You cannot cure acne but you can have clear skin if you know what you are doing. There are a few key concepts that you need to know to get your skin clear and get rid of acne.

1. You need to use the right acne products for your type of acne. A product that is good for inflamed acne (pimples, pustules and cysts) will not be good for noninflamed acne (blackheads and whiteheads)
   
   
2. You need these products to be strong enough for your type of skin. If they are not, your skin will not change much. If they are too strong, you will irritate and dehydrate your skin; and you will still break out.
   
   
3. You need to use these products in the right way. It takes strong products to get acne under control, but if you use too much too soon, you will irritate and dehydrate your skin. You must start slowly with strong products. 
   
   
4. You need to account for skin adaptation. What does this mean? This means you cannot allow your skin to get too “used” to products. If you do, then your skin will stop responding and not get clear. It takes adjusting your skin care regimen routinely.

Does this all sound like tricky business? Yes, no doubt that it is.

These are the main reasons you need an acne expert to guide you in the process of getting your skin clear. We know what it takes to get and keep your skin clear and we know how to get rid of acne once and for all!

Content provided courtesy of Face Reality Acne Clinic

This first picture is of a normal healthy pore.

As the dead skin cells begin to accumulate inside the pore, the cells become sticky and get stuck inside the pore and form a plug. Medically, this is called a "microcomedone" — essentially the precursor to all acne. As you can see in this picture, there are more dead skin cells shedding inside the pore.

Hormonal fluctuations trigger more oil production inside the pore. Normally, this isn't a problem because the dead skin cells don't get trapped. But with acne prone-skin, when the dead skin cells shed more quickly and form a blockage, the perfect environment for the P. Acnes bacteria is created. The oil is a nutrient for the bacteria, so the bacteria proliferates. So you see, bacteria is not the “cause” of acne, it is the effect of too many dead skin cells. This is an important distinction to remember.

But, some people don't get inflamed lesions -- inflammation is also an inherited tendency. If the dead skin cells and the oil that form the plug don't become inflamed, the plug becomes a whitehead; that is, a non-inflamed lesion under the skin, also called a "closed comedone".

Conclusion: So you see, acne is primarily an inherited dead skin cell problem. Most acne, no matter what form it takes, starts with microcomedones. This means the solution lies in products that penetrate the pore and prevent dead skin cells from building up. That's why your home care routine is so crucial — it's all about preventing the microcomedones (the beginning of acne) from forming at all.

Content provided courtesy of Face Reality Acne Clinic