Most guys know a thing or two about living with that dreaded acne. But when it comes to the response, dudes tend to fall into one of two camps. Some guys wave the white flag and accept acne as a fact of life. Other guys, though — they do something about it.

And we’re here on behalf of dudes who take action.

Because when you take proper measures — when you craft a plan and stick with it — you can definitely get your acne under control. You might even be able to all-but-eliminate it.

So ready the charcoal face wash, gentlemen, and let’s do something about those zits.

Careful with Those Hands, Man

Don’t touch your face. Just reading those words is enough to breed an irresistible urge to reach up there, though, right? Suddenly, your cheek itches or you just have to rub your eye. For whatever reason, we touch our faces a lot, upwards of 16 times per hour, according to some studies.

And each time one of your mitts meets your mug, you deposit a little acne-causing bacteria and grime.

One of the best things you can do for your face is to simply leave it alone. It’s hard, but try to be mindful. Pay attention to what your hands are up to because anytime you catch one en route to your face and pull it back, you may have just spared yourself from a blemish or two.

Wash. Your. Face. Properly.

That charcoal face wash we mentioned a few paragraphs back? Get it and use it. Bar soap dries your skin, and dry skin actually can lead to more breakouts. A proper charcoal face wash, like the one we’ve linked to, not only nixes all types of impurities from your skin, it hits you with an acne-busting burst of salicylic acid.

And you neeeeeeeeed to use that wash twice daily, adding a wash after any sweat-inducing activity you engage in.

The surest way to keep acne at bay is to get the right face wash and use it every day.

Shave the Right Way

When you’re lazy with your shaving routine, you’re inviting razor bumps and acne, conditions that thrive on irritated skin. You probably know the basics. But let’s just go ahead and refresh that memory, hopefully shaking you out of any less-than-ideal habits you’ve sunk into.

First off, don’t use dull, old razors. A razor past its prime wreaks havoc on your skin. Ancient razors also have had plenty of opportunity to accrue acne-causing bacteria. The last thing you want to do is rough up your skin while simultaneously seeding it with bacteria.

And you need to ready that face for a shave, even when your razor is pristine. Shower before you shave. It’s best if you exfoliate in that shower, too (more on that coming right up).

Say No to Dead Skin Cells

Dudes, you know that acne is basically the result of clogged pores, right? Well, you know one of the primary pore-clogging culprits? Dead skin cells. Your body is constantly discarding them as your skin regenerates, which happens about every 30 days.

Some of those dead skin cells simply detach from your frame, nary doing a lick of harm. Some of them linger but get eliminated when you use that charcoal face wash we were just talking about. But some of those dead skin cells travel down to the depths of your pores, and there’s only one way to get after them: you gotta exfoliate.

So get yourself a bamboo facial exfoliant and use it a couple of times per week. On top of eliminating dead skin cells, a good scrub cleans out all sorts of other hard-to-reach, potentially acne-generating grime. For a detailed look at best exfoliating practices, check out this helpful tutorial: How to use face scrub.

Moisturize Your Mug

We don’t have the stats handy, but roughly 99.99 percent of dudes think moisturizing leads to acne. Wrong. So wrong. Well, of course, the wrong moisturizer can lead to bad results. But when you use a non-comedogenic moisturizer (one that won’t clog your pores), you’re doing yourself a favor in the ongoing battle against acne.

When your skin gets overly dry, your sebum-producing sebaceous glands go utterly apesh*t. They crank out the oil, and when oil production ramps up, you’re quite likely set for a serious bout of acne.

But you also need to moisturize if your skin tends to be oily. Huh? Yeah, it can seem like a head scratcher but a proper moisturizer (one designed for oily skin) actually helps to regulate your skin’s sebum production.

So no matter your skin type, you need to moisturize daily. It’s best if you make a habit of using it after each time you wash your face.

Maintain a Healthy Routine

All the suggestions here will help you in the slog against acne. But these tips won’t serve you all that well if you don’t stick with them. You need to develop a skincare routine that works for you and stick with it.

No off days, dudes. Wash your face twice a day. Moisturize twice a day. Exfoliate a couple of times per week. And in between, develop healthy habits and pay attention to what those damn hands are up to.