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Natural Acne Treatments and Causes

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Published: 08/22/2018 - Updated: 07/31/2021

Author: MSc. Miriam Reyes

Acne: Causes, Natural Remedies, and more...

Causes and natural remedies for Acne. Our faces are one of the most visible cover letters that we have.  It’s not so easy to hide what goes on on our face.  We can’t hide pimples, just like we can’t hide gastritis, for example.  That’s why problems on our faces most affect us emotionally.

Contents

  • Hiding “defects”
  • What is acne?
  • Causes of acne
  • Natural Acne treatments
  • Something else…
  • References

Hiding “defects”

A lot of times, our excessive worry, or need to “hide” what seems like a “defect” to us, can cause us to resort to quick treatments.  We feel pushed by the idea that the problem needs to go away as soon as possible.  However, if we let ourselves be guided solely by this idea, we could make the problem worse.  Our decisions could cause undesired results that complicate the situation even more.

Hold on, I’m in a hurry

Patience is without a doubt, the best way to eradicate any illness, and acne is no exception.  If you truly want to dminish and prevent more breakouts or skin damage, without spending a lot of time, money, and effort, it is best that you know what acne is, and how  to use nature to dissipate, and even eradicate, it.

What is acne?

Acne, also known as pimples or blackheads, is a consequence of excess oil produced by the skin glands, which results in skin breakouts.  Acne usually affects all ages and both sexes.  It is common in adolescence, although not all adolescents suffer from it.  This often times depends on genetics, or each body’s circumstances.  This excessive oil production can be caused in several ways:

Causes of acne

  • Hormone imbalance: Our hormones act, producing large amounts of natural oils.  Hereditary is one factor that contributes to hormonal imbalance.  During adolescence and menstruation, we experience great hormonal changes, which is why these periods are very susceptible to experiencing acne outbreaks.
  • Medication: contraceptive pills or steroids that influence hormone movements can cause acne.
  • Chemical cosmetics: cosmetics that contain mineral oils could unleash acne.  You should always lean towards natural cosmetics, and always use them in moderation.
  • Diet: Some people believe that eating chocolate or fatty foods causes acne, although this hasn’t been proven.
  • Depressive or tense emotions, or stress: depressive emotions, or stress, affect the production of glandular secretions.

Natural Acne treatments

All of these remedies, while they make seem simple to you, are together, very powerful elements for fighting acne:

Relaxation: If you suffer from acne, the first thing you should do is try to relax as best you can, and not make this into a huge problem.  If you see it that way, you will definitely feel bad about it, you will reject your own image, and this will noticeably affect your mood, and could even cause more acne.  So every time you feel desperate or angry about your condition, try to think that you are already taking matters into your own hands, and that your face will soon look much better.  All you need to do is give nature time to take its course.

Naturopathy: To prevent the infection from spreading, you must use clean towels, cotton balls, and linens, moistened in witch hazel.  Rose water is also a good tonic.

Avoid “quick” treatments, creams, and scrubs: this is one of the worst things you could do for your acne.  These products might work instantly, and make you feel good, but if you don’t eradicate the problem, you could later develop a side-effect, and make the problem worse.  Remember, “wonder” products only disguise the real causes.

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Wash your face: Your face should be as clean as possible, but don’t go overboard.  It’s best to wash your face twice a day (once before going to bed), with a cloth moistened with mineral water, and once with a neutral soap.  After washing your face, you can apply the following mixture on top of pimples before going to bed: half a cup of water with the juice from one lemon.  Apply this to every pimple with your fingertips.  This will help dry the pimple out quicker, and will prevent the infection from spreading.  Applying crushed garlic to pimples is also a powerful antibiotic and antiseptic.

DO NOT POP YOUR PIMPLES: I’m sure you’ve already heard this so many times, but it is excellent advice.  Popping your pimples damages your skin and you could make a scar that could be very difficult to remove.  Also, by opening the pimple, you could further infect your skin, and new pimples could form.  It’s best to apply either the lemon mixture mentioned above, or small garlic pieces to the pimples (explained earlier).  This will dry them as quickly as possible, and naturally.

Cosmetics: The best thing to do is to let your skin breathe, leaving it free from any obstacles that could prevent this.  Natural cosmetics, used in moderation, is the best way to go.  Keep in mind that anti-acne cosmetics could make your face dependent on their ingredients.  Mineral oils, used in the majority of cosmetics sold in commercial stores (generally low-cost), block skin pores and cause pimples, blackheads, and more.  Lanolin (even though it is good for the skin), and petroleum jelly (used in vaseline) obstruct the pores.  Avoid perfumed  cosmetics, or those with artificial coloring.  Remember that your skin is one way to liberate impurities that can’t be eliminated through normal routes, and if you cover them up, this could throw your primordial function off balance, and you could suffer from some other type of intoxication or allergy.

Hygiene: Avoid touching your face, especially with dirty hands.  Wash your pillow frequently, so dead cells don’t accumulate on it.

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Diet: strongly impacts the quality of your skin.  You might not be able to avoid acne with any one food in particular, but you can definitely soften and smooth out your acne outbreaks.  Carrot juice with celery and alfalfa is the best at making pimples smaller.  You should drink at least half a liter of this juice a day, while fresh and natural.  Try to eat citrus or some type of citrus juice in the morning, so as to cleanse your blood and intestines.  Lemon is excellent at fighting acne.  You can squeeze the juice from two lemons into half a glass of warm water, and drink this daily (don’t eat anything for 20 minutes after drinking this).  Another way to help is to avoid bargain food, cow’s milk and its derivatives, as well as lunch meats, and products with added refined sugar, like soft drinks and processed breads.

Rest: One of the most irritating causes for the skin is lack of rest.  This weakens skin, and makes is sickly.  So try to sleep as much as you can, especially if you are an adolescent.  Drink a relaxing tea like passionflower, mint, or chamomile to sleep well.

Herbalist: One tsp. of marigold tincture, diluted in one glass of water, or chamomile (1 tsp. of dried chamomile flowers, cooked on low heart for 10 minutes, covered, with one glass of water), or a handful of dried herbs, like elder or lavender (Allow to soak for 10 minutes in a covered glass of boiling water).  These remedies can be used to clean your face and to prevent acne.  Natural rose hip cream, or aloe vera cream, and also very effective at moisturizing and healing the skin.

Aromatherapy: You can use a vaporizer or herbal bath steam to diminish the effects of acne on the skin.  You can apply any of the following oils, but you should first dilute them well in distilled water.  Measurements: 60 ml per 10 drops of essential oil.  Recommended oils: tea tree, lavender, orange blossom, orange, patchouli, and cedar.

Homeopathy: Kali Bichromicum is recommended to help fight chronic acne.  Sulfur heals inflamed or infected pustules that tend to get worse with washing.  Psorinum can be used to treat infections that cause rash or irritation.

Anti-acne pills: Antibiotics or contraceptive are frequently used, along with creams, to keep skin follicles clean.  There are certain products with vitamin A in them as well, that help sebaceous glands reduce, and to produce less oil.  You must be careful with these, however, because these types of medications can cause serious side effects.

Something else…

Meditation: and as a last piece of advice, we recommend healing meditation.  Even though this may seem completely unrelated, thoughts are principal causes that affect and influence the body, be it negative or positive.  Emotions of accepting who you are, are healing and powerful in all senses.  So you can start by trying to maintain your thoughts with affective and friendly words toward yourself, avoid criticizing or rejecting yourself.  This type of mental focus will undoubtedly help to considerably heal your skin.  But only you can prove this.

References

  1. Swanson, D. L. Medlineplus, 2018. Acne Self-care. Medlineplus
  2. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, 2018. Acne in-depth
  3. Cao, H., Yang, G., Wang, Y., Liu, J. P., Smith, C. A., Luo, H., & Liu, Y. (2015). Complementary therapies for acne vulgaris. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1, CD009436.
  4. Dall’oglio, F., Tedeschi, A., Fabbrocini, G., Veraldi, S., Picardo, M., & Micali, G. (2015). Cosmetics for acne: indications and recommendations for an evidence-based approach. Giornale Italiano Di Dermatologia e Venereologia : Organo Ufficiale, Societa Italiana Di Dermatologia e Sifilografia, 150(1), 1–11.
  5. Gieler, U., Gieler, T., & Kupfer, J. P. (2015). Acne and quality of life – impact and management. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV, 29 Suppl 4, 12–14.
  6. Burris, J., Rietkerk, W., & Woolf, K. (2013). Acne: the role of medical nutrition therapy. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 113(3), 416–430.
  7. Norstedt, S., & Lindberg, M. (2016). Dietary Regimes for Treatment of Acne Vulgaris: A Critical Review of Published Clinical Trials. Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 96(2), 283–284.
  8. Zaenglein, A. L., Pathy, A. L., Schlosser, B. J., Alikhan, A., Baldwin, H. E., Berson, D. S., … Bhushan, R. (2016). Guidelines of care for the management of acne vulgaris. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 74(5), 945–73.e33.
  9. Fiedler, F., Stangl, G. I., Fiedler, E., & Taube, K.-M. (2017). Acne and Nutrition: A Systematic Review. Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 97(1), 7–9.
  10. Shokeen, D. (2016). Influence of diet in acne vulgaris and atopic dermatitis. Cutis, 98(3), E28–E29.
  11. Martin, K. W., & Ernst, E. (2003). Herbal medicines for treatment of bacterial infections: a review of controlled clinical trials. The Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 51(2), 241–246.
  12. Hajheydari, Z., Saeedi, M., Morteza-Semnani, K., & Soltani, A. (2014). Effect of Aloe vera topical gel combined with tretinoin in treatment of mild and  moderate acne vulgaris: a randomized, double-blind, prospective trial. The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 25(2), 123–129.
  13. d’Alessio, P. A., Mirshahi, M., Bisson, J.-F., & Bene, M. C. (2014). Skin repair properties of d-Limonene and perillyl alcohol in murine models. Anti-Inflammatory & Anti-Allergy Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, 13(1), 29–35.
  14. Pazyar, N., Yaghoobi, R., Rafiee, E., Mehrabian, A., & Feily, A. (2014). Skin wound healing and phytomedicine: a review. Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 27(6), 303–310.

Revised by: Dra. Loredana Lunadei on 07/31/2021 linkedin

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About the author

By MSc. Miriam Reyes

Mire Reyes has a mayor in nutrition and is a renowned therapist with years of experience in the care of overweight patients and nutritional problems. She offers help from her therapeutic approach that brings together the best of conventional therapies and alternative or complementary therapies. Linkedin

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