Sunday, June 8, 2008

Skin Care Tips for Oily Skin to Prevent Acne

Maintaining a proper skin care routine is important to keeping your skin clear, free of impurities and oil, and moisturized so it remains healthy, acne-free, and radiant. Your basic skin care regimen should include cleansing of the skin, applying an alcohol-free toner, and finish with a moisturizer + sunscreen.

Face cleansing is the core of skin care regimen. You should wash your skin with a gentle cleanser at least twice a day to remove the oil, dead skin cells, dry skin. These are substances that can clog the pores. It is important for the pores of your skin to remain bacteria free as the presence of bacteria is something which contributes substantially to the growth of pimples. If you have overall cleanliness of the skin, you can lessen the chance of pimples. Before you apply all those cosmetics or medications for your acne, experts always tell you to wash your face. Here are several tips on proper skin care for your oily acne skin and how to properly wash your face.

1. First, remove every trace of make-up/cosmetic on your face. Use cotton ball and moisturizing cream to avoid damaging your skin.

2.Use lukewarm water to wash your face. This will also open the pores for deeper cleansing. Avoid washing your face with water that is too hot or too cold as it can dry out your skin. .

3.Avoid strong or harsh soaps/ cleansers. Strong soaps can dry your skin and strip off natural lipids. Choose soap that are mild if you prefer soap, or you can always choose cleansers that are soap-free, non- comedogenic (won't clog pores), and mild like Cetaphil, Burt Bee's or Neutrogena. Even better, you should use natural skin care products such as Dermalise since they are more gentle to your skin.

4.For people who have acne-prone skin, you should use cleansing products that contain salicylic acid. Salicylic Acid is a naturally occurring organic acid and a gentle, effective exfoliator. It is very effective for acne and oily skin and helps to unclog pores by removing dead skin cells, loosen and remove blackheads and whiteheads, and prevent future outbreaks. Products should contain 1-2% concentration of salicylic acid in order for it to be effective. For sensitive skin types, a 1% concentration would be suitable and for stubborn acne, 2% concentration is recommended.

Note that Salicylic Acid also makes skin sensitive to the sun. Sunscreen should therefore be used while applying Salicylic Acid. Also, sunscreen protects your skin from harmful UV rays of the sun and helps prevent wrinkles.

5.Massage face gently in an upward motion using using your fingers. Do not do hard rubbing as it will actually do more harm than good.

6.Rinse face well to remove all residue of soap or cleanser. Residues left behind can actually clog your pores. Facial cleansers can leave an invisible residue behind which can clog your pores. Rinse three times, then rinse again.

7.Pat dry with soft, non-abrasive towel. Never ever rub your face.

8.Use an alcohol-free toner on your face. Toning your skin restores skin pH back to it's normal range and it closes the pores to your skin and prevent dust and other air borne particles from settling in your pores. Again, it is recommended to use products with natural and organic ingredients. It should make your face feel smooth and refreshed. Astringents and toners with glycolic or alpha hydroxy acids work the best for toning the face. These acids actually can reduce the pore size, and help avoid ingrown hairs. They are aggressive and have quick results. Remember to look for a product that is not photosensitive (sensitive to light).

9.Finish your routine by using a moisturizer to replenish the natural oils that have been lost. Moisturizing is a necessity step. Again, the product that uses natural ingredients (i.e. Dermalise) and with the least amount of chemical additives is the best. Always use a light moisturizer on your face after cleansing. For an intensive moisture treatment use pure vitamin E, or aloe vera oil. It is available in liquid form, or just break open a capsule and apply the oil directly to the skin.

10.Use a sunscreen throughout the day (min SPF15) to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. Long term exposure to UV radiation may result in harmful effects such as sunburn, skin cancer, and acceleration of skin aging process.

11.If you have oily hair, you should wash and shampoo your hair daily to prevent the oil from touching and clogging the pores on your forehead.

12.Also, it is also important to not to touch your skin with your fingers. Our hands and fingers normally carry a multitude of various germs. When these germs make contact with the pimples, it can make the pimples worse.

The above 12 essential skin care for your oily acne skin steps would help you keep your face clean, clear and beautiful. However, for some of us unfortunate acne victims, our acne problems are more serious. Therefore, tougher measures must be taken. In addition to following the above recommendations, it is recommended to use an acne curing system that fights acne bacteria both from inside the body as well as outside the body. Most over the counter acne products in the market such as Clearsil, Oxy-10, ProActiv only address acne problems at the skin level and that is not enough to effectively fight acne.

If your acne problem still persists after following the above skin care regimen, you should use an anti-acne system that employs the proven principle of fighting acne both from the outside and the inside the body. The system should include an oil-free, SD Alcohol and Salicylic Acid solutions based facial & body wash and herbal pills. The facial/body wash will help you fight acne on your face, back, chest and arms by unclogging your pores and expelling all the bacteria and oil that cause pimples and other blemishes. The herbal pills effectively fight acne-causing bacteria from the inside. Together, they are very potent in getting rid of acne fast and preventing acne from occurring again. See our website for more information and for recommendation of a proven anti-acne system guaranteed to stop acne fast!