Tips and self care

Alongside treatment, pharmacy teams can offer self care tips, including:

• Avoid excessively washing the skin, which can cause irritation and dryness
• Use a skin pH neutral or slightly acidic synthetic detergent cleanser twice a day on acne-prone skin
• Avoid the use of oil-based, pore-clogging (comedogenic) skin products, make-up and
  sun cream
• Ensure make-up is properly removed and skin cleansed and dried
• Avoid picking or scratching lesions, which can increase risk of scarring
• Keep up a skincare routine – treatments will take six to eight weeks to show positive results
• Apply treatments on alternate days to start with, as treatments will often irritate the skin, particularly when first using them; washing treatments off after a few hours each evening may help prevent irritation³
• Reassure the person that acne is not caused by poor hygiene
• Provide advice on healthy eating, which may help, although there is not enough current strong evidence to support specific diets for treating acne³
• Advise people using benzoyl peroxide that it may bleach hair and coloured fabrics, including clothing, towels and bed linen. Advise people to avoid letting the product come into contact with these materials, and to wash hands thoroughly after application.⁵