Natural Acne Skin Care Tips

Over time I have observed that there are a group of people who take little or no care of their skin and yet have never experienced acne or any other skin condition. On the other hand some people take care of their skin religiously but still have an on going battle with acne.From the above observation it becomes clear that some people are prone to acne while some others are not.
So what makes a person prone to acne? Well the major factors that contribute to acne formation are:
1.Activity Of Sebaceous Glands
2.Bacteria
3.Shedding of Skin Cells
It is a combination of these factors that leads to acne formation.So lets take a closer look at these factors;

Activity Of Sebaceous Glands
The sebaceous glands secrete oil which lubricates the skin surface. Acne prone individuals are known to have over reactive sebaceous glands which produce excessive  oil than is required thereby blocking skin pores. Excess oil remains in the pore, blocking the sebaceous duct and creating a blockage within the follicle.
Research has also shown that the oil secreted by the glands of acne prone individuals is different in chemical composition from that of non acne prone individuals. In acne prone individuals the composition of their oil supports the growth of acne causing bacteria.

Bacteria
Certain types of bacteria are resident on the skin.  P.acnes is found on most skin but in acne prone individuals the P.acnes grows uncontrollably.The growth of the P.acnes is aided by the anaerobic conditions created by the plug of dead cells and oils within the skin pores.The bacteria digest the oil within the pores and produces a waste product.This waste product irritates the pore walls causing inflammation.

Shedding Of Skin Cells
Normally the skin sheds dead skin cells,dead skin cells fall away and are replaced by new ones. In acne prone skin this process is skewed in that five times more skin cells are produced as compared to normal skin.
Acne prone skin produces more dead skin cells than is usual.These cells remain stuck inside the follicle resulting in a acne formation.

A summary of 4 simple steps that will lead to a much healthier skin.

1.Reduce Your Sugar Intake

I bet you did not know that there is a link between sugar intake and ageing.Well too much sugar is one of the main causes of premature ageing.It works this way;the more sugar we take in the more sugar we have in our bloodstream.As time goes on this results in a process called glycation.Glycation is a process whereby sugar molecules attach to protein molecules and damage the protein molecules.By attaching to the protein molecules new types of molecules are formed,this molecules are known as “advanced glycation end-products”.These advanced glycation end-products(or AGES) denature skin collagen,damage cartilage and ligament and enhance loss of elasticity.Wrinkles are also formed and sagging of the skin commences.Putting the above into consideration it becomes very necessary to reduce our intake of sugar.To achieve this I know will be very difficult for some people.To make it simple the best method to use is a gradual reduction of your daily sugar intake.For starters you can reduce the amount of sugar you add to your cup of tea or coffee. Also you can cut down on your intake of soda,sweetened dairy products and pastries.

2.Accelerate Your Digestion

As you might have heard healthy skin is is a function of a good digestive system.To accelerate or rev up our digestion we should incorporate enough fibre into our daily diet.Studies have shown that most people only consume half the amount of their daily fibre requirement.To increase your fibre intake you should try these;

i. eat beans and legumes,

ii. eat prunes,

iii.take high fibre snacks like dried fruits,seeds and nuts

iv. eat at least one apple everydayv. add whole grains to your diet, always choose grain products over refined products.

3.Take Essential Fats

What are essential fatty acids? As the name implies they are simply fats your body cannot live without.They are used in the synthesis or formation of hormones,cell membranes and many other chemicals used in the body.These essential fats fight inflammation,keep the heart functioning properly amongst other important functions.They are also particularly important to people with inflammatory conditions such as eczema and acne, and also for people with dry skin.To get more essential fats,eat more of cold water fish.Salmon is also a very good source of essential fatty acids.Also it is wise to consider the use of fish oil supplements.

4.Exercise To Improve Blood CirculationDo you live a sedentary life? Sitting at your desk all day? Be warned that inactivity affects the skin and may enhance acne,cellulite and loss of muscle tone.Inactivity also promotes bloating and puffiness.One of the best ways to improve the health of your skin and your overall health is to exercise.Exercise improves the blood circulation which is very essential for good health.So how do you improve your blood circulation? A few quick steps to this are;

i. Get a skipping rope

ii. Start visiting your neighbourhood gym.

iii.Once in a while get up from your desk and stretch

iv. Take a long walk.

Salons and spas offer a variety of treatments for the face.The most commonly available ones are;Oxygen Facial,European Facial,Rejuvenating Facial,Purifying Facial,Balancing Facial,Alpha-beta Peels and Deep Cleansing Facial amongst others. With such a wide array of options,it becomes an awesome task to decide which one of this treatments one needs.It is important to note however that each of these treatments has a different effect on the skin.When faced with the task of which facial treatment to choose, your best bet is to consult an expert,preferably a dermatologist.Apart from physical examination of the facial skin, the dermatologist will also ask questions concerning the state of your facial skin.It is also common practice for salons to ask you to fill a questionnaire in which questions about your skin conditions are asked.The answers you provide will act as a guide to what kind of treatment your face needs.

The ultimate aim of all kinds of facial treatments is to leave the facial skin in a better condition than it previously was(both in condition and appearance).Facial treatments are based on procedures which either cleanse or moisturise,nourish or firm the skin.

So how do facials improve the skin? Below is a summary of how the various processes involved go about improving the skin:Moisturisation and hydration of the skin is achieved by the use of steam, masks, humectants ( substances that preserves the moisture content of the skin) and hydrating creams.A facial clay mask is used for cleansing, this extracts pimples,blackheads and whiteheads.Facial masks also help to firm the skin this type of firming treatment is used for aging skin Sometimes antioxidants and vitamins are added into the mask mixture to futrther nourish the skin.Often a facial massage is incorporated into the procedure, with hand and shoulder massages as an extra.

Salon and spa facials can include everything except medical treatments,collagen injections or the like. These medical processes should only be done under the supervision of a doctor.

When acne is contracted during adulthood, specifically in people over eighteen years of age, it is considered adult acne or post-adolescent acne. It commonly appears during the early twenties to even late forties and fifties. Women are usually more prone to this type of acne.

The several causes of adult acne include,hormones,birth control pills,stress and cosmetics.Hormones cause the sebacuous glands to overact and birth control pills with androgen in them can cause breakouts.Stress causes oil glands to overcompensate. Bad cosmetics lead to bacteria-laden pores.  .
There is no definite pattern to the occurence of adult acne as compared to the teenage variety of acne. Adolescent girls are often conscious of the growth of this skin condition, especially during their menstrual cycle, although the acne that forms during adulthood comes and goes more easily than the ones contracted during the teenage years.

The appearance of post-adolescent acne differs from that of teenage acne in that comedones (blackheads and whiteheads are less commonly seen,breakouts are mostly mild and scarring is unusual.

Lesions more often appear on the lower cheek, the chin, and along and below the jaw line. Although some women may have breakouts on the chest and back, most have blemishes exclusively on the face.

Papules, also known as pimples, zits, bumps, pustules, and small nodules are the most common composition of breakouts. Papules are skin inflammatory elevations that are not suppurative while the pustules are also inflammatory elevations, but are filled with pus. The pustules and papules can be classified as deep or superficial. Superficial papules are those located on the skin surface. The deep papules are described to be palpable, and come from under the skin, since these are probably inflammations that are trapped underneath the skin’s surface.

Nodules are described as large papules or cysts. They are firm tender lumps that stay on for several weeks or even months. The largest growth that they can be is about an inch and when healed can leave a noticeable scar. Luckily, nodules are rarely develop in women with adult acne.

There is no exact diagnosis for adult-onset acne since it can be easily confused by a health care provider with other acne-like disorders like rosacea, pseudofolliculitis barbae, keratosis pilaris, and endocrinopathy:

Rosacea: Symptoms of rosacea include facial lesions that consist of acnelike red papules and pustules. Moreover, both rosacea and acne can appear together.

Pseudofolliculitis barbae and keratosis pilaris: These conditions involve hair follicles, and can sometimes be acne look alikes.

Endocrinopathy: Sometimes what appears to be a simple case of acne vulgaris or adult-onset acne can be due to an underlying hormonal abnormality, called endocrinopathy. At times like this, acne may be difficult to get under control, and other measures such as blood tests to look for higher or lower than normal hormone levels should be evaluated by your doctor.

Women with adult acne do not have levels of androgen that are elevated but may have a amplified response to androgen in its normal levels and to progesterone, a female hormone, although to a much lower degree. On the other hand, estrogen, another main hormone of females, produces an opposite effect on acne production by depressing its release.

Adult acne in women may be caused and enhanced by the intake of pills containing hormones and drugs that have hormonal effects like those seen in oral contraceptive medications, food products, steroids and allergy medications.

What Is A Scar
A scar is a mark left on the skin by healing tissue or a permanent mark on the skin where you have been injured.
Scars are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin (or other tissue) after injury. A scar results from the biologic process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a natural part of the healing process. With the exception of very minor lesions, every wound (e.g. after accident, disease, or surgery) results in some degree of scarring(Wikipedia).Scar tissue is inferior in functional quality to tissue which it replaces.

What Are Acne Scars
Normally acne heals without scarring.Acne scars are most often the product of an inflamed lesion, such as a papule, pustule, or cyst.
When skin pores become filled with excess oil,bacteria and dead skin cells,the pores swell causing the follicle to rupture.If this breakage occurs near the skin surface the resulting lesion is in most cases minor and heals quickly.when there is a deep break in the follice wall,more serious lesions arise,the infected material spills out into the dermis and damages healthy tissue.To repair the damage done to the dermis, the skin forms new collagen fibres.Collagen is a fibrous protein that gives the skin its flexibility and strength. During the process of healing the body sometimes produces too much collagen, which creates a mass of raised tissue on the skin’s surface. This type of scarring is called hypertrophic, or keloid, scarring. More commonly, acne causes atrophic, or depressed, scars. Atrophic scars develop when there is a loss of tissue. Ice pick and boxcar scars are two examples of atrophic scars.Deep outbreaks that take a long time to heal  increase the probability of scarring. Blackheads, whiteheads, and other non-inflamed blemishes typically don’t cause scarring because these types of lesions don’t damage skin tissue.

Scar Treatment
It is better to prevent acne scars but when they do occur, there are numerous treatment methods to choose from,these include;
Natural Methods,Laser Resurfacing,Subcision,Chemical Peels,Dermabrasion,Use of fillers,Punch,Excision,Grafting.Other methods include use of or injected steroids,this is mainly used for hypertrophic scars like keloids,which usually recur after treatment.
With proper care though,acne scars can be avoided.

With most ailments or medical conditions, it is a well known fact that if the primary cause of that condition is not treated,the condition will not go away permanently.What usually happens in this type of scenario is that the ailment eases for sometime and then returns stronger and worse than before.This also applies in acne treatment; if the root cause of the acne is not handled it will always come back.
The most common medical remedies to acne include antibiotics, drying agents, skin peelers and other very strong and toxic drugs. All of these will normally work for a short period of time, but eventually, if the original cause of the acne is not addressed and treated, the acne returns, usually stronger and more widespread than before.
An unhealthy diet usually results in hormonal imbalance and clogging of skin pores. Acne is in most cases a symptom of this hormonal imbalance.
Many of the common theories regarding the possible cause of acne point to the improper release of toxins.The skin being the largest organ of the body,helps to eliminate toxins and waste through sweating if the kidneys and liver are overburdened(this leads to clogging).
In using natural therapies to treat acne, the focus of treatment should be to decrease the amount of toxins that need to be excreted, balance the hormones, and in general, bring the body back into balance. All of the above can be regulated through diet, herbs and other natural supplements.
Vitamin and mineral therapy is a good place to start in the quest to clear up a case of acne. Important additions to
the diet include essential fatty acids, chromium picolinate, and zinc. A variety of vitamins such as Vitamin A, B
complex with extra B3, Vitamin C with bioflavonoids, Vitamin D3, and Vitamin E are also helpful in supporting the
body while it works to come back into balance.
Effective natural therapy includes any herb that works to detoxify the liver and kidneys.When choosing this natural
approach it is always good to seek professional advice as to which herb or product will be best for you.

Remember the angst ridden acne years of your youth? Or perhaps you are still a youth. By youth, I mean either adolescent or teenaged. So many people today suffer from teenage and adult acne. The effect acne has on your self esteem can be devastating, especially at a young age, when appearance seems so important, and people can be cruel. The nutraceutical acne pill is now changing that scenario for many teenagers, and is also helping many people suffering with acne into adulthood to permanently clear acne.

There are some excellent, and fairly new acne pills that actually clear acne through precise combinations of herbal compounds and pure, natural ingredients. These acne pills have been used as very successful, and often times permanent, remedies to clear acne on both adults and adolescents.

How do acne pills work? Acne pills actually work by correcting the hormonal and chemical imbalances in the body that lead to acne flareups, persistent acne, and the more severe form, cystic acne. People suffering from cystic acne can really benefit from a natural acne pill, since they are designed to treat acne at it’s source, from the inside of the body, rather than topically. Cystic acne sufferers really tend to have hormonal issues, which acne pills address by “calming”, soothing and balancing.

Some of the common ingredients in these complexion-clearing acne pills are actually known in herbal communities for their skin soothing and “calming” properties, and have commonly been used to treat various skin disorders in the past. Natural acne pills actually blend several of these ingredients together in precise combinations to effectively clear acne permanently, or with very little follow up treatment.

Let’s look at some of the common skin clearing and therapeutic herbs and compounds that are found in an acne pill. First, vitamin E is a common ingredient. Vitamin E has been used as a skin soothing and repairing agent for decades. Vitamin E actually will help smooth rough skin when taken in the proper dosages, and actually helps facilitate the clearing of acne in combination with other ingredients.

A second common ingredient in the acne pill is aloe vera. Aloe vera actually has many of the same skin soothing properties and advantages as vitamin E. I’m sure you’ve used aloe vera at least a couple times to treat sunburn or irritated skin. Aloe vera seemed to be a staple in everyone’s home growing up for it’s skin repairing benefits.

Two more ingredients you may find in an acne pill are alpha lipoic acid and collagen, both of which are actually beneficial for both aging skin and skin suffering from disorders such as acne or acne rosacea. Alpha lipoic acid is gaining a lot of recognition in recent years, especially with the publication and advocation of popular cosmetic dermatologist Nicholas Perricone in his book The Perricone Prescription and other popular follow up books on how to stop and reverse the aging process of the skin.

Other skin cleansing, purifying and balancing ingredients botanicals found in the acne pill are chamomile, rosemary, rose essential oil, and horsetail, all traditionally used to clear, tone and purify the skin for the most blemish-free complexion possible, even back as far as the early 1800’s.

The bottom line is, I highly recommend investing in either a natural acne system that combines topical treatment with an oral acne pill or just investing in a natural acne pill that is high in purity standards and has a good track record of customer satisfaction. These treatments have proven to be just as effective as many of the often long-term and sometimes harmful treatments dermatologists prescribe. Not only that, you can order them from the comfort of your own home, and don’t need to be burdened by dermatologist visits, or repetitive costs. It is truly one of the best investments you can make in your skin!

About the Author: Danna Schneider is the webmaster and founder of CosmeticsGalore.com http://www.cosmeticsgalore.com, a natural cosmetic enhancement and cosmetic correction product review site that offers acne, rosacea and breast enhancement (among others) products reviews, testimonials, and honest information about the latest in cosmeceutical and nutraceutical technology.

Acne is a condition that affects a wide range of people,though it is more common in teenagers and young adults.
The cause of acne has also been attributed to a variety of reasons ranging from dietary,genetic to even enviromental. Whatever the cause of acne the fact reamains that when acne is not well managed or treated it becomes a problem. There are numerous acne treatment products available nowadays but a closer look at what we have available to us in our immediate surroundings will reveal unusual but effective acne cures.
This article brings to you 10 very effective acne home remedies

1.Garlic
Here there are two methods which you can either use together or choose one. The first option is to crush two or more bulbs of garlic and apply it to the affected areas twice daily. The other option is to chew and swallow one or more bulbs of garlic daily.You just have to cope with the strong smell of garlic.

2.Egg White
Crack some eggs and remove the yolks,leaving only the egg whites. Beat these egg whites for some time and apply this

to your face. Wait for fifteen minutes and wash off the egg whites from your face.The egg whites help to remove

exceess oil from your face,egg white also heals and rebuilds the skin.

3.Toothpaste
As far as I know no scientific findings have proven how toothpaste can actually cure, the spread of acne but it

still remains one of the most widely used acne home remedies. It might be a result of trial and discovery that made

the toothpaste serve not only to clean the teeth but also as an unusual acne home remedy. Apply it directly to your

acne before sleeping. This is believed to help control the swelling overnight. Just make sure that it is not the gel

but the paste.

4.Baking Soda
It is widely available in all homes.Apart from its primary function in baking it is also good as a facial scrub. The

purpose of a facial scrub is to exfoliate the skin, removing dead skin that can eventually clog pores and lead to

acne spots.Add water to a small amount of baking soda and make a paste out of this. Gently massage the paste into

your skin for ten to fifteen seconds. Then rinse the baking soda off, and pat your face dry with a clean towel. Dont

allow the baking soda to stay on your face longer than fifteen minutes.

5.Salt and Water
Prepare a salt solution by adding salt into warm water.Use the resulting solution to wash your face twice a

day,morning and evening.This will remove the excess oil from your face.

6.Vinegar
Most people that use vinegar to treat acne use the apple cider form of vinegar, you can also use plain old regular

vinegar. Regardless of which type you use, vinegar can be very helpful when it comes to clearing up acne. It can

kill off acne causing bacteria, balance your skin’s pH, and absorb extra oil on your skin.
Starting with clean, dry skin, apply diluted vinegar (eight parts water to one part vinegar) directly to your skin

with a cotton ball, and leave it on. If you want, you can also use a stronger vinegar solution (say, 2 or 3 parts

water to 1 part vinegar), and apply it directly to problem areas, rinsing it off after ten minutes.

7.Cucumber
Cucumber is capable of helping the digestive system function normally. Since the digestive system is closely related

with the health of the skin, it should help reduce acne breakouts.

8.Lime Lemon or Orange
Take your pick from any of these members of the citrus family. Lime and lemon are very rich in citric acid which is

a very good exfoliator. You can also apply fresh lemon juice mixed with rose water in your face, leave it there for

15 minutes. A continuous application of this for 15 days will give you amazing results. Ground orange peel added

with water to make a paste and applied to the acne can also make your face free of acne again. Lime combined with

rose water is also a recommended acne home remedy. Just apply it on your face and leave it for 15-20 minutes then

rinse with warm water.

9.Oatmeal
Oatmeal can absorb unwanted oil and draw out impurities which reside deep in the skin. Cook some plain oatmeal like

you would for consumption. Let it cool off, and rub it over your clean skin. Let it stay for a while, like you would

a mask, and then rinse off. If you do this on a regular basis, you should notice results soon.

10.Aloe Vera
This helps prevent acne scars it also heals acne spots.As you may know Aloe Vera is used in a wide variety of home

remedies