Acne is an inflammatory condition of the skin characterized by raised red or white bumps. This common skin condition is often diagnosed by the presence of sometimes painful pimples on the surface of the skin.

The first step in finding the cure to any disease is to determine the cause. There are four main causes of acne:

Bacteria

There is a normal level of bacteria that lives on the surface of the skin. It's function is to protect your skin from other foreign bacteria. Sometimes this bacteria can get trapped in the oil residing in the pores of your skin. When this happens it can alter the natural process of the bacteria, causing irritation.

Emotional

Stress has a direct affect on the hormonal process of your body and as a result may increase the affects of acne.

Hormonal

Androgens are hormones that are primarily responsible for the production of oil underneath the surface of the skin. During puberty there is a significant increase of androgens which can cause an overproduction of oil. If the pores become blocked from the collection of dead skin cells inside a pore then this oil becomes trapped.

Beauty Products

Often times the very products that are marketed to reduce acne are the cause of further irritation and more acne. These products are loaded with unnatural chemicals and ingredients that are harmful to the skin. The first step in treating acne is to stop using these unnatural products.

What to eliminate

Along with unnatural beauty products, here is a list of other items that should be eliminated from your daily routine:

-Artificial Sweeteners
-Corn Syrup, especially High Fructose Corn Syrup
-Carbonated Beverages (sparkling water is OK)
-ALL Fast Food Restaurants
-Conventional Dairy Products (raw, unpasteurized dairy is OK)
-Gluten

Supplements

Diet has a huge affect on our skins appearance. Unfortunately most foods in the US are deficient in the naturally occurring nutrients that should be present. (I will go deeper into this issue in another post.) Because of this it may be beneficial to take high quality supplements. The following will help with your acne:

-Garlic
-Vitamin D3 50,000 - 100,000 IU daily
-Vitamin A
-B-complex vitamins
-Chromium
-Selenium
-Zinc

There are a multitude of vitamin supplements out there. If possible stick with certified organic and non-GMO brands.

Remedies

The following remedies have all shown to reduce the effects and appearance of acne. However, you may want to consult your physician before attempting.

Use the herbs Vacha, Lodhra and Jatiphala to create a face mask.

Use a face mask made from tender neem leaves, fenugreek leaves, turmeric, ripe tomato pulp, and rose water.

Take the herbs Anantmula and Sariva internally.

Eat coriander, cumin, thyme, and fennel daily.

The herbs huang qin or sang bai pi may help with blackheads.

The herbs jin yin hua and lian qiao may help with inflammation.

The herb dandelion may reduce cystic acne.

The herbs chai hu and yi mu cao may help regulate the hormones that stimulate acne growth.

Use any of the following essential oils (not to exceed 2% dilution) in a steam bath:

-Tee Trea oil
-Neem Oil
-Niaouli oil
-Palmarosa oil
-Thyme Linalol oil
-Peppermint oil
-Rose Otto oil
-Lavender oil

Water

Most Americans don't drink nearly enough water. Water is the most vital resource that your body needs to maintain proper health. If possible drink only purified or filtered water, but stay away from store bought bottled water. Here are two easy steps to ensure that you are drinking enough water:

1. Drink 8 ounces first thing in the morning before consuming anything else.
2. Drink 4-6 ounces after every visit the the bathroom.

Disclaimer

I am not a doctor and don't pretend to be one on the internet. Many of the above treatments are based on homeopathic or Chinese medicine. Please use common sense when attempting these types of treatments. If you experience burning, stinging, redness, irritation, or allergic reactions of any kind, discontinue treatment. Seek professional assistance if irritation lasts longer than three days.