Lawrence A. Schiffman, D.O., FAOCD - Board Certified Dermatologist

Lawrence A. Schiffman, D.O., FAOCD - Board Certified Dermatologist

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5 Ways to Deal With Bad Acne

Published April 21st, 2021 by Thepracticeagency

Acne affects 40-50 million people in the United States so you are not alone in your suffering. 

But if you have bad acne, you might think that you are the only one who's stuck with it for life. Especially if you've tried a dozen different acne treatments to no avail. Don't despair though. 

There are many things you can do on top of getting an acne treatment to get rid of adult acne. Read on to see what these 5 ways would be.

1. Get on a Low-Glycemic Diet

A high-glycemic diet is an American favorite - this means, lots of carbs, white bread, cornflakes, milkshakes, white potatoes, white rice, fries, doughnuts, and other pastries, and more. You might recognize yourself in this group. 

If you do, then perhaps your bad acne is a result of this high-glycemic diet. Think about changing your diet to a low-glycemic one to see the effects on your skin. 

In fact, a study done on Americans where they were placed on a low-glycemic diet to lose weight caused 87% to report that they had less acne, and 91% to report that they needed less acne medication. 

Those are pretty high numbers, so it would be prudent of you to test yourself for a few weeks on a low-glycemic diet. The good thing is that even if your acne isn't affected by this diet, it's still a healthy diet to be on. 

2. Don't Pick at Your Skin or Pimples

Yes, yes, you've heard this a million times before. But do you actually follow this advice? Be honest now. You might even be picking at your acne or popping your pimples as you read this blog post. 

Get those hands away from your face. Your bad acne will worsen if you keep picking at it, touching it with hands filled with bacteria. No matter how many times you wash your hands a day, your hands are still a cesspool of bacteria.

In fact, health care workers who are careful about washing their hands still had 5 million bacteria on each of their hands! 

Every time you touch your face, you are transferring these bacterias over to your acne. Not only that but every time you pop a pimple, you are just making it worse. You know this already from experience. Just don't do it!

3. Change Your Bedsheets and Pillows Often

In fact, this applies to everything and anything that touches your acne-prone skin. Your acne treatment isn't going to work if your bacteria-laden gloves, hats, bed sheets, pillows, or other items keep rubbing against your acne.

It seems like a chore to wash your bed sheets, pillows, and clothing this often, but it's worth it. Not only do these items have bacteria on them, but also dead skin cells, dirt, and oil, all of which will clog up your poor pores. 

If you want to get serious about things, think about washing your pillowcases at least 3 times a week. These are the main culprits when it comes to worsening bad acne. You sleep on them for 8 or more hours a day, after all. 

4. Wash Your Face Twice a Day and Always After Sweating

Do you worry about washing your face too much? Do you avoid putting anything on your face all day, because you are worried about interfering with your acne treatment? 

Well, stop worrying about that. Your acne treatment is already deep in your pores, doing its thing. For now, you need to avoid adding more bacteria and oil from entering your pores and bad acne. 

You can do this by washing your face at least twice a day with a gentle cleanser that's made for sensitive acne-prone skin. You should be washing your face once you wake up in the morning, and before you fall asleep.

Also, if you are the kind to get sweaty during the day, due to sports or other activities, always wash your face after that. You don't want that sweat to get into your adult acne and make it worse. 

This is the best skincare treatment for you - it sounds simple, but it will work miracles if you can follow it consistently. But don't overdo it!

Don't wash your face more than 3 times a day. It's too much for your sensitive acne-prone skin. 

5. Don't Get Impatient - Give Your Acne Treatments Time to Work

Are you getting impatient with your acne treatments? Have you been using them for a couple of weeks, but not noticing any noticeable effects? 

Please be patient with it. You've had your bad acne for a while now, so it will take some time to heal and reverse itself. 

Take a deep breath, and keep calm. Don't start rummaging about with another acne treatment, or start looking into alternative treatments yet. 

Wait at least 4 weeks before you declare that your acne treatment doesn't work. Even then, you should consult with a dermatologist to see if there's something they can help with.

Perhaps you haven't been using the treatment in the right dose or applying it appropriately. They will be able to guide you.

Instead of getting impatient with your treatment, and raving about it online, think about your diet, or other habits instead. What are some other bad habits that could be affecting your acne? 

Do you eat sugars late at night? Or do you tend to sleep with your makeup on? Maybe you are the kind of person who loves picking at their skin, no matter what others tell you? Fix your habits first!

Bad Acne? There Are Many Things You Can Do to Ease It

If you've lost all hope for your bad acne, take a step back and reevaluate. Sometimes, you've been in a situation for so long, that you need to look at it with fresh eyes.

Stop berating yourself for your skin problems, and start working on creating new powerful acne-repelling habits. 

If you are interested in speaking to a skin doctor (dermatologist) in Miami, then book an appointment with Miami Skin Dr. today!

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