Eating healthier will contribute to better health in general. Your skin, which is the largest organ of your body, is one of the ways that your body rids itself of toxins. Less toxins in your body means less toxins coming out through your pores which means less acne and clearer skin! By eating healthier you are providing your body with the best foundation possible for producing clear skin.  To make up for any deficiencies that you may not be receiving in your diet, you will want to also want to take a multivitamin.

Taking a multivitamin daily is important to ensuring your body is getting all of the essential nutrients it needs to build up a strong immune system. When your immune system is strong your body has a better chance at fighting, from the inside, the bacteria that causes acne and breakouts. Your body needs complete nutrition to promote healthy skin and to prevent acne. There are a number of vitamins and minerals that are powerful antioxidants capable of flushing out free radicals and toxins from your body. Some even have antibacterial effects and definitely promote immunity, both of which are important in keeping your pores clean of clogging toxins and in healing the damaged skin tissue. So, if you are not already doing so, consider taking a multivitamin to achieve acne free skin. Now that we’ve looked at some of the steps you can take from within, let’s talk about a simple step you can take on the outside of your skin.

On the outside, the number one step that is very important to always follow is to be conscious of what touches your skin. You don’t want dirty surfaces touching your face and adding bacteria to your pores. Be aware of touching your face. Constantly touching your face, if you have acne already, only makes the problem worse and if you don’t have acne, it can cause blemishes to pop out. Touching your face deposits oil from your hands onto your face and this oil can clog pores, resulting in blemishes. Also, be attentive of what touches your face, like telephones and dirty make-up brushes. By being conscious of what touches your face you will be aiding your body in the fight against acne.

Now that you’re armed with these steps take a look at your diet and make sure you’re only putting healthy foods into your body. To make up for any missing vitamins that you may not be receiving in your diet, think about adding a multivitamin to your daily routine. And to help combat acne from the outside always be aware of what touches your skin so that you can prevent bacteria from getting into your pores. By following these simple steps you will be on your way to clearer acne free skin.

The American Academy of Dermatology states that acne vulgaris, or simply called acne, is the most common skin disorder in the United States.

Acne, at its most basic, starts when the oil and dead skin cells clog up the hair follicles or pores in your skin.  Sometimes germs also get trapped in the pores and the result is redness and swelling (inflammation).  These clogged pores can become blackheads, blemishes, whiteheads, pimples, the slang word zits, or in its most severe form cystic acne.

Acne can appear just about anywhere on the body but most of the time you will find acne on the face, neck, back, shoulders and chest and even the inside of ears and nose.  Because there are no hair follicles or pores on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet, acne will not appear on these areas.

As to severity, acne can range from a mild case which is just a few blackheads, pimples or a small number of red spots to a severe case which includes hundreds of pimples and blackheads covering the face, neck and back.  An even more severe case could include large red bumps deep under a person’s skin that are painful cysts, called cystic lesions.

Acne typically starts in the teenage years for most people.  When we hit puberty hormone changes make the skin oilier.  It is safe to say that most young people will get at least a mild case of acne during their teenage and even preteen years.  But don’t fret, most of the time this mild form of acne starts to clear up and does get better once we become a young adult.

But acne is not just a teenage problem and I can speak from experience.  The American Academy of Dermatology reports that 80 percent of adults between the ages of 20 and 30 suffer from mild to moderate acne. And that over half of all women, regardless of age, suffer from some form of acne. In my life this has been a frustrating problem, especially when I thought I had left those skin problems behind in high school.

Personally, I had very mild instances of acne in my teenage years.  When I hit the age of 26 I was plagued with a moderate onset of adult acne unlike any of the acne I had in my teenage years.

The good news is I was not left a victim to this condition and neither are you.  We’re going to explore the causes of acne and even more importantly the treatments to help us be acne free.