Almost everyone will suffer from acne at one time during their lives. Acne comes in many forms, pimples - blackheads and whiteheads are what we commonly see, but if these become infected with bacteria they can turn into boil like pustules that can be painful as well as unsightly. Acne is most common in teens where hormones are upsetting the bodies balance and over productive oil glands along with clogged pores cause the start of pimples. While pimples will eventually go away, acne scarring can have longer lasting effects.
The most effective way to prevent acne scarring is to leave the acne alone. Don't touch your pimples or pop them as this can create scarring. Of course, reducing the incidence of acne and helping to keep it in control with proper cleaning methods as well as diet can go a long way towards reducing the temptation of pimple popping and thus, reduce the risk of scarring.
The best thing you can do to clear your acne is to develop a proper cleaning routine. This involves washing your skin with a gentle soap twice a day and can mean using acne treatment products during the day and night. In addition to washes, you might try skin exfoliates, day and night creams and facial scrubs. If your doctor has prescribed medicine for your acne, always follow his directions for use.
Never use harsh chemicals or soaps on your face. It's important to make your acne treatment routine acne easy enough for you to maintain. If you think that you don't have enough time for your regimen, then it is vital that you make more time, scale down the regimen or live with the acne. Maybe you need to get up a bit earlier or cut out half hour of TV at night, but won't having a clear complexion be worth it? If you have a really bad case of acne, you may need to seek the help of a dermatologist. He can recommend prescriptions that may help and in some cases you may want to consider laser treatment that literally burns the bacteria out of the skin. This helps to unclog your pores and kills the bacteria which is the main pimple causing culprit.
If you don't want to use chemical drugs or lasers, you may want to explore more natural herbal remedies for your skin. If you do have unsightly scarring, you can get treatment. Scars from acne are deep inside the skin and acne laser scarring treatments can help to correct this in many cases. However, you do need to be careful when opting for this type of treatment as it can be expensive.
If you do decide the cost is worth it, then choose where you get the treatment carefully. Like most anything else, you get what you pay for and you need to pick a reputable doctor and not go with the best bargain. Bear in mind that you will need to pay a reasonable amount of money if you want good treatment results. You may need several sessions depending on how severe your scars are.
The benefits of treating acne scarring is that you get clearer, healthy skin. Your acne is not prone to returning because the laser treatment kills the bacteria and shrinks the glands that produce the oil which blocks your pores. Once you have the treatment, however you do need to make a commitment to yourself to take good care of your skin and eat right so you can have a clear and healthy complexion for life.
Lee Dobbins writes for Acne Articles where you can find out more about acne and other skin care topics.
