Almost everyone has suffered from acne at one time or another in his or her lives. It is primarily a disorder of the sebaceous gland (glands in the skin that secrete an oily substance) of the face, the neck and back. When the sebaceous glands become clogged with the oily substance they create, the accumulation results in pimples. There are several forms of acne, but the most common is acne vulgaris, found primarily in adolescents.

The exact cause of acne is not known, but factors that contribute to this condition include heredity, oily skin and androgens. Additional factors include allergies, stress, the use of certain drugs, nutritional deficiencies, liver dysfunction, exposure to industrial pollutants, cosmetics and the monthly menstrual cycle.

In addition, the skin functions to eliminate a portion of the body’s toxic waste by sweating. If the body contains more toxins than the kidneys or liver can effectively discharge, the skin takes over. In fact, some doctors call the skin the 3rd kidney. As toxins escape through the skin, they can disrupt the health and integrity of the skin, creating issues.

Recommendations for Wellness

Note: Some of these recommendations may take 2-4 weeks before any results or improvements are experienced.

Apply distilled white vinegar (can be diluted if too strong) to the face and affected areas. Allow this to sit for 5-10 minutes before rinsing off with cool water.

Lemon or any citric fruit works great as a natural exfoliate, removing dead skin cells that may clog the pours. As with the white vinegar, apply the juice of a lemon (or desired citric juice) to the face. Allow it to dry for about 10 minutes, then rinse with cool water. You may feel a mild sting or burn when the lemon juice is applied. If so, diluting the juice is acceptable.

Increase water consumption. Water helps flush toxin out and help transport nutrients in the body.

Eat a properly balanced diet to ensure proper nutrition. Take a high quality multiple vitamin and mineral supplement to make up for nutrients missing in today’s foods.

Echinacea or Oregon grape can be used to boost the immune system and fight acne-causing bacteria.

Dandelion, Burdock or red clover can help to keep the liver clear of toxic overload.

Herbal combinations such as Natures Sunshine’s Ayurvedic Skin Detox, and BP-X can also be used to cleanse and detoxify the liver and reduce acne.

Large quantities of vitamin A have been successfully used to treat severe acne. Large amounts, however, can be toxic and should only be used when working with your health care provider.

Consider adding additional zinc to your diet. Zinc aids in the healing of tissues and assists in preventing scarring. It is also important for the body in resisting infection and inflammation.

To clear and heal the skin, try a homeopathic Acne remedy. It can help to dry up pimples & prevent future outbreaks.

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Accutane is possibly the most effective acne fighting drug on the market, a very potent weapon against any acne that has been failed by other forms of treatment. It is generally prescribed for moderate to severe cases of acne that have not responded to other treatment, or acne that has been present for several years.

While most other acne-controlling drugs are based on antibiotics, Accutane is based on a natural derivative of vitamin A, which is itself effective against acne, as previously mentioned. Unlike vitamin A, however, the human body is capable of purging Accutane from the bloodstream relatively quickly (nine days is normally the maximum that it takes) and so it does not build up in the same potentially harmful way that vitamin A can.

Accutane is effective at ‘curing’ around half of the acne sufferers who take it, and these people will normally have to do nothing else as far as dealing with their acne problem is concerned.

However, in the first few weeks of treatment with Accutane, around one in five sufferers will initially see their condition deteriorate a little, while a very small number (around 0.2%) will see their condition get much worse before it begins to get better.

After that, the ‘normal’ patient needs treatment for around four to six months, while a very small number will need to repeat the treatment course once again after that initial period.

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There are literally hundreds of over-the-counter treatments available for acne and they range widely in price but, because clearing up your acne is going to be a lengthy process, it can become very expensive very quickly. So is there anything you can do by way of a home remedy?

There are in fact several home remedies available but, before trying any of them, you need to think in terms of safety. Unless you have thoroughly research a particular home remedy then you need to be sure that it is safe to use and that means testing it out on a very small area of your skin (not on your face) or talking to your doctor before using it.

The most widely used over-the-counter treatments for acne contain benzoyl peroxide as their active ingredient and you will find that this is also used in a number of face washes and soaps which are not necessarily sold specifically for acne. As you need to buy soap anyway, a good starting point is simply to switch over from your regular soap to one which contains benzoyl peroxide. Be careful though as overuse can lead to dryness and even to redness and irritation of the skin.

Another commonly used form of treatment involves the use of salicylic acid which you will also find is the active ingredient in several face washes and which can be very useful in helping to open the pores of the skin so that your acne can heal.

These two approaches should be your first line of attack as they are most likely to produce positive results. However, there are numerous other everyday remedies which many people swear by including using vinegar, goats milk and a large number of herbal preparations.

The problem with acne is that it can take quite a long time to clear up and you are not going to find any solution which will literally have your skin clear overnight. So, whatever you try you have got to give it time to work. For example, trying goats milk soap for a couple of days and then concluding that it doesn’t work is not the answer. You need to give any treatment that you try at least ten days to two weeks and then, if it doesn’t appear to be having any effect or is in fact making matters worse, go on and try something else.

Remember too that we are all different and our skins and bodies will react differently to different treatments. The fact that a friend tells you that she has found a combination of vitamins that cure acne does not mean that vitamins are necessarily going to work for you.

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