Cleaning the skin twice a day with mild, pH balanced cleaners rather than soap can reduce the amount of inflammation experienced with acne.

To control more persistent acne, there are specialist creams and gels and also certain antibiotic treatments available

Scratching and squeezing spots and blackheads can make them worse so to avoid permanent scarring these should be avoided.

• Whiteheads: firm spots, hard to squeeze
• Blackheads: black spots, commonly thought of as filled with dirt however they get their colour from pigmentation of the hair follicle’s inner lining instead.
• Pustules: small, red spots that feel sore
• Papules: red spots with a white centre caused by a build-up of pus
• Nodules: painful, large hard spots under the skin
• Cysts: large, pus-filled bumps that can cause scarring often requiring treatment with antibiotics.