Don’t Scratch Your Face – You May Be Spreading Your Acne

One of the worst things you can do if you suffer from acne on your face – or anywhere else on your body for that matter is scratch. Yes, those annoying little bumps, zits and pimples may be itching, but scratching will only give you very temporary relief and worsen the situation at the same time.

Let’s take a look at what happens when you give in to your urge and scratch. Your nails will scratch the surface of your skin, exposing the bacteria that cause acne and more importantly, microscopically small pieces of it will get caught on your nail. As you scratch along your face, the bacteria are conveniently spread by your nails and fingertips to other, thus unaffected areas of your face.

Once the bacteria are at their new location, they will quickly settle in a new pore, wait for a little dirt or an old skin cell to combine with the natural oils of your skin to clog the pore and voila – a new acne zit is born. Before long the growing bacteria will cause the pore to swell up and turn red.

To avoid the spreading of bacteria all over your skin, resist the temptation to scratch. This takes a fair amount of self-control, but will be well worth it in the end. You should also implement a few skin care treatment options to keep the itching of your skin at a minimum.

Wash your face twice daily with a mild cleanser. Avoid alcohol-based cleansers since they tend to dry out your skin making it feel even itchier. Follow any cleansing regiment with a moisturizer, preferably aloe Vera. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to your aloe vera lotion. The tea tree oil is an astringent and antiseptic that will help keep the acne bacteria at bay. You can also dab a little tea tree oil, lemon juice, or apple cider vinegar on the affected area to relief the itching.

Don’t Scratch Your Face – You May Be Spreading Your Acne by Melissa B. Rayn