8 Easy Fast-Acting Home Remedies to Erase Acne
When I was a teenager, acne and pimples
seemed like the plague, and I've never really broken free of their
humiliating tentacles. It’s not only the young that are afflicted,
everyone from babies to adults can suffer from some unsightly and
painful pimples from time to time. So, it’s such a godsend that we have
these 8 wonderfully easy, fast-acting remedies lying around our homes
that can actually assuage and erase all our acne problems.
Read on to see just how to fix your pimple
problems for good, and learn whether toothpaste really is a good
solution to your acne!
What is acne?
Our skin is made up of pores, each of which
can potentially form its own pimple. Underneath our pores, glands
secrete an oil, sebum, which hydrates our skin. Moving up through the
pore, sebum carries old dead skin cells, clearing them out of the way.
In every skin pore we also have a hair follicle, which can occasionally
block up the pore, meaning no oil or dead cells can escape. When the
pore gets clogged up and is filled with bacteria, it forms an inflamed
pimple.
Scientists and dermatologists (skin specialists) are uncertain about the
principal causes of acne. Some believe it to be generated through an
excess of hormones (as with teenagers, babies and pregnant women), some
through a genetic predisposition and others through particular
environmental factors, such as the use of skin products.
Other possible causes that may lead to acne
could be the use of medications, including contraceptives, lithium or
steroids. It’s been reported that certain foods such as dairy, soy,
sugar and bread may help cause acne to develop. Dairy and soy intake may
cause hormonal changes; sugar and bread (wheat in particular) may cause
inflammation.
Since bread may even contain all of these risky ingredients, one simple
solution to rid yourself of pimples is to remove bread from your diet
temporarily, to see whether this has any positive effect on your skin
condition.
Different types of pimples
The most common type of pimples are:
• Whiteheads are comedones, clogged pores, formed when one’s pore is
totally clogged up with oil and dead skin cells. The appearance of the
pimple is white.
• Blackheads are comedones, formed similarly to whiteheads. They only
appear black due to the light; they are not in fact filled with black
or dark dirt.
• Papules are the result or second stage of black or white heads when
inflamed or irritated. Picking at them can lead to worsening
inflammation, infection or scarring.
Pustules look similar to whiteheads with
worse inflammation, and are filled with pus.
Here are two more examples that are less common but more serious:
Nodules – large and firm skin bumps; and Cysts – large pus filled bumps.
If you suspect that you have these pimples, then you should consult
your doctor or dermatologist.
Pimple Treatments
Common acne medication is typically made up
of combinations of the following ingredients which have been shown to
offer effective solutions to acne related skin problems:
• Benzoyl peroxide kills bacteria and helps skin turnover. It keeps
skin pores free of bacteria and clean.
• Salicylic acid is used to treat inflammation of white and
blackheads and also reduce the likelihood of pores becoming blocked.
• Retin-A is a form of vitamin A used to improve skin cell turnover.
It also helps unclog your skin’s pores.
If you feel the need to see a dermatologist, they will probably provide
you with stronger solutions of the preceding ingredients in order to rid
you off the problem. Otherwise they may prescribe topical
antimicrobials or oral antibiotics. Contraceptive pills can also, in
some cases, have the opposite effect to that listed above. Some cause
acne and some resolve it.
Preventative habits
In order to prevent any acne outbreaks, or
to keep your skin as it is, make use of these preventative habits.
1. Wash your face twice per day – no more, no less.
2. Get into the habit of not touching your face without washing your
hands first.
3. Refrain from picking away or squeezing your pimples. Your skin should
fix itself, but if you interfere you are at risk of scarring.
4. Think of all the things that come into contact with your face
(glasses, pillowcases) and start to clean them regularly.
5. Refrain from sleeping with your makeup, washing it off before you go
to bed. Select noncomedogenic brands of makeup, whether you are buying
for yourself or someone else.
8 Easy Home Remedies for Acne
Here are 8 fast acting but wonderfully simple home remedies you can use
to fight your acne problems – so long as the condition is not too
severe. If it is contact your dermatologist for medical treatment.
1. Aspirin
Acne medication often contains salicylic
acid, and, luckily, so does aspirin. So instead of forking out for
something you probably already have at home, try grinding up a single
pill to make a paste which you can apply to the affected areas of your
skin.
2. Honey
Honey is a wonderful natural
anti-inflammatory solution to your acne related problem. It is also
antiseptic. All you need to do is dab a bit of raw honey onto your
spots. After waiting just a few minutes wash it off.
3. Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is another handy and homely
natural anti-inflammatory remedy, which will go a long way towards
soothing those fiendish spots. Simply apply some oil to the spots and
leave them overnight to work their magic.
4. Eye Drops
Eye drops are designed to soothe red eyes,
and luckily they can be used to perform the same function on your
affected skin. Just dab some of the solution to your skin, gently
rubbing it in.
5. Ice
New spots can feel like red-hot burning
pustules, so it stands to reason that a bit of frozen ice would do the
trick to calm them down. Applying a bit of ice - wrapped up in a light
towel of some kind - to your skin will immediately reduce any puffiness
and cool things down a bit.
6. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar also shares some key
properties with typical acne treatments. If you have some of this lovely
vinegar in your kitchen, why not apply it to your acne? It will kill
bacteria and promote a greater cell turnover.
7. Baking soda
Baking soda, that superb powder everybody
loves, functions as a mild skin exfoliant, helping to loosen that layer
of dead skin on your face. Apply a paste of baking soda and water to
your face to remove any excess oil, this will also encourage new cell
growth.
8. Lemon Juice
Even if you don’t have any apple cider
vinegar, you can still achieve the same effects with fresh lemon juice.
Simply apply to your face and leave it overnight.
What about toothpaste?
When I was a lad I heard that the best home
remedy for my unsightly spots was toothpaste. But I was never very
convinced by the results, and now I know why. Toothpaste, although it
contains some genuinely helpful ingredients such as baking soda and
peroxide, is not suitable for skin. As well as drying your skin and your
pimples out, it unfortunately causes too much skin irritation to be
considered a good home remedy. So, put aside this age old idea about
toothpaste and start using any of the other 8 home-remedies above!