How to get rid of Acne

Acne is the most common skin condition and causes much anxiety for sufferers. It is caused by dead skin cells clumping together and blocking the pore, which slows down the flow of oxygen. This allows bacteria to breed and flourish causing the appearance of acne on the skin. An acne sufferer may have
anything from basic comedones (blackheads and whiteheads) through to large painful whiteheads and raised red bumps (nodules - previously known as cysts).

Causes of Acne

Acne is genetic. If you come from a family of sufferers you are more likely to be affected. Up to 80% of us experience it in our teens and early 20s and it is increasingly common in women over 40, because it's caused by fluctuations in our hormones.

Best Acne Treatments

If you have severe acne and it's causing you distress you should consider visiting a dermatologist (ask your GP for a referral), but there are things you can do to help yourself at home.


What to do?

Use products that contain glycolic acid. It loosens the dead skin cells trapped inside the follicle and encourages the plug to dislodge. When follicles are prevented from being clogged, acne is greatly reduced.

Use products that contain salicylic acid, which improves cell turnover and kills the bacteria specific to acne. The pore then becomes unclogged and the acne bacteria is neutralized.

What not to do?
 Over -exfoliate. Being too harsh on the skin can distress it and cause inflammation, which in turn  exacerbates acne Exfoliate gently using clay based products or liquid exfoliants without harsh grains.

Diet and Acne.

There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding diet and its effect on acne. Although it's true that the causes of acne are genetic - diet can contribute.
Foods that contain a high glycaemic index have been shown to worsen the effects of acne - think all white foods such as white bread, rice, pasta and yes, sugar. So although chocolate may not itself give you acne, it may unfortunately make it worse. If cutting out all sweets is too difficult, try to stick to dark chocolate.