Do you suffer from acne? Is acne depriving you of your confidence?Acne can cause tremendous physical and emotional pain. It makes us look ugly!

I desperately tried various over the counter acne products and dermatologist prescribed acne cure treatments with limited success. Why? Because these topical creams & antibiotic treatments do not treat the ROOT cause of Acne problem! As a result, ugly acne kept coming back.

I have discovered that to effectively treat acne, you have to treat the root of the problem. Acne is not only a skin problem, but an internal problem as well.

So now, I will share with you 3 acne killer secrets that I have learned that have given me clear, healthy, and radiant skin.

The Causes of Acne

Your acne is caused when pores in your skin get clogged by dead skin cells and excessive sebum content. Sebum is an oily substance produced by the sebaceous gland.

The clogged pore is the perfect environment for the acne bacteria. This bacteria in the plugged follicle leads to inflammation of the skin. This leads to pimples or acnes. Acne can be either mild, moderate or severe. For severe cases of acne, you should go visit a doctor.

Thus, the contributors of acne are clogging of the pores by oil and dead skin cells and the presence of bacteria. To effectively fight acne, one must address it from both the outside of the body and inside of the body.

Acne Killer Secret #1 – Preventing acne by taking care of your skin

The basic things you can do to prevent acne is to follow basic hygiene and skin care regimen. Your basic skin care regimen should include cleansing of the skin, applying an alcohol-free toner, and finish with a moisturizer + sunscreen. Toning your skin restores skin pH back to it’s normal range and it closes the pores to your skin to prevent dust and the air borne particles from settling in your pores.

You should clean your skin with a gentle cleanser at least twice a day to remove your skin from oil, dead skin cells, dry skin – substances that can clog the pores. It is imperative for the pores of your skin to remain bacteria free. The presence of bacteria is something which contributes substantially to the growth of pimples. If you have overall cleanliness of the skin, you can lessen the chance of pimples.

Look for cleansing products that contain salicylic acid. Salicylic Acid is a naturally occurring organic acid and a gentle, effective exfoliator. It is very effective for acne and oily skin and helps to unclog pores by removing dead skin cells, loosen and remove blackheads and whiteheads, and prevent future outbreaks. Products should contain 1-2% concentration of salicylic acid in order for it to be effective. For sensitive skin types, a 1% concentration would be suitable and for stubborn acne, 2% concentration is recommended.

Note that Salicylic Acid also makes skin sensitive to the sun. Sunscreen should therefore be used while applying Salicylic Acid. Sunscreen also guard your skin from harmful rays of the sun and helps slow down aging of the skin. If you have oily skin, you should use an oil-free sunscreen product.

Acne Killer Secret #2- Fighting Acne from the inside

The main cause of acne is the concentration of toxins inside the body. The body expels toxins through excretion, sweating, or through the skin. If the body is not efficient in expelling the toxins through excretion or through sweating, some of the toxins go out through the skin. This causes inflammation of the skin and increases the bacteria level on the surface of the skin, leading to acne problem.

To effectively fight acne and achieve radiant, youthful, and healthy skin, one must take good care of the body by practicing the following healthy habits:

(1)Reduce Stress – Stress causes the body’s level of cortisol (stress hormone) to go up. This leads to increase of your blood sugar and produces more oil on the skin, which can lead to skin aging and acne prone skin. Stress can be controlled by getting adequate sleep and rest and doing meditation and practicing deep breathing. Deep breathing also helps to remove the toxins in the body.

(2)Get on an exercise program – Exercise reduces stress and helps improve blood circulation to the skin, making the skin more healthy and radiant. Also, the sweating from exercise also removes the toxins in the body.

(3)Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables each day – colorful fruits and vegetables, garlic, and onions are essential for clear, healthy skin. The more colors, the more they contain antioxidants and vitamins that help to nourish the skin. Carrots, tomatoes, romaine lettuces, spinachs, cantaloupes, berries, beets, cabbages, broccolis, and kales are excellent sources.

“Water intake also plays a big role in keeping your skin healthy and beautiful. It helps to keep the skin hydrated and get rids of toxins in the body. It is recommended to take at least 8-10 glasses of water a day.

(4)Consume these healthy fats – Omega-3 fatty acids and Omega-6 fatty acids are essential fats that the body cannot produce. They must be consumed through diet. These essential fats are responsible for reducing skin inflammation and improving blood circulation, giving you a clear, glowing skin and helping you to prevent premature aging. Food that are rich in these healthy fats include salmon, sardines, mackerels, nuts (walnuts, almonds), seeds (pumpkins, sunflower), and flaxseed and olive oil., especially wild salmon. You can also take fish oil supplements.

Acne Killer Secrets #3 – Use an acne treatment system that fights acne from inside and outside the body

By following the above steps, it goes a long way in preventing and controlling your acne problems. However, for some of us unfortunate acne victims, our acne problems are more serious. Therefore, tougher measures must be taken. In addition to following the above recommendations, it is recommended to use an acne curing system that fights acne bacteria both from inside the body as well as outside the body. Most over the counter acne products in the market such as Clearsil, Oxy-10, ProActiv only address acne problems at the skin level and that is not enough to effectively fight acne.

Acne is not just acne.  There are several types of acne, each requiring a different type of treatment for it to be effective.  It is important that yours is correctly diagnosed. Some are mild forms, that are easily treated, but the more severe forms can be difficult to clear up and can also be disfiguring to your skin.

Acne Vulgaris

The most common type of acne is known as acne vulgaris (meaning common acne), which is characterized by whiteheads, blackheads, nodules, cysts, papules and pustules. This type of acne is normally mild but can turn severe in an adult.

Whiteheads develop as the result of the blocking of a pore in your skin.  Sebum (oil), dead skin cells and bacteria, which would normally be expelled through the pore, build up and form that white appearance. Whiteheads often dry up and disappear by themselves, while blackheads tend to be more persistent. With a blackhead the pore is only partially blocked, and therefore partially drains. Hence, it tends not to burst and and lasts for a longer period of  time.  The black spot is not caused by dirt but by a reaction with the melanin pigment in the skin.

A pustule is more painful and inflamed than a whitehead, and is commonly called a zit. A papule has no white or black head, but takes the form of an inflamed lump on your skin and under no circumstances should it be squeezed.  This can cause scarring.

Nodules and cysts are associated with severe forms of acne vulgaris, and require professional medical treatment. Squeezing these will almost certainly cause scarring and possible infection. Nodules are large painful hard lumps under the skin, and cysts are similar but filled with pus. A cyst can be about a quarter inch in diameter and cause extensive scarring if it bursts.  Medical treatment can help to reduce the inflammation.

Although it is sensible to keep your skin clean, don’t overdo it because if you wash off the protective skin oils, you can cause even more serious problems. Oil free cosmetics should also be used.  Acne vulgaris can be treated using antibiotics and a range of skin creams designed for the condition.  Laser treatment can be used on more severe cases.

Acne Rosacea

Acne rosacea and acne vulgaris frequently look the same and are often confused. However, while vulgaris can affect any part of your body, mainly the face, back and chest, rosacea is predominantly found on the face and forehead. It takes the appearance of a red rash often containing pimples and bumps in the skin. Since treatment is different from acne vulgaris, medical help is needed to identify the type of acne you have.

Other Types

These are the two most common types of acne.  There are other types, which are rare, but and  require medical treatment if you contract them. Acne Congloba is a severe type of acne vulgaris, occurring mainly in adult males, and consists of many interconnected lesions.  It is also characterized with a large number of blackheads, on the face, chest, upper arms, thighs and buttocks and is treated with isotretinoin.  Treatment is not always immediately successful, but does tend to have an effect over time.

Acne Fulminans is a type of acne conglobata that occurs very rapidly in young men, and it commonly causes severe scarring. Symptoms include aching joints and a fever.   Pyoderma Faciale normally affects only the faces of adult females, and forms large nodules and pustules that can cause scarring. With proper care and treatment however, it generally disappears within a year.

Finally, Gram-Negative Folliculitis is a form of acne caused by bacteria, and is very rare.  It is believed to occur after long term treatment of acne vulgaris, and its cause is generally unknown. Antibiotics are effective with this type of acne.

There are several types of acne, and it is important that you not only recognize it for what it is, but that you seek medical advice. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between them, especially at onset. The quicker the treatment begins, the less severe the scarring is likely to be.