Acne care to a large extent is being proactive about treating the lesions, swelling and scarring that is associated with the onset of acne outbreaks.

Since acne is most visible as blackheads, whiteheads, redness and swelling around the lesions or skin pores where the bacteria known as P. acnes is congregated, appropriate acne care must be targeted to eliminating the physical signs. Perhaps just as importantly, the best way to treat the lesions associated with acne is to prevent them from occurring. A combination of treatment methods is often the most successful practice, but your dermatologist should be consulted to determine your best treatment regimen. It is important to take action and to follow the instructions of the medical professional rather than hoping that you will outgrow the problem.

Importance of Action

Regardless of the type of acne that you have diagnosed, taking action to begin the process of healing is important. Prompt and aggressive acne care is more likely to provide positive results. The big guns don't have to be brought to bear against a mild outbreak of acne, but you should take note of it and use appropriate measures to limit its severity and spread. In this way, you are less likely to find the need of more extensive treatment in the future. Acne doesn't have to be a nightmare of embarrassment and discomfort.

Daily Cleansing Routine

No matter what type of acne you have developed, a daily cleansing routine should be part of your acne care practices. A mild product that will gently remove oil, dirt and dead skin cells from the surface of the skin will help to improve skin health. The cleansing agent should not contain abrasives. A product that contains salicylic acid is a good direction to go for positive results. Salicylic acid helps to reduce excess secretions from the sebaceous glands so that blockage of the follicle is eliminated. This occurs without excess drying of the skin.

Medications

Acne care that works is improved by various types of medications. There are oral medications and topical medications that are given quite commonly to reduce the population of acne related bacteria. Usually, topical medications are prescribed for many types of acne that are mild to moderate in severity or that are sporadic in appearance. On the other hand, oral antibiotics may be necessary when the acne symptoms are severe or long lasting so that they are resistant to less aggressive treatments. The purpose of most medical and light treatments is to deal with the bacteria level to make the acne outbreaks less likely.

Surgical Intervention

Finally, if there are still residual effects such as scars or thickened skin as a result of acne, you can expand the acne care to remove scars with the use of surgical techniques. These methods can include dermabrasion or cosmetic surgery. The procedures are usually done on an outpatient basis by qualified dermatologists or cosmetic surgeons. The cost and the complexity of the procedure will depend upon the severity of the acne condition and type of procedure selected. This type of procedure is usually chosen to help improve the appearance, which in turn is a boost to the self esteem.