How to Start Taking Care of Your Acneic Skin, Pimples, and Zits!

Oh boy, another movies star endorsed acne routine, it only costs $20, and its customized to my skin type? WRONG! Lets start with the basics here....Treatment of acne usually depends on how bad your acne is. If you think your acne problem is serious, you should see a dermatologist. The battle against acne and clogged pores is usually won in front of your sink. Your pores turn into acne when they are clogged, so we need to keep them clean. Acne is usually caused by oily skin, dirt and it can even be caused by stress and hormones. We will start with some basic tips, then we will move to some more advanced recommendations, including products to start with.

Basic Tips (you may already know this stuff)

- Avoid touching your face with your hands except when cleansing and applying product.
- Remember to wash your hands before you wash your face.
- Wash your skin with a good cleanser 2 times at night and 1 time in the morning with warm water.
- Use a good scrub or exfoliant 2-3 times a week at night after cleansing to keep your pores clean.
- Rinse with cold water when finished, this will help close your pores.
- Remember to use an appropriate moisturizer, even if you have acne! A dry face does not cure your acne problems

Product Tips

- Use an appropriate antibacterial and non-clogging moisturizer which will balance out the oil production in your skin
- Masques and spot treatments can be very beneficial as well, when used correctly. For example products with ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid have proven to provide long term success with acne, evening skin tone, and even wrinkles!
- MAKE SURE you are using products with high quality ingredients. Generally these skincare products cannot be found at drugstores or department stores. Preservatives in these products are used to ensure a long shelf life, and are mostly bad for your skin. For this reason, I only sell skin care products that use natural ingredients to preserve the products.

Most preventative acne routines take 3-4 weeks before they start showing long term results. A lot of the products you see for sale on TV by movie stars boast nearly instant results, and contain ingredients that only temporarily solve acne problems. These product contain ingredients such as sulphor, great for short term use, but can be very harsh and drying for the long term, and useless if doses do not increase over time, like addictive drugs for your skin!

Product Recommendations

Here are a few trial kits I like to start my acneic clients on, that fit a number of price ranges. The kits will allow you to see what products work best for you before committing to buying larger sizes:
-The Epicuren acne treatment kit comes with 5 anti-acne products, runs for $22 (shipping is free), and has quality ingredients. It will last you 1-2 weeks. Click here to view the details.
Click here to view a youtube video I made about this kit
-Try the Image Skincare 1 week anti acne kit. It contains 4 different products, runs for $20 (shipping is free), and has excellent ingredients. Click here to view the details.
-The Rhonda Allison Blemish Skin Beta Green Tea System is ideal for those with very red or inflamed acne $60 (shipping is free) and lasts for about 4 weeks. Click here to view the details.

Also, PLEASE use makeup that is good for your skin. I love La Bella Donna (Click Here to check it out), I even like it more than Jane Iredale. La Bella Donna has the highest quality ingredients I have found. A good mineral makeup is good for skincare because the base if formulated with Zinc instead of corn starch, which is HORRIBLE for acneic skin. A lot of mall brands, drugstore brands, and the like contain corn starch. Be careful!

So, if you have not figured it out already, my strategy for fighting acne is long term. Not some "quickie" TV commercial movie star gimmick. Remember, not all acne is solvable, some is caused by hormones etc. To solve acne for the rest of us, we need to get on a routine where we can fully cleanse our pores, make them smaller, and keep them moisturized, essentially fully balancing our skin's PH levels.