I've been fighting the acne battle for three years now, and I've picked up some pretty good knowledge about what's good and what's bad for your skin. My skin is pretty clear now. I still get the occasional breakout, but now I know how to take care of my skin so that it goes away quickly! If you've been suffering with crappy skin, don't worry! Follow these tips and your skin is sure to clear up!

What is acne caused by?
Changing hormones
Naturally oily skin
Sweat
Stress
Poor skin care

Things You Should Know:

- It takes acne treatments weeks to months to begin showing results. You should never give up on something after just one or two weeks. I made the mistake once of trying all kinds of acne products one after another. I kept getting frustrated because nothing worked as fast as I wanted it to, and this only made my skin worse.

- Acne soaps and cleansers that make your skin tingle or burn are NOT good for your skin. The parts of the soap that make your skin tingle were added in to give it that effect so that you think it's really working because you can feel it. However, the things that are added usually irritate your skin and aren't good for you.

- If you have serious acne problems you should definitely go to the dermatologist. Regular acne soaps that you can purchase over the counter probably won't help you very much if you have bad acne. The best thing you could possibly do is go to the dermatologist to prevent your face from scarring and to get professional help.

- Birth control is highly recommended from dermatologists to help with skin problems. Being on birth control doesn't mean you are having sex. There are many reasons girls get on birth control that have absolutely nothing to do with sex, such as skin problems or irregular periods. (I'm on it for both, and it works!)

- The best thing to do for your skin is to buy a gentle facial soap. (I recommend Purpose soap.) Wash your face with it twice a day, and at night apply a spot acne treatment after you wash. This is easier on your skin than using an acne cleanser twice a day.

- Your diet affects your skin a lot. This doesn't mean you can't eat chocolate or have any sugar. However, you should avoid soft drinks, and try to eat right. You should also drink LOTS of water. Water is great for the skin! Exercise also helps. (Just make sure to wash your face after you sweat a lot!)

- Hair (clean or dirty) has lots of oils that get on your face, so try to keep your hair pulled off your face as much as possible. (Bobby pins are every girl's best friend!) Also, wash your hair every night if you have oily hair. If you aren't going to wash it every night, keep it off your face when it starts to get oily.

- Hands carry a lot of oils too, so try not to touch your face a lot. I used to have a habit of putting my hand over my forehead at school, but then I started breaking out on my forehead. After I quit touching my face, my skin cleared up a lot.

Just be patient. Take care of your skin, and it will eventually clear up.