HOME ACNE SKIN CARE

Home acne skin care means following some simple steps to encourage the healing of your skin.  Such as the following.  Hot water is very drying. Water in general is drying. Water will not clean your pores.  Dirt does not fill your pores. Pores become clogged because of an increased production of sebum from your sebaceous glands in the dermis of your skin. In the shower try tilting your head back when washing your hair (like at the hairdressers) to avoid as much water as possible from running down your face, and you will find that your skin is less irritated, dry, and sensitive. Acne skin care at home should be gentle and nonabrasive.  Of course, enjoy your life and go swimming, etc. but it is easy to avoid excessive water on your face in the shower at as part of your home acne skin care.

Problem skin is sensitive and vulnerable. Friction from rubbing with your hands, brushes, scrubs, etc. causes major problems. It signals to the brain through the neural system that you are hurting your skin. The brain will respond by trying to protect your skin by increasing sebum production (increased clogging), and it will increase callous build up over your pores trapping sebum inside the pores. Please be gentle – it will pay off in a very big way.

It is natural to think that creams should be rubbed in, in order to moisturize properly. But, guess what, it is not necessary at all. We need creams to be on the surface to protect the skin from drying out. Your own powerful healing process will protect the natural water content of your skin. If you rub in cream you will actually create more clogging and thicker layers of skin from the friction. Think of your callouses on your feet from going bare foot – for your face it is Not a good Idea.

I recommend Calmoseptine to my clients for treating their infections. It is a diaper rash cream that has been around for over 70 years. A client of mine, who is a surgical nurse, recommended it to me as a solution for acne pustules.  It works great. Only use a tiny amount on each infection – not because it would hurt you, but because it is pink and it will show. I recommend to clients to use the end of a hair pin to apply and then pat and wipe off the excess until a light layer is left. After it has dried then you can cover with a small amount of concealor using a brush.

By avoiding touching your face with your hands, your phone, your hair, your earrings, scarves, bike helmets, hats, ear bud cords, anything and everything, you will make huge strides towards reducing the size of your pores and minimizing future infections. It is not because of the “dirt” on these items, but because their constant friction signals to the brain through the nerve endings in your skin to protect against the friction. If you have ever experienced constant bumps in the same areas repeatedly, you can bet that they are caused from rubbing and friction.

Home acne skin care can be very confusing especially when it comes to products. Most over the counter acne products are treating the symptoms of acne with common ingredients of exfoliation and burning. My experience has taught me that it is not necessary to aggressively treat the skin. In fact, over time by reducing drying and burning, your skin will start to change. Treat each infection separately and gently with the diaper rash cream. Incorporate the other changes I mention here, and you will see your skin start to function and heal differently.

Please do not try to do this at home.  Seek out a professional.  Explain how sensitive your skin is, and ask them if they would perform the facial without using exfoliants, scrubs or steam. None of those things will help sensitive acne skin. Having your pores extracted regularly is very important. Over time, if done properly, it will shrink the size of your pores. Due to the sensitivity of your skin, you may see some breakout after the facial, but they should heal well if you continue to practice gentle methods at home.

It is completely understandable that when your skin is upset, you want to cover and hide the imperfections.  In my experience though, applying makeup can be extremely irritating to the pores. Try just hiding the spots with concealor using a good spot concealor brush.  Tinted creams are far less irritating and can be applied very gently with brushes. Feather on your makeup without rubbing it into your skin. You will get more coverage, and it will be much easier to remove.

Redness is the sign of the skin being very dry.  The capillaries in your skin are expanding in an effort to heal. As you remove all the drying, friction, and sources of irritation, you will see the skin get less red and definitely less sensitive. Just avoiding hot water has a huge impact on how red your skin will look. Think of the cactus in the desert – the plant has a thick layer of “skin”. The fern in the forest on the other hand, is delicate. Your skin is your second most complicated organ next to your brain. It will respond differently to your touch and products. If you are gentle it will be different.