To understand why, we must first look at how chin acne is formed. And the answer is glaringly obvious when you look at someone who suffers from this condition. They habitually touch their chins constantly! By picking at the acne spots with their dirty hands, they are spreading the infection around, making the cycle difficult to break!

Very often, this is done so unconsciously that it will take a while to break this habit. But break this habit we must, or the situation is unlikely to improve. First step is recognising that you are doing this all the time. Then consciously stopping yourself everytime you touch your face. The next step is to stop yourself before you touch your face.

Whilst the behaviour modification program is proceeding, good acne type skincare and antibacterial therapy is useful to keep the chin acne under control. Benzoyl peroxide is useful to dry up the spots more quickly too. If there are no juicy spots, there is less temptation to touch your face.

Just remember… DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE!!! That simple trick alone can help you to cure your chin acne problems!

Most would try to avoid painful extractions wherever possible. But how else can one get rid of unsightly comedones and blackheads? Especially when they are studded all over the face? How can one effectively clear congested pores?

One way Professionals use to remove such blemishes is with microdermabrasion. This physically abrades the skin off, allowing the blackheads and whiteheads to be scraped out more easily. An alternative that you can use at home is the Clariosonic PRO Deluxe Professional Skin Care System. This uses sonic micro-massage through a brush to deeply clear out the pores, removing embedded dirt and oil. The resultant skin is radiant, healthy and youthful.

This product is one of the best things I’ve ever bought for myself… It does exactly what it says: cleans your skin better than you ever thought you could, mildly exfoliates, and just makes your skin look fabulous. I can also tell it is softening my fine lines on my forehead (which are just starting). Once you use a clarisonic, you’ll never go back to washing your face the regular way. I really like the Pro better than the one my friend bought awhile ago, b/c I changed it to a two minute timer b/c I have very oily skin, and I also like to be able to customize the speed (high after the gym, normal on a regular day). A FANTASTIC buy… a must for anyone who is looking for a boost to their facial skin. Plus, if you buy the spot attachment, you can use it on rough places like your upper chest, elbows, and knees (it has a special speed built in for body areas).

Deep cleansing acne prone skin is a useful step in obtaining clear pores and reduced breakouts.

Is this a fact or myth?

As with all old wives tales, many people with acne will avoid consuming chocolates just in case it’s true.

However, there is little scientific evidence that acne or any other type of food causes acne. The caveat is if the individual has a specific food intolerance to chocolate (or other food) and that manifests itself as acne. Sometimes, such reactions are almost immediate, but often they are delayed by hours or days, so the causative relationship is less obvious.

Sodo  enjoy the benefits of chocolate in moderation. And if you are concerned, just be more aware over the next few days. If you are one of the unlucky few, you’ll notice the chocolate triggering an acne breakout each time. Then it is worth avoiding chocolate. To be absolutely sure, some food intolerance tests such as the ALCAT test are available.

Regardless of when the acne appears or how bad it is, even if  it is just one big zit, the afflicted start searching for cures for acne.

The first stop is often the pharmacy, where a mind boggling array of acne products are on display. Without proper guidance, choosing the best acne products can be a minefield. Price, packaging and pseudo-science often push us into our final decisions.

But is an off the shelf acne product necessarily cure acne?

For mild cases, it can often help. Acne prone skin is pretty sensitive, despite the general oiliness. The wrong products can worsen things. Using a product that is too drying may reduce oiliness on the outside, but this can trigger the skin to produce more oil which is then trapped inside, making the congestion and breakouts worse.

A good acne face wash is the same pH as skin. Your skin feels clean after use, but not squeaky clean, and most certainly not tight. A mild astringent toner then helps to reduce the oiliness, plus prepares it for the subsequent acne creams.

Acne creams often contain salicyclic acid, glycolic acid, benzoyl peroxide and some form of Vitamin A. These help to reduce congestion, dry up the pimples and reduce acne formation. Most people use these creams to keep acne under control, but may also require a form of spot treatment for the odd pimple that does still pop up. Spot treatment creams and hand held devices such as Zeno or phototherapy devices such as Omnilux Clear-U or Blue-MD will clear up the skin more quickly.

Although ladies can have hormonal therapy to counteract this bi-monthly acne breakouts, men do not have this option. For them, good skin care and acne light therapy is the best option. Antibiotics and chemical peels may also be useful, just to complete the therapy.

Ladies have a few options at their disposal:

1. Contraceptive pills, especially those high in progestrogens help to even out the hormonal imbalance, eg Yasmin
2. Progesterone cream helps in a similar way
3. Spironolactone, a mild diuretic (water tablet) has anti-androgen effects

All are good options for ladies, with the choice ultimately depending on whether are comfortable with or need contraception. The creams are convenient, but some ladies are extremely sensitive to them and bloat up with water retention. Spirolonolactone is a relatively easy tablet to take in that it just causes a bit of diuresis for a few hours after, so you’ll need to drink a bit more to compensate. Sometimes, high doses may be required to cure hormonal acne. Pregnancy should be avoided when on Spironolactone.

Although these hormonal treatments do require a visit to the doctor, they are very effective and should get your acne breakouts under control quickly. You will have to stay with the prescribed medicines for a few months, but often times, hormonal acne can balance itself out after a while, then normal skincare should suffice.