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Acne Remedy
Acne remedy ... look no further for remedies you can do from home!
You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on expensive and toxic acne remedies to have healthy looking skin.
These do-it-yourself acne remedies will put you in charge of your skin and your health to make your acne a thing of the past!
While acne is not a life threatening disease, it can seem like it sometimes.
Acne really can lower self- confidence.
We all need to feel confident, calm, and collected ... no matter how difficult that may seem sometimes.
And unfortunately acne can be a sign that other health problems lurk beneath the surface ... warning you of more health problems down the road.
You can make acne a thing of the past ... And improve your overall health at the same time ... by learning about and implementing these powerful acne remedies!
That is what it is all about! Good health is the most important kind of wealth.
The Ultimate Acne Remedy
Improve Your Diet
When it comes to finding the right acne remedy for you, we have to start with diet.
Why you ask?
Because poor diet is the #1 Cause of acne symptoms !!!
You can improve and even reverse your acne simply by improving your diet alone.
You might not know this, but in some cultures teenagers don't get acne. Guess what those cultures have in common?
If you guessed that they don't eat the standard American junk food diet, then you guessed correctly.
We blame acne on hormones ... but the biggest cause of acne is a junk-food-riddled diet.
And this diet is doing more than just causing acne. It is harming your health .. and if you are a growing teenager ... it is also stunting your healthy development.
All the bad fats and processed sugars contained in a bad diet pollutes the body and wreaks havoc on your hormones.
And those unbalanced hormones lead to acne and other illnesses, such as depression, attention deficit disorder, and ....
While it seems like we are picking on young Americans here, we kind of are. Why? Because their diets are killing them!
Literally. In countries where young people consume a heathy low-glycemic diet, and avoid pizza, milk, chocolate, candy, alcohol, and processed foods .... Do you think these young people have acne? Yes or no? The answer is a big fat NO!
For a long time we believed that if we were born with certain genes then we were destined to have certain health problems.
But now we know that the foods we eat have the ability to turn on health-promoting genes and turn off health-destroying genes (or vice versa).
That means your diet is the ultimate acne remedy!
You Can Turn Your Genes On and Off
So while you have no say over which genes you inherited, you do have control over which genes you choose to activate or deactivate. This all depends on the diet you choose (as well as other lifestyle choices).
There is a pathway in your body called the mTORC1 pathway. It regulates how your body's cells replicate, and dysfunction of this pathway can lead to disease and to acne.
Certain foods overstimulate the mTORC1 pathway, and that can lead to acne.
To TURN OFF your acne-producing genes, eat more of these foods:
Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage)
Green tea
Turmeric
Grapes
Onions
Strawberries
Blueberries
Mangoes
Cucumbers.
To TURN ON your acne-producing genes, eat less or none of these foods:
Dairy (milk, cheese, ice cream)
Meat (especially processed meats like hot dogs and sandwich meats)
Highly Processed Carbs (cake, white bread, soda, candy)
This information is very liberating! We truly hold the key to our health destiny!
It isn’t up to anyone else. And you are not cursed to have acne just because of your genetics.
Dump Dairy
Many acne sufferers have found that cutting out diary products was the only acne remedy they needed.
If you suffer from acne, do yourself a favor and cut all dairy products out of your diet.
This includes any products made from animal milk (cow, goat, sheep, whatever).
Cheeses, yogurts, ice cream and other products made from animal milk have been directly linked to acne.
Why is dairy such a problem? There are at least two good scientific reasons:
1. Animal milk contains hormones .. lots of hormones ... that are designed to help baby animals grow up to be big and strong. Those hormones are great for baby cows and baby goats, but they aren't good for humans. And they create hormone imbalances in your body that increase acne.
2. Animal milks contain high amounts of leucine. Leucine is an amino acid that is fine in small amounts, but in large amounts it can lead to impairment of proper body function. High amounts of leucine overstimulate the mTORC1 pathway
This is an intracellular signaling pathway that regulates the cell cycle. Overstimulation of this pathway causes the sebaceous glands in your skin to produce more oil .... leading to acne.
If you want to read up on the mTORC1 pathway, here is a great source to get you started. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3331679/
Bowel Cleansing as an Acne Remedy
Ok ... it's time to get real. If you have acne .... then you need to clean your colon. Period ... no doubt!
Every good herbalist knows that 80% of all illness and disease is caused by accumulation of toxins inside the body. If you have acne, it is highly likely that you have toxin build up in your body.
If you really want to get rid of your acne for good, then you want to get the bad stuff out of your body (cleanse) and put good stuff in your body (improve your diet).
Cleansing and healthy eating are the most important acne remedies of all!
If your body can't get toxins out through your colon, then the toxins will come out in other ways. The skin is the largest organ in the body, and your body will use the skin to eliminate toxins through the sweat glands if it needs to. This can lead to acne, as well as other skin conditions.
Your body's elimination channels include the colon, the kidneys, the liver, the skin and the lungs.
It is important to cleanse every elimination channel if possible. You should always start with the bowel. If you decide that you only want to cleanse one channel, it must be the bowel.
The bowel should always be cleansed first regardless. The bowel is our main elimination channel, and the other elimination organs cannot function properly if the bowels are not operating at optimal levels.
Skin Cleansing as an Acne Remedy
If you suffer from acne, you probably know that there is lots of conflicting information out there about how to cleanse your skin. Our favorite skin cleanser acne remedy is good old bentonite clay.
When used as an acne face mask, or on other acne-prone areas, bentonite clay can yield amazing results.
Bentonite clay is a very old type of healing clay that has the ability to draw toxins and poisons to the surface of your skin and absorb them.
Clay has an extraordinary ability to pull impurities from the skin and body.
As a matter of fact clay is so good at purification, it can even be used to purify water.
It can pull venom out of insect bites and snake bites as well as boils. Clay masks have been used by women for ages to keep skin healthy.
As it turns out bentonite clay is also very good to get rid of not only acne, but acne scars too.
The form of clay used on the face is known as calcium bentonite clay.
It is hard to go wrong with bentonite clay, it is one of the most tried and true natural remedies handed down from generation to generation.
Check out this great youtube video to learn more about how to use the bentonite clay facial mask as an acne remedy.
Blue Light Therapy as an Acne Remedy
Some studies support the use of blue light therapy as an acne remedy. Research shows that blue light therapy can help eradicate and control acne.
Blue light therapy is done using a hand held device that emits a high-intensity light. You can do this at home. It seems to be safe and you can purchase a device online.
In one study, each of the subjects had been battling acne for 13 years. That’s a long time. The study was done over a 28 day period.
At the end of the study, all participants experienced significant improvement in their acne.
The blue light device killed bacteria that are associated with acne.
It appears that this tool could come in handy with your battle against acne.
Vitamins and Zinc for Acne
Zinc deficiencies and Vitamin deficiencies have been linked to acne.
It appears that acne sufferers are more likely to have deficiencies in Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and Zinc.
No surprise here, since we have already learned that diet is the foundation of natural healing. A deficiency in any nutrient can manifest itself as a disease.
While synthetic supplements can be of help, if you can you should always try and get a supplement made from whole foods. While it will cost more, your body can use it more effectively.
You also want to get more of these nutrients in the foods you eat.
Great food sources of vitamin A include:
fresh carrot juice
sweet potatoes
kale
spinach
broccoli
Great food sources of vitamin E include:
sunflower seeds
almonds
hazelnuts
pine nuts
avocados
mangoes
sweet red pepper
Great food sources of zinc include:
beans
legumes
nuts
seeds
oats (organic only, avoid conventional)
nutritional yeast
So again, if we start taking better care of ourselves in all areas. Nutritionally, emotionally, spiritually, exercise more, hydrate more, then our body will start to take care of itself, and this includes our acne.
Herbal Acne Remedies
1. Tea Tree Oil
Tea Tree Oil is a powerful acne remedy! If you have ever used tea tree oil for anything, you could probably imagine what it would do to your acne.
The stuff is stout to say the least. And research shows it can significantly reduced acne symptoms.
A double blind study (60 participants total with mild to moderate acne vulgaris) compared a 5% tea tree oil gel to a placebo gel. The study lasted for 45 days.
The test group was given a 5% tea tree oil gel, and the control group was given a placebo. The 5% tea tree oil was 3.55 times more effective at reducing total acne lesion count and 5.75 times more effective at reducing a measure called the acne severity index.
Side effects were similar among both the test group and the control group.
Bottom line: The 5% tea tree oil reduced the symptoms of acne without any added side effects. That's a win-win for sure!
2. Barberries
Herbalists have known for many years that the herb barberry helps to cleanse the gut and liver. And remember how we talked about the importance of cleansing to get to the root of acne?
In a study done with teenage girls that were suffering from acne, participants were given 600 mg daily of a aqueous barberry extract for 4 weeks. And indeed the barberry did result in significant improvements to the subjects' acne.
So give barberries a try. They might turn out to be your favorite acne remedy.
3. Cinnamon and Honey
One thing is for sure, cinnamon and honey taste great on their own, but put them together and they taste even better. But what would happen if you put the combo on your acne?
In one study, honey and cinnamon were used against two of the main bacteria responsible for acne, Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis.
The duo of honey and cinnamon laid the smack-down on both of the bacteria mentioned above.
So, in theory, if you use it on your acne lesions you will probably get a pleasant surprise. But if it doesn’t work for you, you can always eat your honey and cinnamon.
And remember always choose raw honey as your acne remedy. It still has all of its medicinal enzymes because it hasn't been altered by high heat.
4. Green Tea Lotion
Green tea lotion shows great promise as an acne remedy.
In one study, 20 participants were given a 2% green tea lotion. The lotion was applied twice daily for 6 weeks. The total lesion count was reduced by 58 %, and the total severity index was decreased by 39%.
Green tea is a powerful food, containing abundant polyphenols and exhibits great antioxidant powers. What isn’t there to love about green tea? Especially now that we know it hates acne as much as we do!
5. Green Tea, Pomegranate Juice and Pomegranate Extract
Green tea and pomegranate are both known for their high anti-oxidant levels, and high anti-oxidant levels usually = acne remedy. Some studies show this combo can be an ally in your battle against acne.
This study was done in vitro on bacterial strains that cause acne. The strains used were 94 Propionibacterium acnes, Propionibacterium granulosum, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis.
The green tea and pomegranate extract were both effective in killing and suppressing all of the bacterial strains.
These studies were done in a lab, not in people. So if you want to try this remedy out for yourself, try using the green tea and the pomegranate internally as well as externally. But make sure to drink green tea and don't use green tea supplements, they have been linked to liver problems.
Green tea and pomegranate juice are easy to find, and there are bound to be some pomegranate extracts on line. (Be sure to use organic green tea, as the non-organics are full of toxins.)
Looking at this study, it definitely seems worth a shot. Both green tea and pomegranates have super health giving properties, so it will definitely help your overall health if you consume these foods.
Let us know how this combination works for you as you try out different acne remedies.
6. Apple Cider Vinegar
Many people claim to have had success in using apple cider vinegar as an acne remedy. Apple cider vinegar is well-known for its antimicrobial properties.
While there are no official studies using whole state apple cider vinegar (ACV) as an acne remedy, studies have been conducted on some of the acids contained in ACV (specifically acetic acid and citric acid).
Citric acid has been shown in studies to help acne.
There are so many testimonials out there, it would be foolish to ignore ACV as a solution for acne. Click here for some testimonials of using ACV for acne you can check out for yourself.
One thing is for sure, ACV is potent. While some can use ACV undiluted on their face, others who went that route experienced skin irritation. You have to find what works best for you. If you experience irritation, you can dilute the ACV with distilled water.
So go slow with ACV if you want to try it for your acne. Hopefully you will have great results like many others have.
7. Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is one home remedy most of us have heard of. Aloe vera has many healing properties for the skin, including acne relief.
Aloe has the ability to stimulate new skin cell growth. Aloe also has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. From what we have learned so far, we know that these properties will help treat acne.
One of the few studies done with aloe compared two groups. One group received Tretinoin alone (Tretinoin is a chemical drug used to treat acne) and the other group received a combination gel that contained aloe and Tretinoin.
Of course the combo group got the best results with their acne.
But since I prefer to take an all-natural approach, I would suggest trying the aloe vera gel alone.
To use aloe gel as an acne remedy, you can rub it directly on your face. It is best to harvest your own aloe vera gel so that it is fresh. Look for a large aloe vera leaf at your grocery or health food store and scrape the gel from inside the leaves.
8. Turmeric
Turmeric is known to have antinflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. So it is no surprise that turmeric is very good for your skin and for your acne symptoms.
Turmeric has an amazing ability to speed up wound healing. It seems turmeric was custom made for skin maladies including acne. Turmeric has even improved skin cancer lesions when applied topically with an ethanol extract of turmeric.
This makes turmeric a great acne remedy for acne scars as well.
In most of the studies investigating the effects of turmeric on acne, an ethanol extract of turmeric was used in an ointment. This would be easy to replicate at home by purchasing turmeric tincture (aka turmeric extract) applying it to your acne.
Turmeric works best by both applying it to the skin and and consuming turmeric internally. Click here to learn more about how to use turmeric, and about turmeric's many benefits.
Click here to learn more about the benefits of turmeric.
9. Boswellia serrata
Boswellia is an herb with great anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, making it a great acne remedy.
There are numerous reports of individuals and professionals who have used boswellia as a safe and effective treatment for their acne and for rosacea.
Here is an example of a medical doctor who had success in treating a patient's rosacea using boswellia. He gave his patient 2 grams a day for 2 months in divided doses. (500 mg 4 times a day was the exact dose.)
At the end of the 2 months his patients rosacea was gone. The brand used was from a manufacturer called Pentavox India.
I love hearing about medical doctors who step outside of the box and use nature’s medicine. Boswellia is a potent herb that has proven it’s effectiveness in numerous diseases, it is definitely worth a shot if you are suffering from acne or rosacea.
10. Arctium lappa
Arctium lappa is one of most popular of many homeopathics used as an acne remedy.
One study administered Arctium lappa to 34 acne-suffering participants for 6 months. Arctium was given in doses of 6c up to 1m. At the end of the study there was a statistically significant improvement in all of the participants' acne symptoms.
One thing to remember when using homeopathy is that the same acne remedy doesn’t work for everyone.
Sometimes you need to try several before you find the best one for you.
That is why it is a good idea to find a good homeopathic practitioner.
If you can't find a good homeopathic practitioner, the good news is that homeopathics are cheap and safe. So you could try different types until you find the one that works for you.
Here are some more homeopathic remedies that are good for acne:
Hepar sulph
Psorinum Sulphur
Berberis Aquifolium
Kali Bromatum
Calc phos
Calc sulph
Psorinum is a good remedy for all types of acne, so it could be one of the first you try. Remember you will have to find the right homeopathic remedy for you. So if you can’t find a practitioner, pick one remedy and try it until you narrow it down to the remedy that is right for you.
This isn’t a complete list of homeopathic remedies for acne, but it is a list of the most commonly used homeopathic remedies for acne. You find most of these at your local health food store, Whole Foods or Publix. And of course you can find them online.
A Few Last Words
We have covered a lot of information to help you choose the best acne remedy for you. But please remember the most important thing we learned ... the primary underlying cause of acne is a poor diet.
If you want to improve your health ... if you are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired ... then it is important to work on every facet of your health -- your mind, body, and spirit. All three have to become balanced before you will achieve your highest level of health.
And when it comes to acne or anything else, there are no exceptions. So the next time you find yourself in any situation that doesn’t feel right to you, get out. The first step is to be true to ourselves.
If you are sick of your acne, I hope you use what we have learned and make your acne a thing of the past. And remember -- keep it natural!
Want to delve deeper into the studies posted on our Acid Reflux Home Remedies Page? Here is a list of all of the studies we referenced ...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15692464
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22419445
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22678562
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/toxins-all-around-us/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3521879/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23038982
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15035691
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25527754
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16407643
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2923954/
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28398231
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26091382
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17314442
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26940755
https://www.acne.org/braggs-apple-cider-vinegar-as-a-topical-reviews-1731/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24931753
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/09546634.2013.768328
http://www.bio-forum.net/Boswellia_Serrata_for_Acnea_Rosacea_doc.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17291738
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23826827
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25878374
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27213821
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2435036
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0043135486902113
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