A lot of people still consider acne outbreaks a hygiene issue. Despite stepping up their cleansing routine and frequent change of cleanser, their acne still persists! Little did they realize that excessive and too vigorous washing can sometimes make acne worse!

Acne Marks- cleared with subsequent skin & laser treatments

In a straightforward case, washing one’s face with a gentle cleanser and water 2-3 times a day will suffice. The main use of facial cleansing is to remove dirt, sweat, grimes, cosmetic and dead skin cells and it has very little impact on the control of the acne.

Many of the acne patients like to pick and squeeze their acne because a successful pop is always very satisfying! If you’ve given into the temptation before, you know the ugly aftermath: a red or brown mark that stuck around for months as a result of skin trauma.

Not that squeezing or extracting acne is absolutely bad, but one should only limit to blackheads! The hands should always be clean and the squeeze clinical and precise! Inappropriately squeezing the inflammatory lesions is likely to cause worsening inflammation, expansion of the lesion, and leads to even worse scarring!

Many patients were also talked into believing that acne is due to the accumulation of toxins and that they need detoxification treatment. Amazingly, some even believe that when their acne gets worse while on detox treatment is good as the treatment purges out the toxin from their face!

Many other myths about acne care are widely accepted and practiced and unfortunately, they contribute to the delay in seeking proper treatment. Sadly, this leads to acne scarring. Hence, early consultation and treatment by a skin specialist are all the more important if one is to minimize acne scarring during their youthful and acne phase of their life!