Have you been indulging a little too much in the chocolate? Could this be the culprit for that alarming reflection your mirror cast your way this morning? Don’t worry, despite what your grandmother may have said, chocolate and too much or too little sex are not to blame for your recent acne outbreak.

Unfortunately for many people, acne trouble can follow us throughout our lives, even into your sixties and beyond. Here are a few things you can do to help stop these unsightly blemishes in their tracks.

Before we dish out the good news, let’s first take a quick look at what “Acne” really is. The term “Acne” stands for a variety of skin conditions which stems from clogged pores such as blackheads, whiteheads and pimples. When our pores become clogged, our skin can then develop non-inflamed and inflamed lesions.

While a huge lesion on the end of your nose, on your chin or right on the center of your forehead can seem like the end of the world, this is actually a very mild outbreak and can be easily treated. Acne is categorized in four levels with a few blemishes while a level four outbreak consists of numerous blemishes which may appear red or purple and severely inflamed.

If you suffer from level four outbreaks, we suggest you visit with your dermatologist to discuss a treatment which may be right for you. Meanwhile for those milder outbreaks and as prevention against the more severe outbreaks, here are a few things you can do, or not do, to help stop or reduce the acne outbreaks.

Try A Different Makeup

Oil based makeup is the leading cause of acne outbreaks for adult women. If you are prone to acne, try a makeup which is not oil based. If outbreaks are rare, keep some non oil based makeup on hand and temporarily switch at the first sign of trouble if you just can’t live without your oil based makeups.

A quick test you can do yourself to help determine how much oil is actually in your makeup is to rub a thick streak on a sheet of 25% cotton bond typing paper. Check after 24 hours and you will see how far the oil has spread from the streak. The larger the streak, the more oil your makeup contains.

Know What’s In It

Some ingredients are just too much for your skin. Check your cosmetics labels and avoid skin unfriendly things like sodium lauryl sulfate, laureth-4, lanolins, isopropyl myristate and D & C red dyes. Your face will thank you and your mirror will reward you for making the effort.

Take It All Of

Using a mild soap, wash your makeup off completely each night. Be sure and rinse several times to get all the soap off as well.

Go Au’Natural

The less makeup you use, the better of you will be in regards to possible clogged pores and acne outbreaks.

Resist The Urge

As bad as you may want to squeeze that whitehead, it’s best to just leave it alone. it will go away in it’s own time, usually in one to four weeks. As bad as you may want it to be true, there is nothing you can do to make one go away quicker. Giving in to the urge and squeezing can actually cause a pimple to form when the contents leak into your skin. Whiteheads are non-inflamed clogged pores but once squeezed, it is natural for a pimple to form.

OK, Go Ahead And Squeeze

If you have a normal pimple, the kind where a little yellow pus head forms on top, you can give in to the urge and gently squeeze to release the contents. And yes, contrary to what happens with whiteheads, a normal pimple will actually heal quicker once the contents are released.

So, Squeeze Some More

A blackhead is a very clogged pore unlike the whitehead which is moderately blocked and with softer contents. Even though dermatologists aren’t exactly certain what the black part of a blackhead is, it is certain that clearing the content will not result in a pimple forming in it’s place.

Something’s Fishy Here

If you’ve suffered a recent acne outbreak, stop for a moment and think whether or not you may have eaten any seafood or other products that contain iodine. Some doctors believe iodine may directly affect some people by entering your body and mixing in your bloodstream with the excess amounts being excreted through your oil glands which in turn can lead to pore irritation and an acne outbreak. Generally, one meal may not have such an impact but rather a long term build up just may.

It’s More Than A Little Fishy

Iodides exist in other foods and beverages as well as fish. Here’s a list food products and the amount of Iodides they contain ppm (parts per million). You may be a little surprised. If you injest quite a bit of the higher sources of Iodides, you may want to try cutting back for a while and see if it helps.

Cheddar Cheese Spread 27ppm
Butter 26ppm
Homogenized Milk 11ppm
Beef Liver 325ppm
Turkey 132ppm
Chicken 67ppm
Hamburger 44ppm
Tortilla Chips 80ppm
Potato Chips 40ppm
Salt 54ppm
Kelp 1,020ppm
Squid 39ppm
Crab 33ppm
Clams 20ppm
Shrimp 17ppm
Lobster 9ppm
Oysters 8ppm
Asparagus 169ppm
Broccoli 90ppm
Onions 82ppm
Corn 45ppm
Brussel Sprouts 23ppm

Don’t Let Acne Crash Your Party

If you have an important meeting or big night out planned, acne doesn’t have to ruin your day, just steal a trick from the Hollywood Celebrities and their makeup artists and simply cover it up. To completely block out the discoloration, find a foundation with a high pigment level. A pigment level around 50% to 70% is what the makeup artists to the stars recommend. Normally, pigment levels in most foundations run around 15% to 18%.

Since, it’s hard to tell the pigment level by just looking at it, ask the person at the cosmetics counter, a knowledgeable cosmetics salesperson should be able to help. As a last resort you can take a bit and rub it on your skin. If it’s solid enough that you can’t see your skin through it, it should work well in covering your blemish for the evening. Just don’t forget to wash as mentioned above at the end of the day.

When Acne Gets Tough, Get Tougher

ClearSkin Acne Gel and Clearskin Skin Wash are proven, effective 100% natural remedies for acne control and prevention. These remedies can treat existing acne skin eruptions, prevent future breakouts, improve skin appearance, reduce scarring and cleanse the skin without drying or flaking for clean and healthy skin providing a complete treatment solution for even the most stubborn acne conditions.