Acne is a very common and very visible skin condition that we commonly treat here at Maine Laser Skin Care. As a result, our patients ask us lots of questions that revolve around how to prevent outbreaks or how to manage acne when outbreaks have already occurred. As we are well into a new school year, I thought now would be an especially good time to review useful skin care tips for the acne prone, both teens and adults: 1.) Wash your face twice a day and after sweating. Removing elements that could plug your pores is important, of course. Sweat can make acne worse, especially when one is wearing a helmet or hat. Washing your face after a game, practice, or workout is a great start to preventing more acne from spreading. 
2.) When washing your face, do so gently. Gently apply a non-abrasive cleanser to your face, and use only your fingertips when washing. Scrubbing can unnecessarily irritate the skin, so please be gentle! 3.) Use gentle products on your skin. Avoid products that contain alcohol. Do not use astringents or exfoliants that irritate the skin. When skin is red and dry, acne looks and feels worse. 4.) Rinse your face with lukewarm water after washing. If you wash your face with hot water, you will overly irritate delicate tissues. You can wash your face with cold water, but lukewarm water will feel much more comfortable and be just as effective. 5.) If you have oily hair, shampoo daily. Oily hair will result in acne outbreaks along the hairline and neck. Regular shampooing will remove pore-clogging oils and debris. 
6.) Do not pick or pop your acne pimples. Popping pimples, while temporarily satisfying after the initial pinch, makes the localized acne worse. Even more importantly, it increases the risk of scarring in the long term. Like any other bad habit, avoid it at all costs. 7.) Keep your hands off your face. You would be shocked if you knew all the disgusting bacteria that are on your fingertips over the course of a day even with regular hand washing. Touching acne-prone skin can result in more flareup and that temptation to pick (See Tip #6 above). 8.) Avoid the sun and tanning beds. Not only does tanning damage your skin, but many acne medications make your skin more sensitive to ultraviolet rays, increasing both pigmentation of current acne scars and future risk for skin cancer. Wearing sunscreen every day and staying away from tanning beds altogether are ideal habits for your overall skin health, but it is especially great for preventing the spread of acne as well.
Acne is a very treatable condition. The team here at Maine Laser Skin Care can help you to combat existing acne while also preventing new breakouts and reducing the risk of developing scars. You can call us either in Augusta at (207) 873-2158 or in Scarborough at (207) 303-0125 to schedule your next free and confidential consultation to see how we can help with acne or other skin issues you may be having. As always, our mission is to beautify Maine one face at a time.