To Get Rid Of Zits, Do You Need To Scrape And Polish?

Do you think that to get rid of zits, you must scrub your skin thoroughly? Do you think it's vital to give your skin a good deep clean, regularly? Surely that will remove the debris that acne bacteria feed on and therefore remove acne? Unfortunately, the situation is not that simple.

Here's a quick question – which came first, the bacteria found in zits or the dirt they thrive on? Okay two questions – the last time you had an outbreak, which did you do, did you throw yourself into a bath full of dirt or did you get some carefully cultured bacteria and make a face pack with it?

Okay, question number two is a little ridiculous. But it's just to try and make the point that it's very easy to focus on how clean your skin is (or isn't), while ignoring vastly more useful questions. Questions that really will help you achieve flawless, beautiful skin.

You see, naturally vibrant, healthy skin is not sparkling clean. A dynamic tiny world flourishes on the surface of your skin. A tiny world of oils, waxes, atmosphere and friendly micro organisms (including bacteria). This thriving environment on your skin helps your skin fight off infection by giving unfriendly bacteria a tough obstacle to get past. This tiny world protects your skin by making your skin extremely repulsive to those unfriendly bacteria.

And here's the thing ... by happy coincidence, this same environment that the unfriendly micro organisms hate so much, happens to be exactly what your skin adores. A bit like a white-sands-stretching-to-infinity-on-private-beach type of gorgeousness for your skin. It conditions your skin, making your skin supple and flexible. It gives your skin that attractive, healthy glow. To a certain extent, it actually cleans your skin, although not in the squeaky-clean way you'd expect.

That's a lot of skin-friendly softness that we take a great deal of care to eradicate by cleaning, scraping and polishing. And then try to restore with yet another swarm of (sometimes quite expensive) skin products. Do you find that remarkable?

So what's to be done? How do you get rid of zits AND keep your skin's natural protection in place?

The answer, of course, is not to remain unwashed.

You do need to removing dirt and sweat from the surface of your skin. And you do need to do so regularly. You just need to do it in a way that enhances your skin's health. Here's how:

1. Use mild, natural soaps to which no colors, fragrance or preservatives have been added.
2. Use the tiniest amount of soap to wash with.
3. Wash with lukewarm water. Not hot, hot, hot.
4. Make sure you rinse every last traces of soap off your skin.
5. Slowly introduce soap-free washes using your palms and fingertips or gentle microfibre cloths.
6. Pat - don't rub – your skin dry

Even with the mildest and most attentive cleaning regime, you will be addressing only a tiny part of the acne picture. Do you want to find out the rest of the picture that will lead to you permanently gorgeous, clear skin? Then please have a look at get rid of zits. Do You Know The Crucial Missing Link? You'll be intrigued by the answers you find there.