Natural Acne Remedies
To Clear Your Skin

There are several natural acne remedies you can use to clear up your skin before you head to a dermatologist, who may or may not do you any good. Acne affects many people starting as early as pre-teen years and lasting sometimes into middle age. If you have a problem with acne, you 're not alone.

Acne is caused by a complex group of factors. The primary problem is a bacterial infection, Propionibacterium acnes, which is present on the skin of almost everyone. This bacterium is necessary to help keep your skin clear of excessive oils, but when your hormones get out of whack, the bacteria may start growing out of control. The result: an acne outbreak.

In Chinese medicine, the cause is seen as an imbalance of hot and wet humors. The hot part refers to an increase in inflammation, and the wet as an increase in the water in your tissues, which provides bacteria an excellent base in which to grow. Either perspective leaves you several different ways to treat acne.

Natural Acne Remedies: The Common Sense Approach

Start with good basic skin care: wash skin gently with plain warm water, and use a very mild non-soap cleanser when your skin is dirtiest. Scrubbing is bad, and picking at pimples in any way can cause scarring and more pimples. You don't need to do these things; very warm water will open the pores enough to release excess oils, and it will help dissolve those oils and wash them away.

Use only non-comedogenic (they do not clog the oil glands) makeups and skin products. You may have heard that ultraviolet light from the sun kills bacteria; it does, but you're better off treating your acne in other ways and avoiding the damage the sun can cause.

Eat a balanced diet, and drink plenty of water every day. Good nutrition and good hydration both go a long way toward balancing your hormones and increasing your skin health.

If caring for your skin in this manner does not clear up your acne (and it may) you need to move on to natural acne remedies like the following ones.

Natural Acne Remedies From Western and Chinese Medicine

• Multivitamin and chromium supplements sometimes improve acne problems, especially in those who think they may not be getting good nutrition.
• Zinc, applied topically to particularly bad acne spots overnight, often is enough to clear them up. You can find this in Desitin baby rash ointment and in dozens of skin treatments. You can use white toothpaste in the same way.
• Wash your face gently in lemon juice after cleaning it, once each day. The citrus changes the pH balance of your skin, making it difficult for bacteria to survive, and the acid helps cleanse some of the excess oil from your face.
• If you go to an acupuncturist, ask him or her to treat your acne.
• Some Chinese herbal pharmacists will give you an herbal capsule designed specifically for acne that you can take. If you do this, be sure to get a list of ingredients, and let your doctor and pharmacist know about these herbs any time you get a prescription, to ensure you do not have interactions that may make you sick.

There are many other natural acne remedies, but this short list and the care tips are enough to help most people clear up their acne problems.

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