You have three things you can do to prevent and treat acne. They are opening the pores, killing the bacteria and reducing the oil. There is no right time to start treating acne. The best thing to do is prevent inflammations. The first things that everyone wants to do when they see a pimple is pick at it or squeeze it. This could cause the bump to remain longer and turn bright red. It could take weeks or months for the redness to disappear. This is however not a scar, it will go away. Scarring usually comes from deeper pimples referred to as cyst.

The first thing to do is open the pores. This can be done with mild cleaners, masques or exfoliating cleaners. Opening the pores can be done with a peeling masque that helps cleanse the face and clean out pores. These masques usually contain salicylic acid. The salicylic acid may dry out the skin and require you to use a non-clogging moisturizer. Another way to keep the skin clean is with a mild soap such as Neutrogena or Dove. Once again applying soap to the face may cause dryness. It is important that you do not clog the pores with heavy moisturizers.

You need to kill the bacterium that is causing or can cause an inflammation. Use an antibacterial cleaner or a tropical application. To kill bacteria you can use a product with benzoyl peroxide. Watch your skin for any allergic reactions such as dry, red skin patches. Some people may experience an allergic reaction to using benzoyl peroxide. A tropical application might work better for those who cannot use the antibacterial cleaners. You will find the tropical applications in a lotion, cream or gel form. The tropical applications do have benzoyl peroxide, but it is nor as harsh as the cleansers.

Reducing the oil is another important step to preventing and treating acne. You do not want to slow down the oil glands artificially because it could cause you other health problems, so you want to reduce the amount of oil on the skins surface. Use a astringent to remove excess oil. Exfoliating the skin is what will help reduce the amount of oil on the skins surface. Masques that contain sulfur are one way to draw the oil out. In addition, antibacterial pads are a good way to clean the oil from the face. The only problem you might see is dry and blotchy clean from the antibacterial pads.

Keep in mind that keeping the oil at a minimum is critical to treating and preventing acne. There are natural solutions as well as other highly reputable cleansing treatments that will work just as well if not better. You can use something that does not dry out the skin and cause yet another problem for the face. Just because the face skin is dried out from the harsh products you use, does not mean acne will not occur. The best thing to use is something that cleans the oil away and keeps the skin feeling soft.