The Simple Truth
What is the #1 Acne Treatment?
I see that asked quite a bit. Actually the truth is there is NO
one best remedy! Please don't shoot the messenger. Realistically the
methods suggested here will have to be tried (not all at once) for
several days to at least a week before results are seen. If your
condition doesn't improve then on to the next treatment. Just like most
things, results depend on your unique body chemistry and how strictly
you adhere to the treatment. Truth be told eventually teen acne will go
away all on it's own because of changing body chemistry. However we are
not dealing with the evidence of time marching on here.
Good Rules
For Skin Care
The most basic rule is never to
wash with commercial soap! Soap not only contains tons of chemicals, it
will dry out your skin. As I'm sure you know by now acne is caused by
over active oil glands, guess what using soap does? The soap you use
will dry out your skin and your body will produce MORE oils to
moisturize your face which in turn will result in severe flare ups. The
second is do not touch your face, nor pick at your pimples!
Touching your face will result in bacteria just waiting to ooze into
those pores, making the situation worse and your fingers also have oils
on them which you are depositing onto your skin. Picking at pimples goes
without saying, however one reason is it can lead to scarring.
Natural Skin Care
African Black Soap
African Black Soap is not like
other soaps. It's primarily made with Plantains and quite a number of
beneficial oils. Yes I said beneficial oils! These particular oils
actually contribute to healing by not adding extra junk. This particular
soap also has added Shea Butter which is a fantastic moisturizer. I
love black soap, when I get out of the shower I feel like I've been
moisturized from head to toe and it's a perfect shampoo too, but since
we're dealing with the face here. I gave a chunk to my youngest son who
used to suffer from acne and it's worked wonders. Though, on his
sensitive skin we had to use a natural moisturizer afterwards AND for
about a week his face actually looked worse! I believe it was the soap
bringing the yuck to the surface, now he's one good looking boy and
happy about it too! . One thing about the bar though, cut it down and
wrap the unused portion, putting it out of the bathroom. Yup, black soap
is a soft soap so care for it well. The unused portion goes out of the
humid bathroom. Also keep your black soap on a soap dish as the soap
needs to dry out between uses.
Witch Hazel
Tea Tree Oil - which for cuts or infections, can't be beat. However it's also an essential oil which is pretty powerful stuff. Even diluted this is too strong for the sensitive areas of the face, plus some people are allergic to it. If you want to try it, take a patch test on a sensitive area (not your face) before you do. However you can use a soap or facial pad. Those products should be diluted enough.
Yes you read right! I see Green Tea mentioned mostly, however any tea has
basically the same antioxidants and healing properties. If you've stuck
with me this far you already know that my youngest son battles teen acne.
However he willingly accepts me using his face as an experiment. I know
all the wonderful antioxidants that teas have so we initially used
white tea. Steep the tea bag (one bag only), dip a cotton ball in and
pat on affected areas. But we did this the lazy way, saturate the tea
bag in tap water, squeeze out the excess and pat on affected areas for
several minutes. Toss the tea bag away and don't rinse your face. In
three days we saw a difference but it wasn't enough to eliminate it
entirely, which is why he uses the black soap instead. He occasionally
uses the tea bags for any flare ups.
Another acne treatment is Witch Hazel.
It's success is as a toner and is more than suited for oily and
combination skin types. Witch Hazel has disinfectant and antioxidant
properties plus it's an astringent. It shouldn't irritate the skin
however I would only suggest using it once a day or every other day. Wet
a cotton ball and pat over trouble spots. Do this for several minutes
then rinse your face and pat dry. We found the tannins in Witch Hazel to
shrink capillaries which reduces red and inflamed areas around white
heads, it also shrinks red irritated areas in between acne.
Honey and Oatmeal! Sounds like a
breakfast cereal doesn't it? Honey is so underdeveloped in all it's
amazing healing properties which is sad because it's one of the easiest
ones to use for both topical and internal problems. Honey treats minor
acne by getting rid of the bacteria that causes outbreaks while
moisturizing your face. Honey contains antiseptic, antioxidant,
antibacterial, and cleansing properties. Plus it promotes healing for
cuts - this I can attest to as we use it all the time to heal skin
irritations and cuts, plus it also helps reduce scarring!
Oatmeal, this one is easy, it's an Anti-Inflammatory, Soothes Skin Irritations, is a a Skin Cleanser and Prevents Dry Skin. It's a gentle exfoliant that sluffs off dead skin cells which keeps faces clean.
The easiest way to use both of these natural cleansers is to purchase a bar of soap. However since we had both of these on hand, youngest son = experiment!
I had a coffee grinder which I put the uncooked minute oats in and ground them up to a powder (which is called colloidal oats for any interested) then I mixed honey into the oats creating a thick paste. The two ways we used this was as a scrub and as a mask. The mask worked best (even though the boy looked like a yeti). We left it on for about ten minutes and rinsed, we both liked it though it was messy and after about a week we were really happy with the results. Once every evening application.
The second way was washing, messy, messy, messy. Though for speed it was easier than the mask application, once a day. The results were about two weeks before we saw any marked difference.
Oatmeal, this one is easy, it's an Anti-Inflammatory, Soothes Skin Irritations, is a a Skin Cleanser and Prevents Dry Skin. It's a gentle exfoliant that sluffs off dead skin cells which keeps faces clean.
The easiest way to use both of these natural cleansers is to purchase a bar of soap. However since we had both of these on hand, youngest son = experiment!
I had a coffee grinder which I put the uncooked minute oats in and ground them up to a powder (which is called colloidal oats for any interested) then I mixed honey into the oats creating a thick paste. The two ways we used this was as a scrub and as a mask. The mask worked best (even though the boy looked like a yeti). We left it on for about ten minutes and rinsed, we both liked it though it was messy and after about a week we were really happy with the results. Once every evening application.
The second way was washing, messy, messy, messy. Though for speed it was easier than the mask application, once a day. The results were about two weeks before we saw any marked difference.
A Few Last Words
As you can see these are natural ways to treat teen acne without being expensive nor inconvenienced. Find one that works for you or do some research yourself, there are plenty of places online and herbal sites are great but sticking with it will be the key to success! I do want to take a tiny moment and share some of the things I've seen being used as treatments that I disagree with. BTW if any of these work for you, great!! Feel free to let me know how wrong I am!
Tea Tree Oil - which for cuts or infections, can't be beat. However it's also an essential oil which is pretty powerful stuff. Even diluted this is too strong for the sensitive areas of the face, plus some people are allergic to it. If you want to try it, take a patch test on a sensitive area (not your face) before you do. However you can use a soap or facial pad. Those products should be diluted enough.
A Salve? - Glycerin, Cream and Lemon Juice- hmmm...nope not good. The
cream unless it's Shea Butter, is loaded with chemicals, the glycerine
is a humicant however it's going to seal off your pours AND lemon juice
(let's assume they were going for lemon essential oil - is also strong
and will dry your skin.
Aloe Vera - superb for helping burns, Aloe Vera has also not been proven to help any type of acne.
That's it, your starter list of easy to use products to treat teen acne...try the ones I've mentioned above or keep researching for natural ones that work for you, good luck!!
Aloe Vera - superb for helping burns, Aloe Vera has also not been proven to help any type of acne.
That's it, your starter list of easy to use products to treat teen acne...try the ones I've mentioned above or keep researching for natural ones that work for you, good luck!!
