Month: March 2018

Quick Acne Treatments – Does Apple Cider Vinegar Really Work

If you happen to be one among the large number of individuals who struggle with an acne problem then you would almost certainly like to find a way to keep the skin condition under control. Good treatments for your acne needs to be inexpensive, easy to obtain, risk-free and effective and work in a natural, holistic manner. The use of apple cider vinegar for acne relief meets all of these requirements.

Vinegar made out of apple cider is a totally holistic and natural product that is extracted from apple puree which have been fermented. Apple cider vinegar includes several nutrients which are vital to the good health of the body and the skin. A few of these are iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, fluorine, sodium, sulfur, chlorine and copper.

People can effectively use apple cider vinegar for acne removal thanks to the antibacterial qualities of its ingredients. It is actually a natural and holistic option to the usage of antibiotics for treating bacteria induced skin problems such as acne. Apple cider vinegar is not just effectual as a topical bactericidal solution but also as an internal health tonic that detoxifies your system thus improving your skin health.

The use of apple cider vinegar can help the skin in many different ways. It eliminates effectively the acne bacteria called P. acnes that is the reason for acne infections. It helps to soak up any extra sebum oil which is being secreted so that your pores in the skin do not get plugged up. It makes the skin healthier and much more resistant to infections by balancing the pH factors in it.

You can make a topical solution of apple cider vinegar for acne treatment by using this ingredient diluted with clean, distilled water. The proportions of the solution must be four parts of clean water to one part of apple cider vinegar. Use a clean cloth or cotton ball to apply the vinegar solution to the parts of your face and body where you can see pimples and pustules. Leave the vinegar on for around ten minutes and then use tepid water to clean it off. You need to do this thrice a day.

If your acnes is quite severe than you can consider leaving the apple cider vinegar solution on while you are sleeping and wash it off in the morning. You can also make the topical solution more powerful by reducing the dilution proportion. This must be done a bit at a time over several applications so that you can judge the reaction of your skin. Some persons even use the apple cider vinegar in the undiluted form, however if you have a sensitive skin, you better avoid using strong solutions. You should not leave stronger solutions on overnight as they can cause your skin to dry out too much.

For treating the acne skin problem, you can start using the apple cider vinegar in the most diluted form and then the strength could be increased progressively if necessary. When the solution is used you may feel a slight tingling sensation, this is a normal reaction that shows it is working. But, if a sensation of burning is felt then wash off the solution right away and try using a more diluted mixture.

While you are applying apple cider vinegar for acne control and elimination it is necessary that you maintain a proper daily routine of personal hygiene to keep your skin clean and dirt free. Remember that apple cider vinegar is astringent and can make your skin very dry. You need to use a good skin moisturizer which is non oily after each apple cider vinegar treatment so as to hydrate your skin.

Acne Treatment Therapies And A Natural Healthy Alternative Like Evening Primrose Oil

Acne treatment therapies focus upon two aspects of acne: its prevention and management, and the removal of its more lasting effects.

Looking at the latter first, acne scars can be unsightly, and there are several methods currently used either to remove them or to hide them. Some of the more radical are surgical, while others involve modifications the surface of the skin by means of techniques akin to sandpapering, and also cosmetic techniques.

However, such therapies are needed only if the condition is permitted to have a significant effect on your skin. There are therapies that can be used to mitigate the condition if not remove it altogether. Before discussing these it will be necessary to consider what causes acne, because without that knowledge there can be no effective treatment.

Acne is cause by blockage of the sebaceous pores in the skin. That blockage is generally caused by a mixture of dead skin cells and skin oil, otherwise known as sebum. Why should this occur with acne sufferers and nobody else, when all of us have the ingredients of acne as normal components of our skin? The answer lies in our hormones.

The reason that acne is most prevalent in teenagers is that the generation of sebum is promoted by our hormones: specifically the male hormones known as androgens that both males and females begin to create in quantity during puberty. These cause the sebaceous pores to enlarge, and sebum to be produced in larger than normal quantities.

The hormones also tend to disrupt the usual desquamation rate, or shedding of dead skin cells. What happens is that the skin cells within the pores begin to shed in clumps, rather than singly, and when mixed with the excess skin oil form a plug that clogs up the pores. This plug of oils and skin cells then gets contaminated with bacteria that in time initiate the immune reaction, resulting in pus being formed through the action of macrophages on the bacteria.

The therapy needed to reduce the incidence of acne, then, can be either proactive or retroactive. Proactively, they can reduce the production of the sebum/skin cell plug. Gamma linolenic acid (GLA) as found in Omega-6 oil can block androgen receptors and so decrease the amount of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) produced. The less the amount of DHT, then the less will be the severity of your acne.

Evening primrose oil contains large quantities of GLA, and even applying this topically on your skin will dilute the sebum and reduce the likelihood of sebum and skin cells blocking your pores. This is an extreme simplification of what GLA does, but it does accurately represent the end result of its use. There are also medications you can take to reduce the rate of shedding of your skin cells, so that your pores have less chance of being blocked.

Retroactively, you can apply antibiotics to kill off the bacterial that act on the plug and that initiate the immune response responsible for the lesions. You can also give your skin a good wash with an effective skin cleanser, including a mild antibiotic to enhance the cleansing of the bacterial plug. However, there are alternative treatments, such as the proactive diet control, and the use of vitamins and appropriate herbs to control or even prevent the condition.

When you think of diet, don’t think chocolate. Acne is not caused by eating too much chocolate, or even by fatty foods. We have already discussed the causes of acne, and if we can find any components in our diet that can create these conditions, then by eliminating them we should be able to avoid the condition. As a corollary, if we can identify any substances that could prevent androgens from creating excess sebum, or even control the androgens themselves, or that could help the skin cells to shed more evenly, then we could include these in our diet.

In fact such substances do exist. By going deep into the science, we will find that the secretion of testosterone is promoted by a hormone known as IGF-1 and also by insulin. IGF-1 stands for Insulin-like Growth Factor 1, and is important in the growth of children. It also promotes acne! Insulin does the same, and what that infers that anything in the diet that promotes the production of insulin will also promote acne.

What promotes insulin? Sugars and carbohydrates! Therefore, if you eat a diet low in sugars and carbs then you should have less production of sebum, and hence less acne. What this is leading to is that if you have a tendency to get acne; then switch your diet from carbohydrates and sugary foods to vegetables, grains and seafood. The Japanese get very little acne, which supports this theory.

You should also take foods rich in zinc, since a zinc deficiency has been found to lead to acne. Nobody knows why yet, but use the information and either take a zinc supplement or eat zinc rich foods such as shellfish. Strangely, it is a deficiency of zinc that causes an increase in testosterone, not the surplus of zinc provided by eating oysters! These have another effect.

There are also herbal treatments that can be effectively used for acne. Most are topical, and tea tree oil is one the more recent such treatments used to treat acne. Among the chemical constituents of tea tree oil is terpinen-4-ol, with powerful antimicrobial properties. Little wonder then that it is effective in preventing the bacterial infection of the sebaceous gland pores. The oil helps to dry out the skin, again creating conditions alien to bacteria.

You could use tea tree oil by itself, though many people simply mix it with the acne creams they are currently using. That makes them much more effective. Another option goes back to the zinc again, but rather than take it as a supplement, use it topically. Chamomile and lavender are useful in calming skin that has been inflamed both by over-zealous use of skin scrubs and also the immune system’s inflammatory response to the infection of the pores.

There are many healthy options to the severe pharmaceutical treatments offered by your physician. These can be used in place of, but preferably as supplements to, the treatment recommended by your doctor. Each of the natural treatments has a sound scientific basis, and if you suffer from acne can be well worth trying.

How To Clear Acne Face Breakouts Naturally

One of the most frustrating and annoyingly persistent and distressing skin disorders is acne. No sooner than one pimple starts fading away, another one crops up. This condition occurs in its worst form in teenagers, as at this age, the body undergoes major hormonal changes. If you want to clear acne face breakouts naturally you do not have to look far. Natural acne remedies are available right in your own kitchen

1. Let’s begin with one of the best natural cures for acne, aloe vera. Products which contain this substance as their active ingredients, not only help in reducing acne outbreaks, but also help in acne scar removal. You can also apply the gel of the plant directly to the affected area.

2. The plain lemon juice for acne treatment is favored by many users. It removes excess oil, kills bacteria and acts as a detoxifying agent. An easy way is to squeeze juice from a fresh lemon in a small bowl. Dip a clean cotton ball in the juice, and dab it over the affected skin.

3. A WELL BALANCED DIET, with low fat and starch content but rich in fiber and moderate protein is advised. Fruits and other food sources rich in vitamin A and E are important antioxidants that prevent the oxidation of sebum by Propioniobacterium acne. Palm oil instead of groundnut oil, honey instead of sugar is also advised.

4. Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. Drinking water will help flush the toxins that cause acne out of your system and help to clear your complexion. Water also helps your cells regenerate and pass on good nutrients.

5. One of the simple natural acne home remedies that work is a paste made from honey and cinnamon powder. Before going to bed, massage the paste onto the acne-hit areas and leave it overnight. Wash your face the next morning with regular face wash.

6. Oatmeal has been used as a home treatment for varied skin problems. Similarly, oatmeal paste and extract are some of the best acne natural cures. Cook oatmeal until softened and blend it with honey. Apply the mixture over acne, let it stay like that for 25 minutes and rinse with water.

7. A lot of natural moisturizers are also available locally. Egg white left on the skin and rubbed into it after a few minutes is a powerful agent. Other people use honey masks usually mixed with cinnamon powder which gives a more potent preparation against acne. Frequent washing and application of these natural soothers restores the smoothness of the skin and prevent the onset of acne pustules.