Home Remedies for Acne

Home Remedies for Acne – What is Acne?

Home remedies for acne

Many people are now trying home remedies for acne treatment. Everyone wants to have smooth and shiny skin.  Have you ever thought where the oil on your skin comes from?  Your skin has small holes (pores) on its surface. These holes are connected to small oil glands (sebaceous glands) under the skin. The oily substance on your skin comes from these glands. This oily substance is called sebum. When secreted in normal amounts, it helps to lubricate the skin and in removing dead and old skin cells.   Hormonal changes can cause an increase in oil production leading to blockage of the pores.  If the pore gets blocked or gets closed then it is a whitehead.  An open blocked pore with darkening of the top surface is a blackhead.  Clogged pores infected with bacteria are the pimples. They are those typical red, inflamed and swollen bumps you hate the most, sometimes filled with a yellow colored material (pus).

Home Remedies for Acne – Myths and Truths about Acne

Acne is a very common and some 75% of us will have it at least once in our life time.     Here are a few myths that have been discussed over the years.  Many of these myths revolve around home remedies for acne treatment.

Acne is caused by diet. It is a common belief that acne is caused and aggravated by eating oily and greasy food such as french fries, pizzas and chocolates.  However, there is no medical evidence supporting this.

Repeated face washes help. You must have been lured by sexy commercials into buying useless face washes and soaps.  They claim to clear your skin of acne if used multiple times a day to wash your face.  These products take advantage of the myth that acne is a result of poor hygiene.

Sun exposure can help. This is also a myth. Sun exposure causes tanning or darkening of the skin.  The redness of the acne is temporarily hidden by the sun tan.  As soon as the tan disappears, the acne is again visible. Moreover, excess sun exposure puts you at a greater risk of developing skin cancer and may cause premature aging of the skin.

Squeezing the pimples will help. This is a common misconception that if a pimple (also whitehead or blackhead) is squeezed in the very beginning, it will help. On the contrary, this can lead to spreading of bacterial infection and aggravating the condition. Squeezing can also lead to formation of scars, which can become permanent due to repeated squeezing.

Make up use can cause Acne. Myth!  Nowadays there are several nonacnegenic or noncomedogenic cosmetic products available in the market.

Acne is contagious.  Acne is not an infection or a skin disease. If one of your friends has acne, you will not contract it.

Top 5 Home Remedies for Acne

The majority of the ingredients for home remedies for acne can be found right in your kitchen.

Lemon Juice: The cheapest and often the best remedy to alleviate acne symptoms. It acts by decreasing the oil production in the sebaceous glands and cleaning the pores. It has an almost instant reaction and makes the skin clear and glowing.  Apply a sliced fresh lemon on your skin, rubbing gently and squeezing in between to get some juice out. Leave the juice on the skin for about 20 minutes.  Afterwards wash it with cold water and see the difference.

Orange Peel: Dried orange peel also acts by reducing the production of oil, and cleaning the pores of the dirt and excess oil. Grind dried orange peel into a fine powder and mix it with water to make a paste. Apply on the skin and leave it for around 20-25 minutes, or until the paste is dry. Wash it out with cold water and pat gently with a dry cloth.

Garlic: Eat two to three cloves of raw garlic every day for a month. You can also rub the raw garlic to your problem areas. It is said to purify blood, thus reducing pimples.

Cucumber: Grate a raw cucumber and apply it over the affected skin. Leave the cucumber on your skin for about 15 minutes.  Wash it out with cold water and dry your skin gently.

Egg yolk: Crack one egg and separate the yolk.  Apply the egg yolk with a cotton tip on the affected areas.  Leave it on for about 15-20 minutes.   Wash it out with cold water.

There are several more suggestions on this page for home remedies for acne.

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