Acne and hygiene - the 7 steps that will help lessen your acne outbreaks

One of the basic concepts that most acne sufferers needs to know and accept, is that dirt does not cause acne. Sure, keeping your face clean will help in keeping the acne outbreaks happen less often, and many times less severe, but acne outbreaks will not happen because your face gets dirty.

However, if you are generally prone to acne, facial cleansing is of particular importance to prevent acne outbreaks, and while you are suffering from an acne outbreak, the cleansing process needs to be done in a particular fashion:

1. You need to wash your hands thoroughly before continuing. This should not come as a surprise. Your hands are about to come in contact with your face. The first thing you need to do is scrub your hands and be sure that your nails are clean as well, since various bacteria is always present on the hands and under the nails.

2. Next, you need to secure your hair either in a hairnet, a shower cap or a headband. Pull your hair away from your face and firmly secure it.

3. Use warm (not hot) water to wet your face and apply the soap or facial cleansing product as directed on the packaging. Never use more or less of the product than is recommended.

4. Gently massage the cleanser into your face using your fingertips, not a washcloth. Use a circular motion and be sure that you go all the way to the hairline. Pay particular attention to the areas of your face where you most often see pimples. Hard scrubbing is not recommended as it is often counterproductive besides causing redness and irritation on the skin. Try to be very gentle.

5. Rinse your face thoroughly by splashing it with warm water. Never take a shortcut with that, and rinse your face until all traces of the cleanser are gone.

6. Gently pat your face dry with a clean towel. Never use the same towel twice unless you wash it, and don’t rub your face with it.

7. Before you apply any moisturizers or acne medications, you should allow your face to air dry for at least 15 minutes.

Following these 7 steps your acne outbreaks will happen less frequently, and when they do happen, they will be less severe.

Read more on popular myths surrounding acne, find out about the real causes, and learn about the cures that work: Causes, Cures and Myths …