Acne and it’s effects.

Hi Van, Acne is such a blow to your self esteem, my grandson had terrible acne but, he got it under control...it took awhile, so be patient and you may have to try a few different things...he too has anxiety & depression, part of the problem was he was so depressed he couldn't do self care & then it made his anxiety worse...If you have acne, not caused by another health issue or medication, you should be safe trying basic acne treatments but, you may still need your DR to prescribe, stronger acne cures...My grandson used Minocycline orally for awhile, as his was infected and it took a few months to clear up, you can get OTC or RX of topical antibiotic ointment from your DR...Proactive is a great product it is what actually worked the best, it totally cleared him up but, its expensive and you need it for a few months at least, there are things you can try on your own, that can work similarly....if you can can get a soft face cleaning brush(one that spins is the best, or use your brush in small circles, to exfoiliate(get rid of dead skin cells that clog pores) and to clean pores well, it smooths out the skin when used regularly and prevents new acne from starting(2-3 times a day, slowly at first, less once clear)use an acne soap/wash or just regular soap(no deodorant, scents or moisturizers)start out easy, if they are really bad, you don't want them bleeding, you can use a clean cloth or clean hands at first, rinse well, pat dry....commonly its not just pores but oil glands that get plugged, so you need to dry them up by using something like benzoyl peroxide(there are others but, this is what we used) in a cream, if you can, use it like the pkg says, or get something stronger with antibiotic from your DR...if not, use it every night, treat them all(do not rub it over all your skin just the acne bumps themselves)...Squeezing(its tempting but you will cause bruising, broken blood vessels and you need good circulation for meds to work) and especially picking can cause scarring, if you can remove black heads, it unblocks the pore, allowing pus out & meds in, ONLY if they are easy to remove & use a pin to grab JUST the blackhead, NO SKIN, using tools can cause scarring but, the medication will also go through the skin and dry it up...this can take awhile but, be patient & others here may have had success in other ways...the important thing is to do it everyday, often...if you forget, all is not lost pickup where you left off, if this isn't helping after a few weeks and you are doing regular routine cleaning this way, you should see your DR(you can ask them about this routine first) or it might be time for a Dermatologist, they specialize in skin problems!! Good Luck, I really hope this helps...BEST WISHES💒☮♾🎶🐾🍀🌈