10 Things to Try When Acne Won't Clear

Nothing can be as frustrating as having a stubborn case of acne that won't clear up. The unsightly blemishes can undoubtedly take a huge toll on one's self esteem, not to mention the debilitating itchiness that breakout episodes leave in their wake. We live in a photogenic world where we are constantly being judged by our external appearance and having a perpetual case of acne on your hands doesn't exactly help your first-time impression bonus points.

Fortunately, If you are constantly wondering and asking yourself, 'why won't my acne clear?' you will be pleased to know that we have finally broken down what you need to get rid of this menace within the shortest time possible.

Here's a quick premise on what to do when you have acne won't clear no matter what.

1. Give Acne Treatment at Least 4 Weeks (or a Month) to Work

One of the biggest pitfalls of attempting to treat acne fast is that it's easy to grow impatient and start jumping from one treatment plan to another every few weeks. And, despite what you may be tempted to think, this does not do your skin any favors. In fact, it is easy to aggravate or intensify your symptoms if you get into the habit of jumping from one acne spot treatment to another. The truth is that even the best acne spot treatment that money can get is not a magic potion - you still need ample time for your body to acclimatize to it and start working.

That said, if a treatment plan works for you, then it should take around 4 to 6 weeks for you to start seeing a significant improvement of your symptoms or, at least, any meaningful visible results. But it could even take 3 or 4 months for complete clearing of acne scars and marks eventually. This is why it is imperative and critical to keep a comprehensive record of your usage of a given treatment and archive any improvements however minimal that you get with the acne medication.

You will want to keep using the acne treatment for a few more months even after complete clearing of symptoms just to make sure that you don't suffer any relapses and new breakouts.

2. Attack The Causes of Acne Head-first

The reason most of us struggle to get rid of blemishes or zits as soon as they set root can be traced back to our inability to accurately isolate and attack the specific causes of acne breakout.

There are, for instance, many different causes of acne on chin for men; including using the wrong razors to trim/shave your beard. However, if your treatment plan does not involve getting the correct shaving blade and ditching the current one, it won't matter how good, modern or expensive your acne medication is. It simply won't work. Isolating the exact cause of acne is just as important as adhering the prescription of the right treatment plan.

Add a second breakout product to your overall treatment plan should you not see any marked improvement of your symptoms after six weeks. This approach is instrument in ensuring that you are attacking the many possible causes for acne which could be either;

• Bacteria
• Clogged pores
• Inflammation
• Allergy and intolerance
• Excessive sebum/oil production
• Extremely active androgen glands and hormones

As expected, the second treatment plan should attempt to attack a different possible cause of breakouts that was not being addressed in the first place. If you are, for example, using a blemish clearing product that has benzoyl peroxide as the main active ingredient, the second treatment product should have other acne-combating ingredients such as salicylic acid or retinoids.

• Speaking which, here's the role that various active ingredients play in the fight against acne.
• Benzoyl peroxide is mainly used to inhibit the activity of p.acnes bacteria
• Salicylic acid lessens inflammation and helps to unclog skin pores
• Retinoid, the likes of adapalene gel, can reduce excessive oil production
• Topical zinc encourages fast healing of acne marks

3. Follow Directions Dermatologist

This may sound flimsy, but the reason your acne won't clear up could be that you are not following the correct usage instructions to the tee. You see, how you use a product and your general adherence to a dermatologist prescribed acne cream has a huge bearing on the kind of the results you can expect from the treatment regimen.

As far as this goes, ensure that you follow all directions that a dermatologist specialist in acne will recommend or suggest to get rid of blemishes without deviating or omitting some parts.

4. Learn How to Keep your Face Clean

You will be surprised to know the immense role that grime and dirt plays in causing breakouts and flare ups. If anything, it is estimated that more than half of all acne cases are as the result of poor skin hygiene, especially in people with sensitive skin. It, therefore, goes without saying that having a consistent and effective face cleansing routine should go a long way in keeping acne at bay.

That being said, it is also not advisable to over-clean your face as this could easily irritate your epidermis thereby worsening your symptoms. Wash your face at most two times a day, when you wake up and just after bed or after sweaty training sessions.

Speaking of skin hygiene, it's a good practice to wash off all makeup and other cosmetic add ons thoroughly every night before bed. Failure to do so can clog up your skin pores make it exceedingly harder to get that naturally beautiful complexion that you are looking for.

5. Use Paper Towels

Having a stash of paper towels in your day bag is a good way of keeping grime, dirt and dust out of your face throughout the day. Remember that one of the leading causes of breakouts is the accumulation of foreign particles on the skin that block the pores and limit proper breathability and hydration. Using soft-layered hypoallergenic paper towels to occasionally wipe off this smut can go a long way in keeping breakouts at bay.

This also does away with the need to wash your face and scrub it clean more than twice a day which could do more than good in the long run.

6. Use Quality Cosmetics Suitable for your Skin Type

It is amazing how few people invest a decent amount of money into their skin care products. How, for instance, did you arrive at the current body lotion, soap or exfoliation gel that you are using today? Was it by trial and error or did you enlist the help of a board-certified dermatologist to help you narrow down to the best cosmetic agents for your skin type and tone?

We may find it hard to accept this, but the reality is that cosmetic acne cases are on the rise. It is estimated that approximately 30% of our skin problems can be directly tied to the kind of products that we put on our faces every morning or use in the shower. It is one of the reasons skin specialists now offer cosmetic acne treatment services that are designed to help you buy the best products suited for your breakout episodes.

Ideally, you will want to go for a beauty lotion that;

• Won't clog or block your skin pores
• Is non-comedogenic
• Is oil-free
• Is non-acnegenic

Speaking of your skin, it is also important to make sure that you are using the best cosmetic acne-relieving products on the market to keep acne at bay. Treatment plans from https://aenoacne.com/ for instance are designed to work with almost all skin types without aggravating or worsening one’s symptoms.

7. Never Touch Acne with Your Hands, Do not Squeeze Them out in Any Way

Bursting pimples and popping blackheads can be very tempting especially if the skin is itchy as it is the case with most acne episodes. But you have to retrain your mind to learn how to resist the inherent and constant disposition to tamper with your problematic acne spots if you desire an attractive complexion that is devoid of marks and scars.

What's more, popping pimples just makes it harder for your skin to heal and repair itself in time. Chances are, also, that you will be spreading the acne-causing agent to other non-problematic spots of your face when you start bursting zits. You see, squeezing only pushes bacteria, pus and contaminants deeper into the recessive layers of the skin, which will most probably result in extreme redness and swelling instead of quick healing. Also, the wounds that you sustain during squeezing could leave you with permanent scars and pits that could take years to clear.

Patience is key here, don't pop pimples. Instead, leave them alone to disappear and heal on their own and you are less likely to end up with battle scars that will be a lifetime reminder of your past acne struggles.

If you really have to dry out a pimple faster, then applying 5% solution/gel of benzoyl peroxide once or twice daily will do you more good than attempting to burst your pimples. Contrary to the common misconception, breakouts do not heal faster when bursted or distured; don't pop acne!

8. Use Acne Remedies all over your Skin, not Just Pimples

It is common practice to concentrate on the most problematic skin spots when applying acne medication instead of applying it evenly all over the face. While this may seem like it's the right thing to do, it may predispose you further to new breakouts and make the existing ones less likely to clear up.

Concentrating on acne-prone areas also means that you are likely to trigger inflammation and flare ups simply because the probability of irritating your skin increases when you only apply the products on the most troublesome spots.

9. Keep items That Come into Contact with your Face Clean

This includes paraphernalia like hats, pillowcases, bedsheets, cushions and other things that frequently come into contact with your acne-prone skin including your phone and make up brushes. Remember that bacteria, dead skin cells, grime dust and sweat can accumulate and build up in such surfaces over time. They will then be transferred to your skin pores whenever you come into contact with them. This is why it is important to make sure that they are constantly clean to avoid undoing all the hard work that you put into your daily skin cleansing routine.

It defeats the purpose of investing a lot of time and money in the best face cleanser that money can buy only for you to sleep on a dirty pillowcase or put on a dusty hat. That's why it is recommended for acne patients battling stubborn breakout episodes to change their pillowcases and bed sheets at least 3 times a week if possible.

10. Try to Live a Healthy Lifestyle

Lifestyle plays a very important role in the fight against acne. You can use the best cosmetics in the world, but if you clog your body from the inside, nothing will come of it. As the old adage asserts, 'beauty hails from within'. And this rings true up to date.

Speaking of lifestyle, there are certain critical areas that you ought to pay more attention on when it comes to making healthy changes that will eventually translate to a gorgeous complexion. And this includes;

• Diet and nutrition: What you eat and drink on a daily basis has a direct consequence on the state of your internal organs and, eventually, your skin. Your face actually mirrors, most of the time, the general condition of your kidneys, lungs and liver. You would be hard pressed to come across a person who hardly makes any effort to eat a balanced nutritious diet with a clear attractive complexion with healthiness written all over it. The same way individuals who abuse alcohol or drugs tend to age noticeably faster than their more health-conscious counterparts.
• ii. Exercise: Living a sedentary life is not just bad for your heart and muscles, turns out that it is worse for your skin too. Sweating plays a critical role in speeding up and streamlining the rate at which the body excrete cellular wastes through the skin pores. This means that there will be less accumulation of dirt and grime if you get into a habit of working up a sweat two or three days as opposed to spending your days largely inactive. Also, the improved circulation experienced after an intense workout session boosts oxygenation of your skin, which, as a matter of fact, is the largest organ in your body.
• iii. Sleep and hydration: There is a reason you tend to look haggard and older the morning after pulling an all-nighter. The human body carries out major cellular repairs and renovations when we are in deep slumber. Skip this, and you will begin seeing significant skin problems such as stubborn breakouts especially if you have a history of acne. Aim for at least 7 hours of sleep every day of the week to allow your skin enough time to rebuild, rejuvenate and restore itself uninterruptedly.

Regular and ample hydration, on the other hand, acts as an internal skin cleansing mechanism that helps fight the accumulation of bacteria and grime that occurs naturally with time. The cleaner and unobstructed skin pores will be less likely to harbour acne-causing bacteria or get inflamed as a result.