Health & Fitness 

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A: Acne is a disease of the hair follicles and is most often found on the face, chest and/or back. It tends to affect most males and females during their adolescent years. 

Contrary to popular belief, acne does not indicate poor hygiene although proper hygiene can help control it.

Certain lifestyle choices are important for maintaining healthy skin, such as ensuring eight hours of sleep per night, and eating three healthy meals and drinking eight glasses of water each day. 

Also helpful are keeping your hair out of your face, wearing looser clothing, and avoiding hats (if your hairline is a problem area), as well as avoiding touching your face with your hands when possible.

Try to avoid the temptation of picking or popping your pimples as this may make them stay redder and bumpier longer and possibly lead to permanent scars.

Treatment is based on unclogging the pores, killing bacteria on the skin and minimizing the oil on the skin. That sounds easy but despite what many companies may claim, there is no magic product that will work for everyone.

To begin, it is important to clean the skin by using a mild cleanser such as Cetaphil, Dove or Neutrogena. A scrub or mask may be used (often they contain salicylic acid) to act as a peeling agent which removes the outer layer of skin thereby opening the pores.

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Monday, May 30, 2011