Natural Acne Remedies: Effective Treatment that Just Feels Right
There are a lot of expensive drugs out there to help treat acne, but the fact of the matter is that many of these drugs use natural remedies for acne, only with flashy brand names and medical terminology. Don't be fooled... there are ways to treat acne naturally.
Good Skin Care
Daily care of the skin is a proven, effective, natural acne remedy, so before embarking on any medicinal path to curing acne, it is important to practice good skin care.
Proper skin care at home largely includes keeping the pores open and clean. There are many methods of achieving this, and most cost far less than dumping a ton of money into skin care products, many of which have dubious levels of effectiveness. A good soaping is indeed one of the great natural remedies for face acne, but strangely often overlooked. Indeed, proper soaping is, unfortunately, one of the natural remedies for oily acne skin that is skipped over for caustic medicines.
It requires responsibility and diligence to keep the pores open. To begin with, it may be necessary to implements such as tweezers on individual pores to remove clogs. It's painful and time-consuming, but at least it's free! With a back brush and a wash cloth, it should be easy enough to keep these pores clog-free. After you've accomplished this goal, remember to moisturize afterward. Proper moisturizing acts as a sealant to the bacteria that cause acne, and prevents dry skin.
Diet Regimen
Unfortunately, your mom was right...all that chocolate's going to give you zits!
So what is healthy to eat? Fruits and vegetables are a great, safe alternative to greasy food that will not introduce any factors that will increase acne. The reason meats are not generally encouraged is because they have hormones, which are the prime aggravator of acne. Fish is fine though, and even recommended. An increase in omega-3 fats, such as those found in salmon and other fish, also promotes skin health. This end can also be addressed by taking fish oil supplements. Be aware though...fish oil pills should be followed by mints.
It's the same healthy diet any doctor will recommend. To this end, it helps not only with acne problems, but basically any other health issue you may have. It may not be easy at first, but the results are worth it, beyond a shadow of a doubt, and it takes no doctor to know this.
Naturally Occurring Acne Remedies
Salicylic acid is a keratolyic agent, and one of the best natural cures for acne. It can be found in Stridex, Oxy Night Watch, and the Clearasil Clearstick.
Tip: Need to get rid of your acne? I review the top acne products over the counter.
If you can withstand the smell, sulfur is a wonderful acne remedy. It can be found in Sulpho-Lac Acne Medication, Liquimat, Therac Lotion, and Sulmasque. Since the times of ancient Rome, sulfur has been used medicinally. It works by promoting the shedding of dead skin cells, which tend to invite infection and will clog pores. In conjunction with sodium sulfetamide, it also work to heal occurring outbreaks of acne by preventing bacterial growth through limiting resources that bacteria need to survive.
Supplements as Acne Remedies
Hormones can be used to treat acne too, as well as being a primary cause of acne. It has been proposed that natural progesterone can help adult acne. Though its efficacy as an acne treatment has not been proven, there are few downsides to using progesterone(except for the theory that it could actually be an adult acne aggravator). To name a few of its many benefits, natural progesterone can prevent cancers of the womb, protect against breast disease, help prevent breast cancer, reduce hair thinning, encourages fat burning, and my personal favorite, an increase in libido. Many hormones have been marketed as panaceas, and your mileage my vary.
Vitamin B6 and Vitamin A have been shown to be particularly effective in preventing acne in women. One particular study of Vitamin B6 showed a 50-75% reduction of acne in adolescent girls. Vitamin A, occurring in foods such as green leafy vegetables, has proven effective in rectifying hormonal imbalance in young females.
Tea tree oil is one of the all natural remedies for acne that can also remove and stop the growth of bacteria on the skin, perhaps being as effective as benzoyl peroxide. It's also a very pure substance...it can be applied directly to the skin with no carrier oil. It should be used in a daily regimen, as with most natural supplements.
While there aren't a great amount of natural remedies for bad acne, azelaic acid is one. Azelaic acid is a natural supplement found in wheat, rye, and barley. Like over the counter medications, it promotes new skin growth, however, it is also an antimicrobial. It can be found as Azelex in a 20% strength cream. Like the over the counter medications it is similar in function to most retinoids(Retin-A, et al), it can have side effects, however. It may cause irritation, peeling, and most commonly, depigmentation of skin, thus it is not generally recommended for those with darker complexions.
