Here's How I Got Rid Of Ance
Acne sucks, believe me I've been there. From cruel classmates to jerk off coworkers I know what it feels like to have bad skin. I could go on and on about the painful moments in my life that came from living with acne, but I'm sure you know all to well what that's like, and don't need me to remind you.
Instead lets talk about how to get rid of acne.
I know there's a lot of different treatments available for acne, and I've tried most of them. But rather then talk about what's available lets talk about what works. At least what worked for me. After almost a decade of severe acne I was finally able to get clear, and stay 99% acne free following the simple steps I'm going to share with you. Sure I have an occasional pimple rear it's ugly head every once in a while, but it's really no big deal, in fact you'd have to look real hard to even notice it.
What I did to get rid of my acne was nothing the average person can't do. It's not painful, or expensive, or very time consuming. It will take some effort on your part, after all this isn't some do nothing and watch your acne magically disappear infomercial.
Below are the steps I followed, and still follow today to keep my skin clear. If you get anything out of this, or would like to contribute please leave your comments at the bottom of this page.
Stop Washing Your Skin So Much
More is not better when it comes to skin care. I know how tempting it can be when that new facial cleanser you just bought is showing promising results, and you figure using it even more will make it work even better. This is not the case, and you have to stop doing this.Even over the counter acne cleansers contain powerful ingredients that can really do a number on your skin if you abuse them. Your skin should maintain it's natural elasticity at all times.
If you can't open your mouth real wide without feeling like your skin is going to tear cut back on the washing.
If your face has red patches, and flaky skin - cut back on the washing.
Dead skin cells are what clog your pores and cause acne in the first place, so don't turn your face into a skin cell grave yard by scrubbing your face 5 times a day with medicated cleansers.
Stick to washing 1 time a day using a cleanser made with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. Any other time during the day wash with plain water. And don't forget to pat dry or air dry your skin instead of aggressively rubbing away at it with a towel.
Drink Water Like It's Going Out Of Style
How good is water for your skin? If you answered very good you are correct. Now I'm not going to spend too much time with this one because I'm sure you all know about the benefits of drinking water. But just to recap; drinking water helps your body operate more efficiently. Water flushes waste out of your body, and helps keep your skin moist.Most people say you should drink 6-8 glasses a day, but I've found that's not nearly enough. I try to drink at least a 140 ounces a day, and I weigh 157 pounds. How much you need depends on how active you are (how much you sweat), and your size. My rule is try and drink your body weight in ounces of water.
Keep some water with you at all times, and replace all other beverages with water. Even if you're not thirsty just keep drinking. Don't worry about drinking too much, you would have to drink A LOT of water to do any harm so drink up. This really will make a tremendous difference in your skin.
Here's how you'll know you're getting enough water
You should be making trips to the rest room every 2-3 hours. Then when you do go it should be crystal clear. The exception is if you're taking any medication or vitamins that can change the color of your urine.
Clean Up Your Diet
Here's a little experiment you can try. Ask a dozen "acne experts" if what you eat affects your skin. Then ask a dozen people with acne if what they eat affects their skin.Here's what you'll likely find out. All the experts will tell you No, what you eat does not make you break out. But the people who are actually living with acne will tell you the exact opposite, they'll most likely say Yes, what you eat does cause you to break out.
I'm not going to go on some natural health rant here, or tell you all doctors and drug companies are profiteering A-holes. I'm just trying to make a point that just because some guy in a laboratory says something doesn't make it true. In the case of diet and acne, I'm going to say that what you eat can cause acne. At least that was the case for me, and I don't care what anyone from the Harvard School of Medicine has to say about it because changing my diet gave me clear skin and their drugs didn't!
So assuming you're on board with the whole acne - diet connection here's what I suggest. Try to eat a clean diet that's low in sugar and avoid fatty meats. Eat as many raw fruits and vegetables as you can stand, and try to avoid processed and prepackaged foods.
The worst diet offender in your quest for clear skin is sugar. If you can try to avoid it all together. I mentioned above that I'll get an occasional zit once in a while, I can tell you that they almost always come after I've eaten too much sugar.
You're probably thinking "I already know all this". I'm sure most of you do, but are you following through? The diet is where most of you are going to stumble. Changing your eating habits is one of the hardest things in the world to do, trust me I know, I was also overweight at one time. Just remember the more bad stuff you cut out of your diet the faster your skin will clear up.
If you're drinking 8 cans of pop a day, and cut back to 6 I doubt you'll see any improvement in your skin. Drop the pop all together and replace it with water then you'll get some results.
The Best Natural Acne Remedy
Exfoliating Your Skin With Epsom Salt and Oatmeal
Getting rid of dead surface skin is vital if you want clear skin. If your skin care routine does not include steps to GENTLY remove those pore clogging dead skin cells I want you add this cheap and easy exfoliating scrub right away.If benzoyl peroxide, fish oil, vitamin B5, and other acne treatments that focus on bacteria and oil have not been working for you exfoliating might be the missing ingredient that's keeping you from clear skin.
Before I show you how this is done let me tell you why you should bother with exfoliating your skin.
Those of us who suffer from breakouts often have skin that does a poor job of "sloughing", or getting rid of the outer layer of dead skin cells. When this happens those dead skin cells clog our pores and lead to breakouts.
This simple exfoliating scrub will help remove that layer of dead skin before it can clog your pores.
Here's how is works:
* All you need is some plain oatmeal (not that flavored stuff), and some epsom salt which you will put in a coffee grinder or blender
* Mix 4 parts oatmeal with 1 part epsom salt
* Grind the oatmeal and epsom salt down until it's the same texture as flour. You want it to be as fine as possible so it's gentle on your skin
That's it! I make a batch using 1 cup of oatmeal and 1/4 cup of epsom salt and store it in a sealed container, but you can make any sized batch you want. The 4 to 1 ratio of oatmeal to epsom salt is what I like, but it's not an exact science so you can mix more or less depending on your own personal liking.
How To Use The Oatmeal And Epsom Salt Scrub
Place a small amount of the mixture in one hand (I like to do this in the shower because it can get messy) then mix in a small amount of water and begin rubbing it on your face or which ever part of your body you're exfoliating. Be gentle! It doesn't take much to remove the dead surface skin, and if you press too hard you'll be scrubbing away living skin.
Just go very light using your finger tips in a circular motion. You don't have to spend a lot of time scrubbing the affected area of your skin. It should only take 20-30 seconds to do your entire face.
After you're done just rinse with water, and as always apply a liberal amount of moisturizer.
How often should you use the scrub
I'd like for you to at least try this once so you see how well it works. If you find it helps I would use it 2 times per week. Just pay attention to your skin and make sure you're keeping it moist while using this.
You know your skin better then anyone. This epsom salt and oatmeal scrub is very effective, but it can be hard on your skin. If you're noticing any irritation cut back on how much you're exfoliating.
I don't mean to turn you off to the idea of using this scrub, it's just that it works almost TOO good and for some people it can irritate their already sensitive skin.
Getting Rid Of Acne With Baking Soda
This is one of my favorite spot treatment methods
Vitamins Can Also Help Acne
Vitamins, especially vitamin B5 (d-Calcium pantothenate), can help clear your skin. Dr. Lit-Hung Leung, M.D is credited with discovering the use of b5 for acne. He found that it helped reduce sebum production so you have less oily skin.Less oil = less acne
One thing to keep in mind if you're going to use B5 for acne is that you need to take a large dose for it to work. In the study conducted by Dr. Lit-Hung Leung the people were given 10 grams of B5 a day spread out over 4 doses (2.5 grams per dose).
It you want to try B5 I suggest you start with 2 grams a day and work your way up to 10, and be sure to give it 2-4 weeks to work because it will take time before you notice results.
Other vitamins that are good for your skin are vitamin A, which is the base for the popular prescription acne cream Retin A, vitamin E and vitamin C which are both potent antioxidants.
More Sites About Acne
- Best Acne Medication
- Using the right medication is crucial for controlling acne
- Acne Free In 3 Days Review
- People have been asking me about the Acne Free In 3 Days ebook. I think this review about sums it up.
Acne Blog Posts
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Thanks for visiting my lens! I'm always adding new tips and videos so when you stop by next time you'll probably find some new stuff.
If you have any tips for getting rid of acne, or just have a story to share please leave a comment below.
also, a 5-star rating is always appreciated :-)
incoherent wrote
Great article! Thanks so much for the tips. I googled to see articles about epsom salts in relation to acne coz my aunt mentioned that my sister and I should try it. I, too, suffer from adult acne. It's annoying as heck.
I agree about the what you eating having a factor on whether or not you get acne. It's terribly hard to modify your diet, though. I am going to try, however. i really do want to be rid of this!
Posted June 14, 2009
Kayla wrote
thx 4 all the tips,
im going to start rightaway, but wanted to know if taking the pill helps with ance?
i am 14yrs old, and my doctor suggested putting me on the pill.
my mother doesnt want me on it because she believes it can have very bad sideaffects.
but does it accually help cure acne??
my friend had really bad acne and it was nearly cure in a month of being put on the pill.
does it work for all girls? my friend was 16.
plz help.
ps. im going to try the baking soda first.
byy
Posted June 11, 2009
Mr Peter wrote
Thanks for the post, should come in handy :)
www.skinculture.com has some AMAZING facial peels for removing scaring. Definately worth checking out once you figured out what diet prevents breaking out.
Posted May 09, 2009
Katie wrote
Thank you so much!!! I have been looking everywhere for something like this! You just explain it like it is and i really like that. I'm definently taking in all your tips and putting them into action!! Thanks again!
Posted May 05, 2009
Lynn wrote
Thanks for the great tips im a teenager fighting with acne my mom found this site before I did and im going try the diet thing and the oatmeal I hoe it works.
Posted April 11, 2009
Veronica wrote
I've been eating healthy food, drinking 12 glasses of water each day and exercising daily for about five years now. I haven't seen even a slight improvement in my skin. What should I do?
Posted April 04, 2009
Markafet
in reply to Elly Yeah I heard the exact same information. According to my sources milk has 59 different hormones O.o. Its a scary thought but for the past couple weeks I've cut out a lot of dairy and I break out less. Apparently the reason for the amount of hormones is because cows are milked during pregnancy which means raging hormons = In the milk!!!!
Posted February 14, 2009
Nikki wrote
I used the baking soda and water mask after expholiating and it made such a significant difference in the redness and the oily feel of it. Thank you so much for the information :D
Posted January 30, 2009
Jess wrote
I had flawless skin when I ate junk food. When I ate tons of veggies and fruits, my skin turned to hell for some reason.
Posted January 24, 2009
Say no to ... wrote
I have been suffering from adult acne for a long time, and I get the large cystic type that take weeks to go away and leave scars - like most people I have tried every acne wash/spot treatment out there. Within the last year I have tried a new approach, I have been seeing a naturopath who has helped me through "elimination diets" to try to discover foods that I may be sensitive to. I found that I am VERY sensitive to dairy and slightly sensitive to wheat. Now I avoid dairy like the plague, and do my best to eat wheat free. Now the cause/effect cycle is so apparent. Sometimes I crave cheese (That's the hardest dairy to give up for me) but if I eat some, in 2-3 days I will have a cystic acne outbreak. I'm getting to the point now where the enjoyment of the cheese if offset by knowing the effect, so it makes it easier to give it up. Food sensitivities are one of the leading causes of adult acne, and Dairy(including non-cow) is one of the most common sensitivities %u2026 CONTINUED
Posted June 18, 2008
acneclear wrote
I just wanted to comment that I had previously adopted all of your methods for treating acne and IT WORKS! Thanks for sharing and well written. 5 stars!
Posted May 26, 2008
Tim wrote
I truly appreciate you taking the time to share these tips. I always have been a fan of curing things naturally and this is the approach I am taking on acne as well. Your website is great! I am definitely going to recommend it to some people. THANKS!
Posted April 26, 2008
Sadia wrote
Thank u for such a good idea
Posted April 16, 2008
Hina wrote
Thanks for the great tips. I am going to begin to use baking soda to "clear my face". I am going to try to lay off the sodas and start drinking water. I am experiencing terrible names like "pizzaface" and "acne agnes". Thanks again for the great tips!
Posted March 29, 2008
B'nana wrote
Thanks for taking the time helping others with acne-prone skin.
I just started using baking soda as an exfoliant and like the way it seems to "cool" off my face. My face is usually tight, red, itchy, and oily and dry all at the same time.
I hate the feeling and texture of my skin more than I hate the actual acne.
I am a 32 year female suffering with adult acne.
Posted March 21, 2008
Evie wrote
This is really great. My mom does this and I didn't really pay attention untill I see the results. I mean her skin cleared up after years of suffering with acne. All she did was drink a lot of water, eating organic healthy non-fatty foods, and excercise a few times a week to sweat her pores out. It's amazing!
Posted March 19, 2008
Zach wrote
Drink gatorade G2 and stop drinking soda. i used to drink a whole bunch of soda and i had horrible acne. i replaced soda with G2 and in just a week my acne has gone down a lot. Believe me i used proactive and all of that stuff and it didnt work. i guess if you cut down on the suger drinks it might help you like it has me.
Posted March 11, 2008
stef wrote
this was vey helpful. thank u so much for finding the time to share ur knowlage with the rest of us who suffer from acne.
Posted February 29, 2008
rye wrote
I am having hard time with my acne. I have pustles on fore head. I have scars all over my face. My skin is really senstive b/c of the oily skin I have. So I DON'T know what to eat. I heard oranges like citris fruits are not good for acne. I am soo scared. HOW TO get rid of acne in 1 month?? help plzz.
Posted January 30, 2008
Elly wrote
Thanks. My daughter has a lot of acne - I've actually read that hormones in dairy foods may add to the teenage hormones that bring on acne and she does eat/drink a LOT of dairy. We will try the salt & oatmeal and the bicarb.
Posted January 29, 2008
anna wrote
thANKS FOR THE TIPS I ALREADY SEE A DIFFERENCE
Posted January 28, 2008
Veronica wrote
thanks there is some stuff in here that i didnt know like the water thing ,i have acne and i hardly ever drink water so that is going to change!!! and about the doctors saying food dosent matter i totally agree! thanks for the tips and advice
Posted January 20, 2008
Fredie wrote
Hi how long will it take roughly to clear up my skin if start drinking 15-20 glasses of water everyday, cutting out on my sugar content in food, applying scrub you mentioned and eating a lot of green vegetables and lots of fruits....
Posted January 01, 2008
bjay wrote
I think everyone should try the aspirin mask its WONDERFUL. Just take like 3 aspirin, preferably uncoated, a few drops a water to make it into the paste and let it sit on ur face for about 15-35 minutes.
Posted December 31, 2007
Ashley86 wrote...
Yeah, I've been to a Dermotologist nearly a decade ago and they had told me that food doesn't cause acne. I just now heard about the Baking Soda method and I think I'm going to try it. Biggest problem would be change my diet. :|
Posted December 27, 2007
Jena wrote
Great. Thank you. I so agree on the sugar. When I cut it out of my diet my skin cleared up so much. 5 stars
Posted December 13, 2007
Crystal wrote
Thank you so much for the great tips! I have been making it a point to o.d. on water and I already have a fairly balanced diet that's low in sugar and still cannot figure out what else I could change.. After reading this I realized that one thing I'm not doing enough is exfoliating. Thanks again!
Posted December 09, 2007
chitra wrote
thank for ur valuable water tips for skin
Posted July 11, 2007
tplus wrote...
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And get ratings from me and our members!
Posted July 06, 2007
