Little Known Ways to Cure Acne
Revealed: How to treat acne?
So let’s talk about acne or in simple terms pimples. First thing that comes to sufferer’s mind listening to that word is oh no! How do I get rid of pimples? It’s easy but we need a little homework here. I’m one of those who suffered from the same for years after trying almost every other acne medication, learning the harder way, finally devised my way of getting rid of acne & now having a clear complexion. However, this does not guarantee that you’ll get success in the same by the same way but knowledge is everything, you might not be able to cure pimples by the exact way I followed but must be by another because as I always say, everybody is unique. What works for me may not work for you. But there are plenty of options in acne medications these days that I don’t believe you wouldn’t find yours.
Here we’ll follow a step by step approach.
There are people who regularly ask me about stubborn acne for which antibiotics are not working. Now you see, acne is a disease caused by a bacteria acne vulgaris that resides on our skin surface & literally feeds on sebum (natural oil in skin), so naturally the oilier your skin is, better your chances are of getting pimples. Antibiotics can kill these invaders & get your skin back to normal but there are certain instances when antibiotics or other medications don’t work. Chances are, you’ve developed resistance to the particular drug. This is very common even in other conditions also because evolution supports it. Sometimes the drugs win, & microorganisms (read bacteria of acne) are selected against & sometimes the opposite. The microorganisms which defeat the acne medicines are even more stubborn to deal with. However, antibiotics or oral drugs can only be prescribed by a registered medical practitioner & shall not be taken lightly so we will not discuss about it here. Let’s keep it for doctors to deal with only after examining your condition. We’ll talk about other simpler approaches that can reduce the inflammation or even cure acne.
We have a few options that come handy in the battle against pimples & common skin infection. first things first, in medical terms, the pimple bumps caused by bacterial infection are called comedones & from now on we will refer to it in such a way. There are over the counter skin creams available that can actually fight acne really well to a certain extent.
Most popular warriors in this niche I must name are Accutane & Tretinoin. Accutane is isotretinoin, a derivative of tretinoin which is marketed as Retin-A in USA & Retino-A in India & is available in .025-.05% concentration (based on Vitamin A) & both are to a certain extent effective. I always advise people to apply tretinoin/Retin-A at night once a day before bed. Always remember, too much product will not cure your pimples faster but rather can cause irritation. These medication that fight acne usually speed up cell turnover & thus hit the refresh mode of skin so you lose your upper skin cell layer instead of a new one. It simply shortens the normal cycle. For the first week or two of tretinoin application may actually exaggerate your symptoms but fret not! Tretinoin, during the time of beheading those annoying bacteria discovers more skin abnormalities tucked beneath & hidden from your view. So you need to continue using it so see results which may take upto 3-4 weeks atleast.
But acne in sensitive skin poses a different problem. Sometimes side effects from a medication override the benefit & you’re compelled to cease using the drug for treatment. But there are other ways. First of all, there is Azelaic acid (marketed in India in 10% & 20%) formulation. This is a multitasker. This not only cures acne but also fades those nasty acne scars. Most people with sensitive skin do not complain.
There is another very handy solution for severe acne in sensitive skin: Mandelic acid. It causes little to no side effects & effectively clears acne.
Salicylic acid for acne is so far the best I’ve learnt about. Its available these days in forms of face wash to creams & being a beta hydroxyl acid, it penetrates better than its popular alpha hydroxyl acid cousins like glycolic acid which is also very popular as a pimple killing warrior. However, both should be used at night.
At this point, we should not forget the popular home remedies for acne. While we now know, sebum is the food for acne bacteria, then cutting its supplies can kill it. So its common wisdom that anything that draws excess oil out from our skin can be an amazing option as a natural treatment for acne.
Clay masks like bentonite , rhassoul or our good old friend multani mitti/fuller’s earth can do the trick. They are notorious for absorbing extra oil from skin, so a face mask based on clay would immensely benefit acne prone skin. Also do not forget to add turmeric &/or some sandalwood powder, both have antiseptic & antioxidant properties. Just don’t forget to moisturize after that (check for the label non-comedogenic on it which means non pre clogging). To know more on clay, follow:
There’s no Indian I’ve heard who doesn’t know Neem’s benefit. So simply, neem leaf paste can be a killing machine to pimples. Adding a tsp of vinegar to that (if you aren’t too sensitive) would be KICKASS. Vinegar is too acidic for bacteria to tolerate & neem leaves are godsend.
Common kitchen salt can act in this case as an unusual trick. Salt detoxifies skin & thus after you’ve washed your skin, apply a little salt on your face with wet hands. Keep it for 10 minutes & wash it off. Feel the extra smoothness right then.
But beware do not overwash your face, like pretending that you have oily skin since you have acne, washing twice a day with a NON-foaming facewash is enough. If you use clay mask once, then limit your facewash to once a day or your skin will overcompensate for the oil washed off & it’ll double up the oil production. That’s why I highly recommend not to use foaming face wash. That clean feel will not last long & worsen your acne. Use something that does not completely strip your skin off your natural oil, something that just cleanses your face gently.
Last but not the least; you’d see these days green beauty has made a huge comeback so it’d be officially a sin not to mention essential oils. These oils are extremely potent in what they do. To fight acne, even those nasty resistant pimples, these can prove immensely potent. Think it that way, it needs 3 kg. rose petals to make 1 ml. of Rose Essential oil; so you know how extremely concentrated these things are & thus with highly conc. active ingredients, these can heal even the worst of acne conditions if used wisely. Cedarwood oil, Neem oil, Calendula oil, Camphor oil, Turmeric oil, Sandalwood oil, Tamanu oil are what I swear by but by far I’ve found the most potent acne healing essential oil is the Clove leaf oil (may feel like burning at first but soon the feeling will subside). But remember to dilute any essential oil with a carrier oil. To use essential oils to heal acne, you must dilute them in non comedogenic carrier oils or you’ll burn your skin. Carrier oil’s comedogenicity information can be found over the internet. However, in this case I recommend, Moroccan Argan Oil. Pure Moroccan argan oil is non comedogenic & is not found easily, so you need to work hard to find it & remember, all these oils mentioned here are pretty expensive but they’ll work well to heal pimples here & that’s what we want.
However, sometimes pimples are caused by hormonal imbalance, especially for girls as a PMS symptom & it resolves on its own. Just like me; I suffer from chronic depression & stress causes sudden breakouts. But such mild cases shouldn’t cause much headache. Just remember not to touch the pimples & carry on with your normal skincare routine. Try meditating. All these will resolve your stress bumps naturally.
Finally, a word of wisdom: ALWAYS PRACTICE SUN PROTECTION when using any of the treatment mentioned above & use a non comedogenic sunscreen of atleast SPF 30+ & PA+++ rating along with protective clothing. I hope this article helps you by empowering you with knowledge but if you still have any questions, put them in the comments section below & I’d be pleased to address them.
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Thanks for reading.
Cheers!!!!
