Acne Soap for Athletes

If you are an athlete, you probably sweat a lot. If you sweat a lot, you probably take a lot of showers. If you have acne, you’re probably wondering what the best way is to cleanse your body so that you will see less acne while you get clean. One option that you may want to consider is acne soap.

What Is Acne Soap?

Acne soap is what is called keratolytic therapy for your acne. Keratolytic therapy is also used for wart removal and dandruff care. Essentially, it involves using acid to thin the skin around the acne lesions and cause them to shed. The acid in the soap is in a safe form; you should not expect to feel or see burning as a result of using the soap. Acne soap usually contains sulfur or salicylic acid as the keratolytic agent. Sulfur is sometimes combined with Rosorcinol in acne soap.

Using Acne Soap

Use acne soap twice a day on areas where you experience noticeable amounts of acne. Scrub gently with acne soap as you would with normal soap; don’t try to scrub off the acne. Simply use the soap to give the medicine the opportunity to do its work. Twice a day should be a sufficient number of times to use the acne soap. If you shower more times than this during the day, use a different soap or body wash rather than excessively using the acne soap. Acne soaps can be found over the counter or online.

Athletes and Acne Soap

There’s no reason that athletes should necessarily use acne soap more often than other people. Although athletes do sweat often, sweat does not cause acne. Some athletes may experience what is called acne mechanica from excessive friction against certain parts of the skin, but it is not the sweat itself that is causing the problem, rather it is irritation of the skin combined with dirt and oil trapped in the skin by restrictive clothing.

Effectiveness of Acne Soap

How acne affects different people and how that acne responds to treatment is something that varies widely from person to person. It’s largely a matter of individual genetics and skin type. Some acne soaps may work wonders for a certain individual but not for others, while a different soap may be effective for those others. Some may find that certain acne soaps exacerbate the condition or irritate the skin. If you think acne soap may be right for you, do a little research and comparison shopping to see which acne soap you think will be most appropriate for you. Use the soap as directed for a few weeks, unless you experience irritation or a worsening of acne, in which case discontinue immediately. If the soap is working for you, keep using it as long as you want to get rid of acne or ward off new acne. If the soap is not working for you, try one of the other acne soaps on the market that uses a different combination of ingredients.