“Natural Cures for Acne”

“Natural cures for acne” do exist. Acne is an inflammatory skin condition characterized by clogged pores, blackheads, and pimples. The oil glands, or sebaceous glands, are connected to hair follicles and release a substance known as sebum that lubricates hair and skin. Usually, sebum travels up the hair follicle and out onto your skin. But when the sebaceous glands produce too much oil that combines with dead skin cells, the follicles become blocked and inflamed. Acne most often affects the nose, forehead, cheeks, chin, back, and trunk. Between 17 – 45 million people have acne, making it the most common skin disease in the United States. While it tends to last longer in women, men are more likely to get acne and to have more severe cases. Acne is most common in teens, and it generally goes away by age 30. Although it is not a serious health threat, severe acne can be painful and may cause permanent scarring.

Acne is a common skin disease that causes pimples. Pimples form when hair follicles under your skin clog up. Most pimples form on the face, neck, back, chest and shoulders. Anyone can get acne, but it is common in teenagers and young adults. It is not serious, but it can cause scars.

No one knows exactly what causes acne. Hormone changes, such as those during the teenage years and pregnancy, probably play a role. There are many myths about what causes acne. Chocolate and greasy foods are often blamed, but there is little evidence that foods have much effect on acne in most people. Another common myth is that dirty skin causes acne; however, blackheads and pimples are not caused by dirt. Stress doesn’t cause acne, but stress can make it worse.

If you have acne, first…

* Clean your skin gently
* Try not to touch your skin
* Avoid the sun

Treatments for acne include medicines and creams.

Aloe vera: there are treatments for acne mentioned in Ayurveda using herbs such as Aloe vera, Neem, Haldi (Turmeric) and Papaya. There is limited evidence from medical studies on some of these products, although others have been proven effective. Products from Rubia cordifolia, Curcuma longa (commonly known as Turmeric), Hemidesmus indicus (known as ananthamoola or anantmula), and Azadirachta indica (Neem) have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects, but not aloe vera.

Azelaic acid (brand names Azelex, Finevin and Skinoren) is suitable for mild, comedonal acne.[59]

Calendula used in suspension is used as an anti-inflammatory agent

Heat: local heating may be used to kill the bacteria in a developing pimple and so speed healing. [61]

Nicotinamide, (Vitamin B3) used topically in the form of a gel, has been shown in a 1995 study to be of comparable efficacy to topical clindamycin topical antibiotic used for comparison.Topical nicotinamide is available both on prescription and over-the-counter. The property of topical nicotinamide’s benefit in treating acne seems to be its anti-inflammatory nature. It is also purported to result in increased synthesis of collagen, keratin, involucrin and flaggrin and may also according to a cosmetic company be useful for reducing skin hyperpigmentation (acne scars), increased skin moisture and reducing fine wrinkles.

Tea tree oil (melaleuca oil) dissolved in a carrier (5% strength) has been used with some success, where it is comparable to benzoyl peroxide but without excessive drying, kills P. acnes, and has been shown to be an effective anti-inflammatory in skin infections. [57][64][65]

Rofecoxib was shown to improve premenstrual acne vulgaris in a placebo controlled study.[66]

Zinc: Orally administered zinc gluconate has been shown to be effective in the treatment of inflammatory acne, although less so than tetracyclines.[67][68]
Comedo extraction

Pantothenic acid, (high dosage Vitamin B5)[69]

Detoxification is a common method used by alternative medicine practitioners for the treatment of acne, although there have been no studies to prove its success. Detoxification is the process of cleansing the body of toxins commonly caused by the environment, pharmaceutical drugs, food, and cosmetics.