Millions of teenagers suffer from acne each year. Acne can be an embarrassing condition and always manages to pop up when least expected and most unwanted. By creating a regimented skin care system you will be able to help prevent acne breakouts from forming and taking over your life. Here is a guide to improve your skin and decrease the severity of your acne breakouts.

Your best bet for fighting acne breakouts is not to focus on the pimples that have already erupted on your skin. The best way to fight acne is to prevent it from erupting in the first place. This is the best way to minimize any acne scarring.

Your first step in a regimented skin care system is to exfoliate while cleansing. This step should be performed both morning and evening. If your cleanser does not already contain exfoliating beads you will want to use a wash cloth while cleansing to exfoliate the skin. Acne can be caused by excess skin cells clogging the pores. By properly exfoliating you help to keep your pores open and remove acne causing bacteria.

After exfoliating, your second step will be to use a 2% salicylic acid treatment. You can easily find these treatments at any drug store. Apply this treatment twice a day which will not only help to remove excess skin cells, but it will also help to keep acne causing bacteria away from your skin.

While on this acne treatment it is important to moisturize because excessive drying may occur. However, it is important not to use an oil based moisturizer which will clog your pores. Today, there are moisturizers on the market that are designed to moisturize your skin and help fight acne at the same time. This is a good choice for a facial lotion.

The third step in creating an acne fighting skin care regimen is to apply sunscreen. You should look for an oil free sunscreen that will not clog the pores. While most people know that the sun can cause wrinkles and skin cancer, you may not realize that the sun actually causes acne breakouts. That is why it is so important to protect your skin from the sun whenever you are outdoors, even if it appears to be cloudy.

If you have given this skin care system an honest try for a couple weeks and there are still stubborn acne breakouts that will not go away, it is time to visit a dermatologist. Prescription medications are harsher than over the counter treatments and therefore more effective, but they may also have more side effects. Two good prescription treatments are Accutane and Retin-A. Both of these treatments will make your skin even more sensitive to the sun, so it is important to protect yourself with sunscreen (at least SPF 30), a hat and sunglasses.

This acne fighting skin care system will only work if it is used religiously. That means morning and night everyday, whether or not acne is present. This system not only works to fight breakouts that have already erupted, but it also works to prevent acne from forming so you never have to worry about a pesky zit again.