Remaining acne free is a journey that will last the rest of your life. While this may seem to be a hard thing to do, it is actually easier than you might think.

The care of your skin is very important. Your skin is the largest organ in your body and toxins are eliminated every day through your pores. Keeping your skin clear and blemish free can help you in that detoxification process.

When pores are blocked, dirt and oils get trapped inside. What you may not know is that bacteria also gets trapped. When that bacteria grows, the immune system will react and send white blood cells to the area to stop the invasion resulting in unsightly blemishes.

Skin should be washed daily. If you are not able to bathe or shower for some reason, use a washcloth and a gentle soap and clean yourself thoroughly. Be sure to wash away all of the soap residue, as that can irritate skin and block pores as well.

Quick tips:

1. Be sure to remove makeup thoroughly, and clean away any makeup remover residue that might be remaining.
2. Bathing before bed and changing your sheets frequently can help, as dirt and oils accumulate in bedding.
3. If you have long hair that you wear down, or short hair that frequently touches your face, make sure to keep it clean as well. Hair oil can build up on the face as the hair moves, which can block pores as well.

The old adage "You are what you eat" has some merit here. If you are eating mostly high fat, sugar laden, processed foods, that have little nutrition, you are not giving your body what it needs to heal itself and stay healthy.

In addition, all those chemicals in the processed foods cannot build up your body and must be eliminated one way or another. Remember your skin is the largest elimination organ you have. It will be called on to help clear these chemicals from your body. Acne can result when the skin is overloaded with this process.

Clear skin is healthy skin. To remain blemish free, you need to nourish your skin through the foods you are eating.

Foods that have been shown to nourish skinhttp://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/The_Diet_Detective__The_Best_Foods_to_Nourish_Your_Skin.htm http://www.thesite.org/healthandwellbeing/appearance/skincare/feedyourskin:

1. Green tea
2. Red wine
3. Oily fish (omega-3s)
4. Whole Grains
5. Nuts and seeds (vitamin a and vitamin e)
6. Avocado (vitamin e and essential fats)
7. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8. Berries (vitamin c and vitamin e - vitamin c is especially important)
9. Spinach
10. Mango (beta carotene) (Interesting side note: mango is sometimes applied directly to the skin as a natural treatment for acnehttp://www.thesite.org/healthandwellbeing/appearance/skincare/feedyourskin)
11. Probiotic Yogurt

Additional beneficial supplementshttp://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/The_Diet_Detective__The_Best_Foods_to_Nourish_Your_Skin.htm:

1. Selenium
2. Coenzyme-Q10
3. Glucomsamine

By drinking plenty of water, you allow your body to literally wash away and flush the toxins from your body. The more toxins you flush out, the less can build up and come through your skin. Water is a necessary daily requirement for healthy skin, and in fact, hydrated skin is less prone to damage and can have a more youthful appearance.http://www.ehow.com/how_2266506_drink-water-skincare.htmlhttp://www.healthy-skincare.com/benefit-of-drinking-water.html

Note: Tap water is frequently full of chemicals. The more pure the water you drink, the better able it is to eliminate waste from the cells.

While some may think perspiration is not desirable, on the contrary: sweating is our body's way of clearing the skin of toxins, dirt, oil, and debris. If you are staying hydrated, then sweating is a great way to flush the toxins. The best way to sweat? It is personal preference, but both exercise and spa treatments like saunas are helpful to get the pores open and cleaned out. Just be sure to shower or bathe to remove the dirty sweat from your skin. The steam in your shower can help as well.

Ways to build up a sweat:

1. Exercise at a rate your body can easily tolerate for at least 20 minutes. Caution: Do not push yourself past your limits. The idea is to have healthy skin, not injure yourself.
2. Saunas - some spas have these, and Home Saunas are becoming increasingly available on the market.
3. Steam rooms - spas and exercise clubs sometimes have these available
4. Shower - a hot shower can open the pores in the entire body. Be sure to close the bathroom door to get the maximum effect. Caution: Do not stay under the water more than a few minutes. As your internal body temperature rises you may no longer be able to feel how hot the water actually is.
5. Hot Bath - a hot bath can be very therapeutic. It will open the pores and can help relieve stress. Note: Run the bath to a temperature that will not scald. Do not run the water while sitting in the tub. Fill the bath first, then test with your elbow, it is more sensitive to temperature than your hand. Adjust the temperature if necessary before entering the bathtub. Be sure to rinse off after soaking, to remove any impurities that have built up in the bath water.
6. Steam facial - causes the pores on the face to open and a sweat to form,
   1. Fill a bowl that can withstand heat with very hot water.
   2. Place the bowl on a table that you can bend over when seated.
   3. Thoroughly wash your face and use a towel or hair accessory to hold all of your hair away from your face.
   4. Sit in a chair and place a towel over your head to form a tent. Let the steam rise toward your face and stay there as long as comfortable or until the water is no longer giving off steam.
   5. Wash the face thoroughly to remove the sweat and impurities.

Stress inhibits your body's ability to do its job. When you are stressed, your body tenses and prepares for the "flight or fight" response. Your body floods with hormones and other substances that will help you in an emergency situation. However, these must be cleared from your system when not needed, and that adds to the body's workload. While it is clearing these unneeded substances, it cannot clear all of the other toxins and impurities, and all of the elimination organs can get overloaded. Your skin is no exception to this, and breakouts can occur. So take a deep breath and practice some stress relieving techniques. Your skin will thank you.

Sometimes, especially for those going through hormone fluctuations, even following all the steps above can fall short of keeping you completely acne free. Pregnant women, adolescent boys and girls, and those going through menopause can all experience flare ups of acne. When those flare ups do occur, try to take care of them quickly using the tips on the How to Get Rid of Acne page, then you might try one of the following solutions:

See Home Remedies For Acne for applications you can do yourself.

Products that can be purchased:

Natural Acne Prevention

1. Acne Getaway 101Ehttp://www.quickacneremedy.com/
2. Perfection Clear Skin Fade & Blemish Lotionhttp://www.herballuxuries.com/cpstore/scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=149

Over the Counter Acne Prevention Products

1. Proactiv
2. Acne Freehttp://www.acnefree.com/af
3. Murad Acne Productshttp://www.murad.com/acne-products.jsp
4. Clean & Clearhttp://www.cleanandclear.com/

Prescription Acne Preventionhttp://www.skincarephysicians.com/acnenet/prescriptmeds.html

1. Interlesional Corticosteroid Injection
2. Isotretinoin
3. Oral Antibiotics
4. Oral Contraceptives
5. Topical Antimicrobials
6. Topical Retinoids

Note: Prescriptions are often hard on the body and have side effects. Make sure you discuss possible side effects with your doctor before starting any prescription treatment.

If you are following all the steps above and yet still have trouble with acne, there may be another underlying cause. It might be time to see a skin specialist and see if they can determine the cause and offer a solution.

Types of skin specialists

1. Dermatologists
2. Estheticians
3. Skin Care Specialist
4. Skin Care Therapist
5. Spa Technician
6. Facialist
7. Medical Esthetician
8. Skin Care Technician ttp://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/39-5094.00

Being acne free can be a way of life. It is something that can be learned and by learning how to remain acne free, you give your skin the opportunity to thrive and remain clear and healthy.