How to Prevent Acne Scars

The Proactive Guide to Keeping a Fresh Face

While having acne can be a harrowing time in any teenager’s life, having acne scars results in lifelong embarrassment and self-consciousness. And while there are treatments available for getting rid of acne scars, they can be costly and a hassle to go through. A better option for eliminating acne scars is learning how to prevent them altogether. As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure.

How to Prevent Acne Scars from Forming with Existing Acne

If you already have a breakout, here are some great tips that will help keep it a temporary nuisance by preventing acne scars from ever developing:

• At the first sign of a breakout, start treating your acne right away. Cleanse the area daily with a mild, oil-free soap and use over-the-counter treatments or prescriptions from your doctor. Never ignore pimples and zits, waiting for them to go away on their own.
• Of course, treating your pimples, zits and whiteheads doesn’t mean squeezing or popping – this process is to be left to the professionals! When performed by a skilled skin specialist, acne extractions can do wonders to clear up a breakout. Home extractions on the other hand, will usually have the opposite effect. When you pop or squeeze a pimple, the bacteria inside (often in the form of pus) can be forced deeper down into the follicle. This can create inflammation, a bigger pimple, infection and ultimately, scarring.
• Likewise, don’t pick at scabs either. This should be common sense since virtually any scab you pick at—not just acne scabs—will cause scarring.
• Further, don’t scrub the skin excessively, use harsh skin care products or do anything that will worsen the inflammation around your acne. Inflamed pimples and zits are more likely than non-inflamed breakouts to cause scarring.
• Finally, if you’ve experienced acne scarring before, always consult your doctor during breakouts. This is especially true for larger, more serious breakouts such as cysts or deep nodules. These are the most dangerous types of acne when it comes to leaving scars since any infection will kill all the skin tissue around the acne. Doctors can easily help prevent this, but only if you go see them.

Taking it One Step Further—How to Avoid Acne Altogether

Of course, learning how to prevent acne scars wouldn’t be a big deal if you didn’t have to deal with the underlying cause of scarring: the acne itself. To take the preventative method one level deeper, try these simple ways you can prevent pimples, zits and breakouts from ever occurring:

• Wash your face regularly with an anti-bacterial, oil-free soap. The soap should be mild and gentle on your skin, and not contain any scents or artificial coloring.
• Avoid greasy foods, not only because touching your skin with greasy fingers can clog your pores, but the unhealthy side-effects of these food work on your body from the inside, creating an environment that is ripe for acne growth.
• Avoid oil-based sunscreen, but do apply sunscreen regularly to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun.
• Get enough sleep at night and exercise during the day. Sleep helps your body deal with bacterial infections while exercise will help you sweat, unclogging your pores.

As long as you are diligent, acne scars should be a thing of the past—not your future. To find out how you can get rid of existing acne scars, click here right now and don’t suffer from embarrassing blemishes and scarring for one more day.