Cleansing

We’ve all been there. You wake up in the morning and do a double-take when you look in the mirror.

You see it staring back at you. It takes over your face. It’s swollen, filled with a foreign substance, and hurts.

It’s a pimple. It’s a zit. It’s acne. No matter what you call it, it’s unwelcome.

While many teenagers develop acne, so do adults. It is extremely embarrassing no matter how old you are. It’s embarrassing to have acne on your face when you want to ask the cute girl to the prom. It’s embarrassing to have a pimple show up on your forehead on your wedding day. 

So let’s break down acne together. We’ll discuss what acne is, how you should treat acne, what you should never do to the pimples on your face and body, and what you can do to get rid of a pimple before a big event. Plus, how to prevent acne from showing up at all.

What is acne? 

Acne, a pimple, or a zit is excess oil trapped in your pores. Inside your pores, there are sebaceous glands that produce sebum. When the outer layers of skin shed, the dead skin cells left behind may become glued together by the sebum. This causes blockage in the pore, especially when the skin becomes thicker at puberty. Then the sebaceous glands produce more sebum, which builds up behind the blockage. This sebum harbors various bacteria. The bacteria causes infection and inflammation.

How to Treat Acne

Medications that contain glycolic acid, salicylic acid, benzyl peroxide, and antibacterial agents are best to treat acne. These can be found in over-the-counter products. Using products that contain any of these ingredients helps the skin slough off more easily, which helps remove bacteria faster.

• Start by using a very good cleanser, like Academy Compatible Cleanser (that contains lemon oil which is best for reducing inflammation).
• Then use your product with glycolic acid, salicylic acid, benzyl peroxide, or other antibacterial agents. Academy’s Acne Control-10 contains glycolic acid and salicylic acid.
• If you have body acne, Academy’s Body Creme-10 clears up back acne, leg acne, arm acne, or any acne you find on your body.

Overall, practice good hygiene, use warm compresses to open pimples up, and for severe cases, you may want to speak to your doctor about taking an antibiotic.

How to Get Rid of Acne Fast (Before Your Special Event or Treat Acne Overnight)

• Use a warm compress to open up the pimple and reduce swelling
• Apply salicylic acid, glycolic acid, or benzyl peroxide medication (Academy Acne Control-10 has salicylic acid and glycolic acid) to treat the bacteria
• Use over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream (1%) to reduce swelling and redness
• Using ice can also be applied to reduce redness and swelling
• Avoid sugary foods
• Drink adequate amounts of water (approximately 8 glasses per day)

What You Should Never Do to Acne

You guessed it–you should never pop a pimple. Why? Popping a pimple causes scarring. Acne scars happen because what is under the skin is bigger than the hole you are trying to squeeze it through. When you squeeze or pop the pimple, you burst through the skin, causing the skin to break in a jagged line. When the skin grows back together, these jagged edges or lines create acne scarring. 

Treat acne scars with glycolic acid or with a skin lightening cream. Using a glycolic acid product (like Academy’s Glycolic Creme-10) removes dead skin, lightening scarring. Using a skin lightening product (like Academy’s Hydro Light Plus-10 with the 4 major skin lightening ingredients that exist today) can help lighten scarring.

How to Prevent Acne

• Keep your face clean.
• Use a good cleanser (no soap).
• Keep your hands off your face. Keep your hair off your face too. (Try to notice when you touch your hair and then touch your face.)
• Keep your pillowcases clean.
• Eat a clean diet, avoiding fatty and sugary foods.
• Stay hydrated.
• Use the over-the-counter medication, such as Academy Acne Control-10.
• Keep your face and body exfoliated. Glycolic acid products removs the layer of dead skin, leaving skin smooth and clear. Getting rid of the dead skin gives you a better chance for your pores to stay clear, and not become clogged.

Now that you know how to treat and prevent acne in all situations, pass this along to someone you know who could benefit from it! Everyone deserves clear, smooth, clean, and beautiful skin. We have so much going on in our lives that stressing over acne and pimples is not worth it. I’m here to help.

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