and the under-surface of the chin and the neck, which are likely to be left out from proper cleaning. The tip of the nose is another area which usually gets ignored while cleaning the face.

Proper cleaning does not require more than one extra minute of bathing time. Bathing should therefore, be undertaken in a relaxed manner and not in a hurry.

Soaps are the best agents for cleaning the skin. The common belief that soaps harm the skin is erroneous. The main action of the soap is to emulsify the oil on the skin and release the dust, dirt and bacteria sticking to the oil. One should therefore, apply an adequate quantity of soap which can emulsify and remove all the oil present on the skin. If all the oil is not removed, the process of cleaning will be incomplete. For this reason, use of soaps having greasy components like fats, oils, cream, milk, etc. or the use of so-called mild soaps is an illogical and scientifically incorrect concept.

The selection of a proper soap is important. An ordinary soap is as a rule adequate. The so-called herbal soaps, or those with anti-bacterial agents or sunscreens can be positively harmful. Some of the antiseptics used in foreign soaps contain sun-sensitising chemicals which can lead to an increased sensitivity to the sun and produce pigmentation or severe dermatitis on the exposed parts of the body. Some antiseptics indiscriminately kill a large variety of diseaseproducing as well as harmless bacteria but spare the dangerous disease-producing bacteria. Constant use of soaps containing such antiseptics can actually lead to serious skin infections. Several herbal products can lead to pigmentation or other types of reactions in the skin when used on a regular basis.