In most cases, the teenage years are when most people experience the greatest amount of acne. This is due to hormone level fluctuations and increased sebum (oil) production. The perfect recipe for acne!

So, what is a teenager to do? Prevention is the name of the game when it comes to acne and teens. Unfortunately, because there is no cure for acne, prevention and control are the only things a teenager can do to control acne.

The first step, is to get on a proven acne prevention routine such as the one discussed on our acne prevention page. The next step is to utilize products that minimize acne you may already have and reduces the likelihood of future outbreaks. Those really are the two most important things a teenager can do to combat acne.

If these steps do not work, then a visit to the doctor or dermatologist may be in order. Stronger treatments like antibiotics and Accutane may be needed- only a doctor can know for sure.

For most teens though, simply following the cleanse-treat-protect routine combined with using high-quality acne treatments will be effective in minimizing acne.

There sure is a lot of confusion out there regarding acne prevention. Some people say to scrub your face all day, eat the right foods, avoid sweat, exercise, and on and on. Unfortunately, these have nothing to do with acne prevention.

he numbers really tell the story when it comes to adult acne. 25% of men between the ages of 25 and 44 experience acne. With women the numbers are even higher- nearly 50% of all women between the ages of 25 and 44 get acne.

These numbers tell a story many adult's do not want to hear. It's not just teenagers who get acne. Many adults will get recurrences in their 30s, 40s, and beyond.

Another important fact about adult acne is that it is more likely to leave permanent scars. This is because as skin ages it loses collagen, which is responsible for skin's elasticity. So, with less collagen, it is harder for skin to "bounce back" after the tissue damage that acne can cause.

Acne prevention is best accomplished by following a skin care routine that incorporates three basic steps. In one form or another, the skin must be cleansed, treated, and protected. As long as these steps are followed, a person's acne should improve.

Acne Prevention Step 1: Cleansing

Due to what we know about how acne is formed, it is pretty clear that it makes sense to gently cleanse your skin on a regular basis. This doesn't mean scrubbing a way at your face 5 times a day. It means using a good cleansing product to gently wash away dead skin cells and impurities. Also, it doesn't hurt if your cleanser contains proven acne fighters like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid.

Acne Prevention Step 2: Treatment

For optimum acne prevention, the skin must be treated with something that minimizes bacteria (like benzoyl peroxide) or slows down the shedding of skin cells (like salicylic acid). There are many fine manufacturers of these products who will provide guidelines as to how long these products should remain on the face and how often they should be used.

Acne Prevention Step Three: Protection

The last step in acne prevention is protection. By protection, we mean that the face should be properly moisturized and protected from the sun's damaging rays. There are a great number of quality moisturizers available that contain sunscreens in them. Another thing to keep in mind, many acne treatments tend to dry out the skin a bit making moisturizers extra important.

There you have it, a simple 3 step plan for acne prevention.

Kerwin Chang writes for http://www.acnestuff.net where you can find out more about acne and other skin care topics.