by Heather Ruede

Created on: July 30, 2010

Acne is not fun to have and yet everyone has it.  And yet everyone wants clear,  smooth skin.

It is possible to have it. You just have to know what to do and what over the counter products to use. There are do's and don'ts to washing your face. First, don't over scrub your face. It'll provoke the skin to break out more and not in a nice way. It makes it worse. Instead wash your face gently and use a separate towel that will only be used for your face.

Don't squeeze, poke or probe it. That is a big no. It only makes it worse and can cause dark brown spots at the sites of the pimple and that is called "post-inflammatory hyper -pigmentation" or PIH. Gently pat your skin dry after you've washed your skin, don't rub it or irriate it.

I know that they are a lot of products out there to use and my seem overwhelming. But to help you out, look for an over the counter product that have benzoyl peroxide, which kills bacteria. But with benzoyl peroxide make sure you don't go above 2.5%.

Also find something with salicylic acid-that helps slough off the dead skin cells.

Moisturize your skin because dryer skin is actually more prone to breakouts than moisturized skin. When skin is dry it automatically goes into overdrive and causes excess oil to moisturize itself which can cause breakouts.

Now that your face is all clean and feeling good, try to keep your hands off your face, even after you've washed your hands. Your hands touch a lot of things: doorhandles, chairs, car doors and other surfaces that have germs. Also keeping your hair clean helps simply because when your hair is dirty it will hang in your face and brush up against your skin. And if your hair is oily when dirty it will make it. worse.

The best time to wash your face is right before going to bed. It'll clean your face of dirt and make-up and won't invite a breakout. Going to bed with a dirty face or a face full of make-up invites a breakout to happen.

Drinking water and other fluids will also help keep your face clean simply by flushing out toxins and wastes. Excerise helps as well because it will help in proper blood circulation and transfer of oxygen to all the body cells; exercising will help both in the reducing of stress and preventing acne.

Learn more about this author, Heather Ruede.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.