Every day of our lives, we absorb various toxic materials, whether from the air around us, from the food we eat, from the water we drink, even from the clothes we wear. And I haven’t even explored half the sources of toxins. Sad life, eh?

However, a good place to start the detoxifying process is food. It is also one of the easiest parts of our lives to control, I think. All you need to do is avoid red meat, dairy-rich products such as butter and cheese, and heavy food in general. My good friend Sarah Abernathy scoffed at this and said it was far easier said than done, but I would be willing to make the sacrifice.

Now don’t get me wrong. As I have said earlier, there’s no direct link between food and acne. But certain types of food appear to aggravate acne in indirect ways, so why not avoid them? And a diet that comprises chiefly fruits, vegetables and oil-free items can’t do you any harm either. Besides, detoxification is also about drinking lots and lots of water, which flushes out toxins and improves circulation. So go ahead and detoxify – it helped my acne, and is one of the best ways to naturally acquire good skin.

Years ago, a colleague at what was my workplace then was planning to sue a company that manufactured and marketed a fairly reputable brand of acne cleanser, because he insisted that far from improving, his acne had actually worsened after using the cleanser. I remember it all, the name of the cleanser included, but it has since vanished from the market, so I will refrain from naming it here.

My point is trust only those acne cleansers that promise to do what they should be doing. Ideally speaking, an acne cleanser should keep the pores open, kill the acne-causing bacteria, and also remove excess oil from your face. That is it. Any acne cleanser that works along those lines will have served its purpose.

It seems fairly obvious to me that acne cleansers need to be teamed with other things – such as adequate exercise, proper diet, and steady skin care – to be really effective. So do not believe acne cleanser ads and commercials that promise to do everything at once, particularly those late-night acne cleanser infomercials on TV. Moreover, as with any other acne treatment, what works for someone else may not work for you. So instead of expecting the earth, why not settle for a small part of it instead, and work to build up the other bits?

And what are these types? Well, oily and greasy creams and ointments exacerbate (this is such a peculiarly appropriate word for acne, but I foolishly digress) acne because they clog the hair follicles and we all know what that means. And don’t be fooled by products that say ‘tested by dermatologists’, because there’s nothing to indicate that these suit your skin type.

During my never-ending research (voluntary, in the service of suffering humanity etc.) on acne, I’ve come across loads of stuff on the kind of ingredients that an acne sufferer’s make-up box should absolutely NEVER contain. Here are the more common cosmetic ingredients that make the list: mineral oil, petrolatum, lanolin, pumice, aluminum oxide, sodium tetra borate, dyes such as those found in blush-on, isopropyl alcohol, SD alcohol, isopropyl myristate, and acetone. Phew…what have I left out?

That seems to exclude more or less all kinds of cosmetics from an acne sufferer’s universe, but take heart. There’s hope yet. The trick is to look for non-comedogenic or non-acnegenic products, so that they don’t clog the pores. And yes, water-based cosmetics do acne no discernible harm, so the situation’s not all doom.
 

 
Okay, I may be biased because I’ve experienced such reactions first hand, but ask any acne sufferer and s/he will tell you how acutely damaging acne can be socially. Angelique Hennart, a French girl who went to school with me and was one of the few schoolmates who could look beyond my pustules to the person within, once wondered why more research was not conducted on the psychological and social impact of acne.

 
I couldn’t answer her then, but I can now. I think the reason is that acne is not rare enough to warrant research. I mean, almost everyone gets it, and it isn’t threatening to your overall health, if you come right down to it. And yet, people with acne can be socially withdrawn, lack self-esteem, depressed or angry or frustrated, and even jobless, because they can’t face the world. Worse, because acne is widely – and incorrectly – associated with dirt, people assume that those with acne are ‘unclean’. See? I told you the comparison was valid.

Using make up to hide your acne isn’t difficult, but you need to follow some essential steps. So the three things you have to use are concealer, foundation, and finishing powder. I am talking about women here, but men are welcome to try these too! Okay, when buying these three things, make sure they’re oil-free and they match your skin tone, same as you would if you were buying regular cosmetics.

I’m not going to waste space teaching you exactly how to apply the make up, I’m assuming you know that already, but I am going to tell you that you have to invest in branded products if you are going to get anywhere with your acne make up. Cheap stands for deadly in ths area, and I speak from personal experience (OK not mine ! but from my sister experience).

Essentially, all acne treatments focus on dealing with the causes of acne. Obviously, what medication your dermatologist prescribes will depend on how severe your acne is, but it will also depend on its cause.

In brief, the most widely available acne treatments are tried and tested ones. I have heard and read quite a bit about alternative acne treatments, but frankly speaking, have not had the courage to try any of them yet. The things that ain’t broken don’t need fixing. So I sticked to the topical creams and gels that my doc gave me(ohh.. and pills to). You may also have to take oral medicines such as antibiotics (i did it to). In rare cases, some people may require surgical procedures. Thankfully, I have not had to resort to light and laser therapy, but I hear they have worked wonders for some.

However, the commonest and most popular methods to treat acne are topical ones. So your best bet is to use a benzyl peroxide and salicylic acid combination, preferably not over the counter, but authentically prescribed. It is only when your acne does not respond to such treatment that you will require oral medication, or perhaps even surgery, God forbid.

The point is that dirt does not cause acne, but might aggravate it. As is so often the case with us, we miss the wood for the trees when we say dirt causes acne. You think dirt clogs the pores of the skin and gives rise to blackheads. You’re dead wrong. Blackheads are not caused by dirt, but by the melanin present in sebum that turns black in contact with open air.

So why do people with acne keep washing themselves? Well, by washing yourself (with MILD soap and LUKEWARM water), what you are actually doing is removing the excess oils from the surface of the skin so your pores are no longer clogged. And of course, you are also removing dirt, which can infect the pores if it accumulates on the skin, along with sweat.

For best results, and I speak from personal experience, use facial cleansers that contain benzoyl peroxide and salicyclic acid. This drains out the excess sebum, and is in fact an excellent long-term control for acne.

I’m assuming you are already undergoing dermatological treatment for acne, so I skip that part and remind you that when using make up, NEVER use yesterday’s sponges today. Also, keep your towels and bed linen squeaky clean.

Also, just because you need to wash your face, don’t wash, like, 15 times a day or something. I say this because people with acne-prone skin often enter into this competition to see Who Can Wash Her Face Most Times during the Day and then brag about it.

Finally, do not pick at your pimples, no matter how great the temptation. Like I did, work out the mental equivalent of a slap on the wrist every time you try.

2.    Particularly for those with oily hair, a daily hair wash can work wonders, because when oily hair comes into contact with your face, you have a classic breeding ground for pimples. And while hair falling all over your eyes can give you a certain look, no one will notice it when you sleep, so pull your hair back at night.

3.    Invest in a branded exfoliating cleanser. As I have mentioned elsewhere, such cleansers contain salicylic acid and benzyl peroxide, which remove the outer layer of skin (no harm to you, I swear) and unclog the pores.

4.    Do not wear make up. Yeah, yeah, I can hear you going ‘not possible’. Okay, then, but at least make sure that the make up of your choice is water and not oil based.

5.    Drink at least eight glasses of water daily. This is essential to flush out the toxins from your system.

6.    Avoid sleeping on the same pillowcase more than two days running. You know why, don’t you? Hair…oil…right.

7.    Make sure you get proper nutrition. So eat well and eat right. If need be, you can take a multivitamin, under medical prescription, of course.

8.    Do not use too many types of pomade; gel, and other oil-based hair care products. 

9.    Get some exercise every day. Nothing like a brisk walk to keep your blood circulation healthy.

10.    LEAVE THAT ZIT ALONE! Do not pick at your pimples, please. In public or in private. It can worsen your acne a thousand times and actually help it spread.

Acne Treatment For Problem Skin

1. Topical Acne Treatments: One of the most convenient ways to control acne is by using topical acne preventing creams and lotions. These are available readily over-the-counter and are economical too. Most topical acne remedies contain one or more of the following substances:

•    Sulfur: Whiteheads and blackheads on the face are broken down and eliminated by sulfur. This helps to rid the skin of these pimple-causing agents, thus reducing acne. Sulfur is known to irritate some skin types and should be discontinued if any irritation persists.

•    Benzoyl Peroxide: This substance fights the bacteria that are responsible for causing acne. Dead skin that is abundant on the top layer of skin is also removed by benzoyl peroxide. In the absence of dead skin, blackheads and whiteheads do not develop easily, thus reducing acne.

•    Salicylic acid: This substance too removes dead skin cells, thereby reducing blackheads and whiteheads and consequently acne.

Topical acne treatment comes in the form of gels, lotions, and creams. Lotions and creams should be used for dry skin, whereas gel based products and alcohol-based solutions should be used for oily skin. 

2. Acne Treatment With Antibiotics: Antibiotics are medicines and drugs that are consumed orally to fight acne. Antibiotics reduce the pimple-causing bacteria on your skin; decrease the production of chemicals that make your skin acne prone; and also lower the presence of fatty acids in sebum, thereby controlling severe bouts of acne. Popular antibiotics used for acne treatment are:

•    Erythromycin
•    Tetracycline
•    Doxycycline
•    Clindamycin
•    Minocycline

3. Dermatological Acne Treatment: If acne is extremely severe and cannot be managed by antibiotics and topical treatments, it may be time to see a qualified dermatologist. A skin specialist can offer you different acne treatments such as acne surgery and drainage procedures for acne control. They can even administer injections of corticosteroid, which help to melt acne pustules and cysts, thus reducing acne. Even if you do not have very severe acne but suffer from it regularly, you should consult a dermatologist who will help you to figure out the cause for your particular type of acne and identify the best possible acne treatment for you.

4. Natural Acne Treatment: Various home remedies for acne treatment have proven to be as effective if not more, than medical prescriptions for treating acne. Here are some tried and tested natural acne remedies:

•    Cut a fresh clove of garlic and apply directly on the pimple for quick acne treatment.
•    Grate a piece of cucumber and apply it to acne-affected skin. You should see a marked difference within few days.
•    Dry the peels of few oranges. When completely dry, grind into a powder. Make a paste using the orange peel powder and water/rose water. Apply to acne-affected skin for 15 minutes and rinse well.

Try one or more of the acne treatment mentioned above and stick with what works best for you.