Acne is a skin disease that can affect the face, the chest, the back, and other upper body parts of any individual. Many people suffer from acne, but most individuals who have acne are adolescents or teenagers. This is mainly caused by a reaction from the hormonal changes that adolescents experience during puberty.
Whether you are a teenager or an adult, surely nobody enjoys dealing with acne blemishes and breakouts. Perhaps you have spent lots of money to purchase over the counter remedies that seemed to take more dollars from your wallet then pimples from your face. Maybe you have consulted with a dermatologist, but are not happy with the prescribed medications that have been suggested. If you are not happy with prescribed acne treatments or the price of over the counter acne medications, then you might be interested in home treatments for acne. You need to remember though that home treatments for acne are better for mild acne, but not for severe cases of acne.
The history of home treatments for acne
Home treatments for acne are not new and they have been around for a long time. In fact, it is high probability that your grandmother had a few remedies and home treatments in her collection of beauty secrets. Long before cosmetics were sold in stores, women found interesting ways to accentuate their beauty with homemade makeup. Women also found many ways to add fragrance to their hair and to treat different skin problems such as dryness, wrinkles, and even acne. If you have light acne, occasional breakouts, or acne prone skin, paying attention to some of grandma's secrets can become a big help in your fight for clear skin.
Common home treatments for acne
One effective home treatment for acne may just be to change the way you live in such a way as to affect the food you eat as well as the way you clean yourself. Eating too much fatty foods can trigger acne outbreaks and not washing your face regularly can block the skin pores which eventually lead to inflamed pores and acne.
Many things in the kitchen have medicinal uses. Something as simple as the oatmeal can actually be used as an acne reducing mask. If you want to try a homemade acne mask, simply combine a half cup of quick cook oats with enough honey to make a pastel. Apply gently to your face and then allow it to dry for about fifteen minutes. Once it has dried, you can remove the mask with a wet wash cloth. As you remove it, you should gently rotate the cloth in tight circles over the surface of your face. This procedure will allow the oatmeal to exfoliate your skin.
Mint also has healing properties and if you dab a little mint oil on an acne blemish, it can help to reduce it quickly. Cider vinegar contains many cleansing properties and it can be used as an astringent. You only need to dampen a cotton ball with a tiny bit of apple cider vinegar and wipe it over your face once or twice a day.
Lemon juice and rose water in equal amounts can serve as a great home treatment for acne. Apply the mixture on the affected area and leave there for half an hour and then wash it off. This method needs to be done for fifteen to twenty consecutive days before you can see the result. Fresh garlic is another home treatment for acne that could work since garlic is a great anti-septic. You only need to rub the pounded garlic cloves on the affected areas. You may feel a slight sting when you use this method.
If you have ever experienced a professional facial, you should know that steam is a relaxing part of the treatment. You can achieve the same effect with a simple home treatment as well. Simply bring and boil a pot of water on your stove and then place the pot on a hot pad on your kitchen table. Place your face over the pot and you should be careful not to burn yourself on its hot edges. In addition, you can drape a towel over your head to catch those cleansing steam vapors and keep them from escaping.
If you want to enhance the experience of this home steam treatment for acne, you can add essential oils or whole herbs to the pot of water when it starts boiling. Mint can break up the dirt and oil in your skin pores and it can do wonders for your sinuses as well. Rose hips are full of vitamin A and it will infuse your skin cells with all sorts of regenerative properties. Lastly, you can even add lavender to help you feel relax. Many dermatologists believe that stress plays a role in making acne breakouts, so adding relaxing lavender to your home steam treatment for acne might help more than you realize.
