Back to school: tips for getting rid of acne and clearing your complexion

As summer winds down and you’re starting to get ready for the new school year, the last thing you want to see on your face is an acne flare-up. Stress, hormones, and other factors can all contribute to a breakout at the worst times, but that doesn’t mean you have to live with it! At Skin & Vein Institute in Encinitas, California, Dr. Amanda Lloyd offers tips for getting rid of acne with a few simple steps.

Key steps for clearing your skin

• Avoid picking at your skin: This is perhaps the simplest but most important tip. When you have a pimple on your face, it will naturally clear itself much faster if you just leave it alone than if you pick at it, which usually leads to the formation of a scab and potentially scarring. Many patients don’t believe this is true, so we encourage you to do a little experiment: the next time you have two acne spots on your face, if you pick at one, leave the other alone. Chances are, the one you left alone will look better and heal faster! This is because picking at pimples can cause damage to the surrounding skin and can also cause the contents of the lesion to rupture inward, leading to more inflammation and delaying healing. 

• Wash your face every day: Washing your face before going to bed is crucial in helping fight acne and preventing new lesions from forming. Sweat, makeup, and other debris from your day all provide a breeding ground for acne-causing bacteria on the skin. Dr. Lloyd recommends using a gentle cleanser that will clean your face without stripping it of all of its oils.
• Talk to a skin expert: There are many different acne treatment options at your local grocery store and even “natural” solutions that you can find on the internet, like using coconut oil to clear up acne. Unfortunately, these often don’t work and can actually lead to an even breakout! Dr. Lloyd is an expert in helping patients clear up their skin with treatment options that really work based on their unique skin type and needs.

Stop worrying about your complexion and take advantage of proven treatment options by calling Dr. Lloyd at Skin & Vein Institute today at (760) 452-2080 or email us at [email protected] !