Acne Magazine : Skin Care, Tips, Treatment Reviews

Lets face it, with all of the stress in today’s world it’s no wonder why so many individuals develop acne. Adults as well as teens today have acne, and have a harder and harder time getting rid of it with conventional therapies.  While there are numerous products one can use to ‘rid’ acne, they actually do more damage. Acne washes, rubs, and overall treatments contain large amounts of alcohol.

Alcohol is not dangerous to your skin; however, it will in fact dry out your skin leaving you with another skin problem. Alcohol while it is not dangerous it is very harsh to your skin, these products simply dry the facial skin allowing acne to peel off/come off, It does not magically remove acne like so many commercials like to state.

I highly recommend trying a natural method to reduce/rid acne. Natural methods such as Baking Soda, by mixing three teaspoons of water with ½ a cup of baking soda, you are creating your own natural acne remedy.

Baking soda has many benefits; it softens skin as well as opens facial pores that aid in the result of acne. By opening your pores, you are actually removing acne not simply drying it out. Baking soda will not leave you with dry, dull skin as other acne wash products do. You will have glowing, acne free skin all from one small natural method.

Numerous dermatologists have even recommended natural methods such as the ‘baking soda’ method (all natural remedies). There is little to no hassle involved simply mix the baking soda and water until it forms a pasty substance.

Then apply to your face, you are sure to see your acne reduce every day this method is used. Stop wasting hard-earned money, and go for the baking soda natural method of removing acne. You will be saving yourself from losing money and disappointment. However, be careful not to leave the baking soda on any one spot for too long.

It can dry your skin excessively and cause irritation if it is left on the skin too long. Sodium in and of itself is drying and irritating, but when left on the skin the right amount of time it can kill the surface bacteria and help heal your acne naturally.

Apple cider vinegar, or as it is called in fan circles of the stuff, which is used as a folk remedy for nearly every malady imaginable, “ACV”, has long been thought to help some people with their acne problems. It has been used both topically and internally, as an acne supplement, to help clear the skin.  Topically, it has astringent and bacteria-killing qualities that may help to keep the skin clear of debris and bacteria which leads to acne lesions.

Internally, it has many different qualities that help balance the body’s acid/alkaline balance. If you are alkaline, the thought is that your skin looks better, stays clearer, and has less acne prone qualities. Organic, raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar is the most popular kind used, as it has a sediment in it called the “mother”, which contains all sorts of enzymes and organic compounds that are great for cleansing your system out and providing sustainable nutrients to your body.

The only problem is, it sure does burn going down!  I have used ACV (the organic, raw and unfiltered kind) for different reasons other than acne. I used it once to help me cut down my appetite to help me lose weight since it is known to help people cut weight by decreasing the appetite and possibly digesting carbohydrates more effectively, cutting down their glycemic impact.  Which brings me to another reason that it’s probably a good thing to take internally for your skin.

Your skin will show it when your blood sugar is running at a constant high by looking red, ruddy and irritated, and being more prone to breakouts. When you have stable blood sugar (insulin) levels, your skin maintains more clarity and breaks out less because your hormones tend to be more stable as well, and inflammation is neutralized.

I’ve never used ACV externally, simply because I’ve just never had the chance to try it, nor the inclination due to it’s strong smell.  It is supposed to be a great natural astringent, albeit a stinky one. But the odor does fade. Some people dilute it with a little water since it can sting if it’s applied to open wounds (or acne lesions of course) or even to very dry or irritated skin.  However, it is an excellent astringent.

In order to really address hormonal acne though, you need a good hormonal acne remedy and the right face washes and lotions to go with it. I’ve always been a proponent of treating acne from the inside, because that is where it all starts. Using great topical products will only get your so far.

I’m a bit of a nut about the fact that caffeinated drinks and stimulants like guarana and even prescription pain killer narcotics (they somehow stimulate you, believe me, I think it’s different for different people, but that’s the effect they had on me) like Vicodin make my skin break out. I’ve taken great care to avoid drinking too much coffee on the weekends, and I’m very careful about taking any energy pills or any energy drinks that contain maximum amounts of caffeine.

One of the energy drinks I can get away with where it doesn’t break out my skin is 5 Hour Energy, but even that I never drink a full bottle of all at once, I take one half at a time, which gives me plenty of energy.

As I mentioned, I love to drink my coffee on the weekends. My husband is an every day coffee drinker, so it’s even hard to not drink it on the weekdays when he brews it in the morning before we go to work. But I do usually resist during the week, simply because I don’t think it’s good to drink it every day and develop a caffeine addiction.

And oh boy, is caffeine addictive. I’ve noticed that if I got four days drinking coffee and then stop, I get a massive headache the day after from withdrawal! I’ve discussed before how I believe that too much coffee makes me break out. Many people have this same problem, it all depends on your body and your individual physiology.

So, one of the things I do that I find offsets the likelihood that I will break out from drinking coffee, is to add two fully squeezed lemon wedges to my large glass of water that I drink with my coffee in the morning .The lemon juice neutralizes the abundant acidity in the coffee, and it helps my skin to stay clear.

Here’s a tip to help you get the most juice out of your fresh lemons for lemon water. Wash the lemon thoroughly and scrub it’s skin to get any pesticides off. Roll the lemon on the counter several times back and forth with the ball of you palm. It sounds weird, but man does it make your lemon produce more juice! I thought it wouldnt’ work, but I was amazed by how much juicier it made my lemons.

There are a ton of home remedies for acne that have been used over the years.  But do any of them have any real merit? One such remedy that has gained some attention is the use of regular aspirin, topically, on the face or where ever you have skin affected by acne.  How would rubbing aspirin on your face help to clear up acne?  Well, maybe it’s the anti inflammatory nature of the aspirin? After all, that’s what aspirin is essentially, it’s a pain reliever and anti inflammatory agent, so wouldn’t that be why it might help your skin to clear up?

Actually, my reasoning is not correct for why the popular “aspirin mask” for acne home remedy may work to help clear acne.  It’s because the aspirin itself breaks down into a beta hydroxy acid that has great exfoliation and cleansing properties, to get down into the skin and help to clear the pores.

You may have heard of alpha hydroxy acids, which are used in a lot of skincare products, both top of the line and OTC ones. Well, beta hydroxy is of the same family, and it is used in some beauty and skin care products as well, and it is known mostly for it’s exfoliating benefits, revealing fresh new skin.

The way the aspirin treatment typically works is that you grind these tablets (not the type with the anti stomach upset coating on them, just plain aspirin) in some water and you rub it allover your face, leaving it there for a few minutes like a mask.

Everybody wants to have nice skin. When you meet someone new, the first thing that you see is the skin, and it is most likely what you will remember about that person.

Logically, since first impressions can really be everything, it is important to try your best and keep your skin looking younger, healthier, and more energetic.  Of course, just as important as keeping your skin healthy, you have to think about keeping your wallet healthy, too.

It is much better if you can use the homemade facial mask instead of readymade. There is plenty of simple and natural ways to keep the skin on your face beautiful that can be found right in your own home, and are safe for any type of skin!

Use the homemade facial mask which suits your skin:  first identify your skin type before you apply the homemade face mask. It is best to try out a few of the homemade facial masks suited to your skin type and discover which of them is the most helpful to you.

Here are some facial scrubs and masks that you can make on your own in your kitchen. Oatmeal is always a great way to keep your skin smooth and soft, and it evens out your facial skin color tones for a naturally radiant glow.

To make easy oatmeal face mask, buy regular unbleached oatmeal, and mix it with water and egg whites. There are no specific amounts, just mix them until they are constancy similar to sticky bread dough. Once it is all mixed together, stir in a tiny bit of honey, and rub it on your face in small circles.

You do not have to leave this mask on very long; about five minutes will be enough for it to work. Rinse it off in the sink or shower, and there it goes… smoother, softer, healthier facial skin within minutes. Another mask good for our skin is made from cucumber.

We make a paste by mixing one small cucumber and one cup of oatmeal. Then, we mix one teaspoon of this paste with one teaspoon of yogurt for oily skin or milk malai for dry skin, and leave for 30 minutes and then wash.

Also, honey is well known ingredient in cosmetic industry. We could easily made face mask only with honey. First we clean our face with warm water and a  natural cleanser to open up the pores. We apply honey on our face, and leave it for half an hour. Then, we wash it with warm water, and after that we use cold water to close the pores.  Beauty products help us to look and feel our best.

These products have been associated with helping us to keep our mind and spirit healthy as well as our body by playing a role in helping us to maintain a high self esteem. Beauty products do not need to be expensive.

Since there were so many comments on my baking soda for acne post, I figured I’d follow up on it and say that I think I may have jumped a rush judgment, or at least I think I may have left it on my skin to long, which resulted in the red, irritated mess of a patch of skin that I ended up with after trying it. So many others have said that using baking soda here and there as an occasional acne clearing remedy has really worked for them, that I wanted to get more comments from readers who have tried it and loved it or tried it and found that it really just didn’t work for them.

There is also another staple that everyone usually has around their house that can also come in handy as part of your natural skincare routine, and that is sugar. My best friend since high school has used a sugar scrub on her face now for years, and her skin looks great. She uses sugar simply to exfoliate her skin since it’s granular in nature, and it’s not irritating or drying like table salt or other granular substances would be to the skin, and she loves it. Not to mention, the roughly twenty cent price tag on a good scrub down with table sugar is definitely appealing as well.

Baking soda is supposed to work well on acne lesions and also to help exfoliate and de-bacterialize the immediate area. It acts as sort of an antibacterial agent because of it’s ability to kill small organisms due to it’s volatile properties, and yet it is natural, so it is gentle on the skin as long as it’s not left on the skin for too long (as what I probably did). It can also be used as a paste to put over one single zit, but not a zit that has been popped already since this may just cause additional irritation.

Some people say that baking soda actually helps redness go away, but that was not my personal experience. Baking soda is definitely worth a try though, especially since you have so little to use by putting it on your face since it’s so cheap.

This is a question that often comes up when people are asking about proper diet in the fight against acne, and it’s a very good one because acne has a lot more to do with acne than (unfortunately) many dermatologists would have you believe.  I can comfortably say that diet makes all the difference in the way my skin looks personally, and I have a feeling that this is true for almost everyone else as well. It’s like that old saying goes “you are what you eat”.  Well, your skin “is what you eat”, and reacts well or not so well to the foods that you put in your mouth and the nutrients that are subsequently absorbed by the body.

I can tell you what makes me break out, what makes my skin look dull and bloated and not colored so well, and what foods seem to really boost my skin’s overall radiance, resilience, and overall beauty and clarity.  For me, there’s no question that my diet has everything to do with how I appear on the outside.  Your diet an be your best friend or your worst enemy when it comes to beauty and your skin.

Here are some of the foods on my good food list, that I swear tend to make my skin more breakout resistent, and much more well toned looking, as well as more defined.  I have a much better clarity and color when I eat these foods in abundance :

Lemon juice in my water

Limiting Caffeine

Lots of omega 3 rich nuts, fish and olive oil.  I even put a little olive oil in my I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray butter, to add a little extra omega 3 power to it since I use this on my veggies with dinner because it has no fat.

Broccoli, spinach, kale, onions, green beans, almonds, salads with dark leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers

Lots of berries.  My favorites are blackberries and blueberries, loaded with nutrients, brimming with antioxidants.

Low fat or fat free dairy, but not too much.  I love a good light yogurt and maybe some fat free cheese, and while I think high fat dairy is bad for the skin, I believe low fat dairy is fine.

Bad foods for acne and skin :

Sugar or anything with a lot of sugar in it.

Lots of refined carbs such as chips, pretzels, sugarys sodas and drinks

Alcohol

Coffee and caffeinated beverages.

Fatty meats.

Fatty dairy.

Too much mixing of food groups during meals.  I believe this causes a lot of acidity in the system, which lead to inflammation.  An example of bad food combining would be pizza with the works.  You’re combining meats, cheese, bread, and veggies.  A good example of good food combining is chicken breast with broccoli and a salad.

We have a new page here at AcneMagazine.com that is CHOCK FULL of excellent natural and home made (of course, wallet-friendly too usually), acne treatments that pamper the skin and make you feel like you’ve treated yourself to a nice spa visit, only in the comfort of your own home and with much less money.

There are lots of natural ingredients that have proven excellent for the skin’s tone, clarity and suppleness, and although I still highly recommend an herbal oral acne supplement as well, or even a homeopathic acne treatment on top of treating your skin topically since the root of acne occurs inside of our bodies, not outside, I think that treating yourself to these home made acne treatments is not only fun, but eye opening.

I’ve talked a lot about my earlier years and experimenting with various acne remedies that I made myself at home, but none were with the savvy that some of these recipes come with, and the knowledge about how the ingredients soften the skin without irritating acne prone skin.  Enjoy! 

Well if there was ever a tip that I said didn’t work for my acne that tons of people disagreed with me on, it’s the tip to use baking soda on new acne lesions.