Priceless Acne Prone Skin Care Advice - Keep it Simple!

We've all heard this free advice from someone in our families when it comes to acne prone skin care: "Wash your face more!" As if. Washing your face more is one of the worst things you can do as part of your acne plan. What about all of those acne skin care products you see at the drug store? Don't you need to buy those skin products if you hope to control your acne? No. Not at all. In fact, caring for your skin properly is less complicated than you might think.

First, let's talk about how to wash your face properly. If you have acne, your face is likely inflamed. It has to heal. Rubbing, picking and scratching are obvious ways to keep it from healing. But a less obvious way is to wash your face too much. Soap dries out your skin and irritates acne. Wash cloths and old towels compound the damage.

Here's what you do... get rid of your normal harsh soaps and alcohol cleansers, and instead use a very mild soap, like Dove, or, better still, a mild non-soap cleanser like Cetaphil. Gently wash your face with your finger tips in a circular motion, using lukewarm water. Rinse well. Pat it dry with a clean soft cotton towel. That's it. Twice per day. No more. This will minimize your acne because you won't be irritating and inflaming the skin.

If you have dry skin, put on a thin layer of non-comedogenic moisturizer (read the label!) to sooth your skin. If you have oily skin, using an astringent might just cause your skin to produce more oil, so when you are done washing your face, you really are done.

Now shouldn't all those acne skin care products be part of your acne plan? Don't waste your money. The problem with most of these products is that they contain ingredients that irritate your skin and actually make things worse. Avoid any type of exfoliant, especially the dreaded loofah. Avoid acne masks. They irritate your skin just fine, but help your pimples? No way. What about those pore cleansing strips? It sure feels great to see the black guck on them when you rip apart your blackheads, but, unfortunately, you might inflame them, promote infection and turn those blackheads into pimples. What about acne washes that contain benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, sulfer or other stuff? Forget about them. First, sulfer doesn't work and never has. Why those products are still out there is a real mystery. When it comes to washes in general, they don't stay in contact with your skin long enough to do any good. You rinse them right off. So they are simply not worth the trouble.

Save your money and make mild soap, lukewarm water and a nice clean soft cotton towel part of your acne plan. When it comes to acne prone skin care, simple truly is better.