Practical Treatments for Acne You Can Do at Home
They are not concoctions made of bat tails or eye of newt, but there are some practical treatments for acne at home you can try that may reduce the symptoms or severity of your acne.
If you've read any of my previous articles, you'll know that I often advocate holistic and natural methods of treating and curing acne.
Often, the no-nonsense approaches I discuss focus on the subtle, right in front of your face, kind of decisions we make everyday about our lifestyle.
The reason why some of the things I am going to discuss in this article are common or popular is because in the big scheme of things they are the easier choices to make.
However, they are not always the most effective options and really only address certain aspects of some of the real causes of acne if any.
Although I am going to discuss a few at home treatments for acne, they are all still going to focus on helping the body heal, particularly the skin.
The good thing about these recommendations is that they focus on the overall health of the skin and so should help with acne and acne scars.
Foods you can eat: Garlic - Garlic isn't only good for keeping vampires away, but it has been demonstrated to have powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.
Quartered garlic cloves, sauteed in EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), and then added to the ingredients of a meal is a great way to prepare garlic.
When prepared this way you can add the garlic to a salad, pasta, steam or grilled vegetables or a lean meat recipe.
This may not do much for your love life, so keep that in mind.
Fish - Fish that are good sources for omega-3 fatty acids are a great way of reducing low level cellular inflammation.
Remember that low level cellular inflammation is one of the components of acne conditions that the body is trying to correct.
You can help by making food choices that have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Add a little lemon - Drinking plenty of water is a great way to help he body fight acne.
By increasing your water intake to approximately 40-50% of your body weight in ounces, you increase the bodies ability to flush toxins out of the body.
Acne is thought to be related to toxicity in the body and is a way for the body to express those toxins.
Drinking water can help remove them through the liver and kidneys.
However, as an extra bonus, if you add lemon or lime to your water, you add the anti-inflammatory effects of these two citrus fruits.
What you can apply to your skin: Coenzyme Q10 - I am super excited about this one and to be honest I just learned about this one last week.
There is a topical cream that is created with high levels of Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 that has shown amazing results.
CoQ10 reduces inflammation and works as a powerful anti-oxidant.
This cream is applied to the skin daily and has amazing absorption qualities.
Aloe Vera - I know that I'm far from the 1st person to say this, but coming from someone that has not only seen the scientific literature on the healing properties of aloe but has experienced himself, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it.
I grew up in Arizona and fortunately the Aloe Vera plant is abundant.
I can honestly say that I've used natural, raw aloe on my injured or damaged skin since I was a kid and have never been disappointed.
I'm not talking about commercial body lotions with "aloe vera" in it, I am talking about right off the plant, aloe.
The cool, green, slimy and sticky stuff...
works great! Silver - They say that diamonds are a girls best friend, but you can rub a diamond on acne all day long and it's not going to help you one bit.
Silver on the other hand is a different story.
Silver has been found to have effective antimicrobial properties.
There are creams available that have been developed to harness this property of silver for the treatment of skin conditions.
Using a powerful antimicrobial is helpful when treating acne, because bacteria from the skin can contribute to the formation of acne, especially the common white head pimple.
Remember, the best cure is prevention.
It is possible to cure acne by using effective methods of treatment that address that causes of acne, not just the symptoms.
If you've read any of my previous articles, you'll know that I often advocate holistic and natural methods of treating and curing acne.
Often, the no-nonsense approaches I discuss focus on the subtle, right in front of your face, kind of decisions we make everyday about our lifestyle.
The reason why some of the things I am going to discuss in this article are common or popular is because in the big scheme of things they are the easier choices to make.
However, they are not always the most effective options and really only address certain aspects of some of the real causes of acne if any.
Although I am going to discuss a few at home treatments for acne, they are all still going to focus on helping the body heal, particularly the skin.
The good thing about these recommendations is that they focus on the overall health of the skin and so should help with acne and acne scars.
Foods you can eat: Garlic - Garlic isn't only good for keeping vampires away, but it has been demonstrated to have powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.
Quartered garlic cloves, sauteed in EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), and then added to the ingredients of a meal is a great way to prepare garlic.
When prepared this way you can add the garlic to a salad, pasta, steam or grilled vegetables or a lean meat recipe.
This may not do much for your love life, so keep that in mind.
Fish - Fish that are good sources for omega-3 fatty acids are a great way of reducing low level cellular inflammation.
Remember that low level cellular inflammation is one of the components of acne conditions that the body is trying to correct.
You can help by making food choices that have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Add a little lemon - Drinking plenty of water is a great way to help he body fight acne.
By increasing your water intake to approximately 40-50% of your body weight in ounces, you increase the bodies ability to flush toxins out of the body.
Acne is thought to be related to toxicity in the body and is a way for the body to express those toxins.
Drinking water can help remove them through the liver and kidneys.
However, as an extra bonus, if you add lemon or lime to your water, you add the anti-inflammatory effects of these two citrus fruits.
What you can apply to your skin: Coenzyme Q10 - I am super excited about this one and to be honest I just learned about this one last week.
There is a topical cream that is created with high levels of Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 that has shown amazing results.
CoQ10 reduces inflammation and works as a powerful anti-oxidant.
This cream is applied to the skin daily and has amazing absorption qualities.
Aloe Vera - I know that I'm far from the 1st person to say this, but coming from someone that has not only seen the scientific literature on the healing properties of aloe but has experienced himself, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it.
I grew up in Arizona and fortunately the Aloe Vera plant is abundant.
I can honestly say that I've used natural, raw aloe on my injured or damaged skin since I was a kid and have never been disappointed.
I'm not talking about commercial body lotions with "aloe vera" in it, I am talking about right off the plant, aloe.
The cool, green, slimy and sticky stuff...
works great! Silver - They say that diamonds are a girls best friend, but you can rub a diamond on acne all day long and it's not going to help you one bit.
Silver on the other hand is a different story.
Silver has been found to have effective antimicrobial properties.
There are creams available that have been developed to harness this property of silver for the treatment of skin conditions.
Using a powerful antimicrobial is helpful when treating acne, because bacteria from the skin can contribute to the formation of acne, especially the common white head pimple.
Remember, the best cure is prevention.
It is possible to cure acne by using effective methods of treatment that address that causes of acne, not just the symptoms.