Without a doubt the most common skin problem most people face is acne. Even though most of us deal with it during our teenage years, many adults also suffer from this embarrassing problem. Experts debate on the actual cause of acne, but most agree that it is likely caused by excess hormones leading to increased production of oil on the skin. There are other factors that also contribute to acne development, such as heredity, environmental factors and others and these can vary from one person to another. But whatever the cause, there are several things you can do to stave off acne and help prevent its development.

Acne development can be one of the most embarrassing medical conditions people face, causing low self-esteem and a poor self-image. Since that's the case, it's important to understand some of the ways in which acne can be prevented in order to minimize its effects or, hopefully, stop it from developing in the first place. One of the primary things you can do to help prevent acne is to wash your face (or other areas where acne might develop) every morning and night with special soap or acne-preventing products. This will help get rid of a lot of the excess oil and other causes of acne. Be sure to thoroughly wash your face (or elsewhere) and dab the area dry with a towel rather than rubbing it, since this can aggravate the skin.

Speaking of excess oil, it's also a good idea to avoid oil-based skin products, especially products that are applied to the skin. This includes lotions and other similar products. Instead, the next time you head to the drug store, look for products specifically made for the skin that are oil-free or "noncomedogenic" (which is just a fancy term used to describe products that don't clog pores).

As far as current acne goes, one thing you can do to help stop its spread is to avoid picking at it or popping the lesions. We all want it to go away quickly and even though popping your acne can seem to have that effect, most of us know that doing so also spreads the bacteria that cause acne, making matters that much worse. Therefore, as tempting as it might be, you're better off leaving your acne alone rather than popping it.

Finally, there are a number of anti-acne products you could try. Many of these work differently for different people, so it may take some trial and error to figure out what works best for you. Also, it's important to note that these products will take time in order to work, so it might be a few weeks or months before you start seeing significant results.

Ideally a combination of the preventative measures mentioned above along with using anti-acne products for any current conditions would be the best course of action. By doing so, you should be able to slow down the spread of acne or development of new acne and should see your current acne slowly start going away. If all else fails, a visit to a dermatologist might be in order, especially in cases of severe acne that doesn't seem to be going away