Top 6 Acne Treatment Blunders
Pop! There’s another angry red pimple on your forehead! Sirens start ringing in your head, and you immediately jump into vigorous action! Hold that thought. Haphazard immediate action is not always the best solution to acne and pimples. Your skin is irritated and (although it sounds gross) infected by bacteria causing the acne. The only way to relaly get rid of them is through soothing your skin and pulling out the bacteria at work beneath the layers of skin.It will take time, patience, and some putting up with embarrassment and frustration. However, with ample care and attention, acne is not going to hang around for too long. We share with you the top 6 mistakes that acne sufferers make when treating their pimples. Take heed and avoid hideous acne scars.
1. Washing Too Much
Everyone that meets you has only one piece of advice to give: ‘wash your face daily, you dirty girl/boy.’ Although washing is important to remove harmful bacteria and dead cells of skin from the surface, if you’re washing more than twice in a day, you’re definitely OVERDOING it. Stop. Your skin will get dehydrated and dry. That’s going to stimulate oil glands on your face to produce more oil. What’s the end result? More acne. Also, avoid using scalding hot water; lukewarm is best.
2. ‘But I Want To Use ALL the Acne Products!!”
You’re frustrated, you visit the pharmacy, your head starts spinning from all the cool acne treatment products and lightning fast result promises. Close your eyes for a second. Calm down. There might be a hundred products out there that could ( or at least say they could…) clear off your skin. However, using more than 2 acne products at one time is just going to cause irritation, redness, and flaking. Your skin could even go into trauma making your lesions even bigger.
3. The ‘I Don’t Need Moisturiser’ Problem
You’re one of those people that’s never seen the point of using moisturiser when your face is absolutely fine on its own. But you’re wrong. Even oily skin prone to acne needs its fresh air, hydration, and ‘moisturisation.’ The secret here is to get your dermatologist to recommend one that doesn’t have oil so it doesn’t jam up your pores. Many people use hydrating gels nowadays since it’s non-greasy and gentle on acne-prone skin. Look for sunscreen moisturizers.
4. ‘2-Minute Treatment’
This isn’t noodles you’re cooking here, my friend. Treating acne takes time. Often, gels, creams, and pills prescribed by yoru dermatologist will take weeks or even months to show any result whatsoever. In fact, Barbara Reed, dermatology professor of University of Colorado, says that it could take more than 6 weeks for any results to be seen. Hang in there. Don’t give up. Think of it this way: Taking medications strictly for a few months to be acne-free for life is way better than putting up with the shame of a pimply face for the rest of your life, right?
Stick to the rules, be a good boy/girl, and take your meds on time and according to instructions – every…single…day. You’ll be ecstatic when the results start to show. It’s a bit like weight loss in that manner.
5. ‘Don’t Want to Show My Face to the Doc’
In a world where ‘looks can kill’, most people afflicted by acne and other skin conditions have an initial period of embarrassment and depression when they find their skin infected and irritated. You may feel fearful or too embarrassed to have a dermatologist examine your skin under bright light and feel that they may be judging you. Remember one thing though. Dermatologists have been doing this for years. You are no different from the next patient they’ll be seeing. They cannot remember the skin infestations of every patient. So, chill. They’ll forget what she saw in no time. The important thing is that you will get diagnosis and treatment from someone that’s got years of training and experience in the field. Strong over-the-counter meds, laser resurfacing, and deep chemical peels for severe acne can only be prescribed by dermatologists.
6. Touching Too Much
When you’ve got icky things on your face, you will feel like touching them. It’s natural. But, remember this: touching will only spread out the bacteria and make your acne spread along with it. Skin irritation draws you to picking on pimples. Avoid doing this. Also, popping of pimples pushes infected puss deeper into your skin prolonging the infection, likelihood of scarring, and redness. Only use cleansing pads to touch it.
