How to Treat Acne with Home Products

Acne. The bane of teenagers and, unfortunately, many adults. If you are among those who find acne treatment too expensive or, worse, that common topical medicines irritate your skin in new and creative ways, consider these natural, home acne treatments.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Oatmeal
• Yogurt (with live active cultures)
• Cucumber
• Washcloth

1. Understand the causes of acne. Having too much oil and dead skin can clog your pores (often leading to blackheads), yet skin that is over washed will become too dry and flake, which makes the problem equally as bad because the dead skin, again, clogs pores. Bacteria and hormones are other causes of acne.

2. For oily skin, use oatmeal masks. Apply a layer of oatmeal to your face, warm enough to be comfortable, and let sit for about fifteen minutes. Do this twice a day, but it is okay to pull it back to once if you feel your skin is adjusting to drier weather. This is especially effective because it does not scrub your skin, preventing the spreading of dead skin cells, while still absorbing your excess oils.

3. For dry skin, use cucumber treatments. Cucumber is cleansing, but moisturizing, and leaves the skin feeling refreshed as a bonus. Mash or blend cucumber to make a paste and smear it onto your face. Leave on for about fifteen minutes and then rinse it off. Even if your skin is oily, you can use cucumber masks twice a week to help clear your skin as it does take out general redness.

4. For the bacteria plagued, use yogurt. Because yogurt contains live active cultures, applying it to your skin can help destroy bacteria that causes acne. Eating yogurt regularly can also help control acne as it fights bacteria from within your body, not just outside of it.

5. For when your skin is already inflamed, boil a washcloth in water to sterilize it, then wait for it to cool to a comfortable temperature (don't burn yourself, now). Apply it over your face and let it set for thirty seconds to a minute and you will notice a decrease in redness. This may not be an effective treatment long term, but combine this with a cucumber mask and you will find your skin calmed down enough to at least look presentable for a special event on short notice.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't just use these treatments when your acne acts up; treat your acne even when you don't see pimples and PREVENT it. Find what works for you and make it a habit.
• Do not use regular soaps to wash your face. These soaps can be too harsh and dry your skin out too much, causing more dead skin cells.
• Under no circumstances should you pick your acne. Learning to not touch your face can bring acne under control considerably (I should know). If you find you often touch your face, find something else to occupy your hands to help break the habit. Get a pair of stress chimes, for example, and keep them at your desk.

Resources

• Home Remedies for Acne Center
• Acne Free in 3 Days

[Is5413]

on 10/7/2009 Sounds great. I shall let my son try these steps to help clear up his acne. What about treatment for back acne.

[ceholmes]

on 9/22/2009 yogurt is really healthy and can cure/treat a lot! 5*

[mattsaboy]

on 9/12/2009 Excellent article and tips. 5 stars and a recommendation....

[vienaragis]

on 7/18/2009 kjshannon-- I've been there myself. Acne had run wild with my self-esteem in high school, so I decided to make another article about that too: http://www.ehow.com/how_5191245_deal-acne-emotionally.html

I hope you and your daughter can find a solution!

[kjshannon]

on 7/18/2009 My daugther is going through her teens and has developed a complex. We will try some of these methods. thanks