How important is a balanced diet in the prevention of acne.
This article highlights the significance of the different vitamins in diet to avoid the occurrence of acne.
It gives the sources of vitamins found in food and the right doses to be taken in a day.
Are you tired of using ointments and medicines, which are ineffective for treating your acne?
If you are looking for natural methods of treatment of acne scars, here is a detailed treatment of the various home remedies you can use for the treatment of acne scars.
Various myths abound regarding acne. For myths surrounding acne this article is an in-depth study.
It dispels these myths with the actual truth behind these myths.
Natural remedies for Acne
Acne as you already must know is a skin disorder, which affects about 80% of all individuals between the ages of 12 and 24. Clinical symptoms of acne range from non-inflammatory ("blackheads" and "whiteheads") to inflammatory ("cysts") lesions. This is a multi-factorial disease whose exact cause is still unknown.
The various factors responsible for acne are sebum (oily substance that lubricates hair follicles), heredity, particular changes in the hair follicle, bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) and hormones. The treatment has to be tailor-made according to the type of lesions an individual with acne presents with.
In spite of the many existing therapies for acne, including topical (skin) and oral medicine, many people do not respond adequately to conventional modes of therapy. Further, they face problems such as side effects and resistance to antibiotic drugs. Therefore, a lot of attention is now focused towards natural remedies for acne.
Natural remedies for acne comprise of nonprescription drug therapy including:
1 Traditional Chinese medicine:
Traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture has been around for thousands of years. The concept of this treatment is that all the body's organs and the mind are interconnected. It is based on a holistic approach towards combating disease.
2 Ayurvedic medicine:
Recently, ayurvedic medicine has become increasingly popular. Researchers are turning their attention towards this mode of treatment. In a clinical trial, four Ayurvedic formulations were studied among which "Sunder Vati" caused a significant decrease in acne lesions.
3 Natural compounds:
1. Azelaic acid: Among naturally occurring compounds, azelaic acid is a dicarboxylic acid found in wheat, rye, and barley; it is reported to be both antibacterial and anticomedonal. It may however, cause hypopigmentation and so, it should be used with care by the dark complexioned.
2. Brewer's yeast: Brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is medicinal yeast, which is high in chromium content. Brewer's yeast causes clinical improvement in patients with acne.
3. Zinc: Zinc reduces the Inflammation associated with acne and retards the production of excessive quantities of sebum, which is one of the risk factors for acne lesions.
4 Nutrition:
Nutrition plays a very important role. Make it a habit to drink plenty of water, preferably at a lukewarm temperature. It is also a good idea to get some exercise everyday. A balanced diet, full of fruits and greens, paves the way for good, healthy looking skin. Here are some vitamins and minerals to help you out.
1. Vitamin A: Belonging to the class of retinal compounds, vitamin
A helps in clearing the keratin plugs that block the pores of the oil
secreting glands under the skin.
Vitamin B: The B complex helps alleviate acne and vitamin B5 is
reported to completely treat acne.
If the acne is not treated with care, then it often results in the formation of scars, which are the body's inflammatory response to acne that has been squeezed or scratched off prematurely. Acne scars resemble depressions or pits on the affected skin. These scars cause sizeable disfigurement in about 95% of acne cases.
The best treatment for removing acne scars is treating acne completely and early. Some of the treatments mentioned earlier in this article may help cure acne before too many scars are formed.
If you are at the stage of acne where scars have already appeared, then it is worthwhile to try out some home remedies for their treatment.
Different people suffer from different type of scaring. Hence the treatment depends on the intensity and type of scars. Although not enough research is done in this area, home remedies have been experienced to be effective, and usually don't require a medical practitioner's guidance. Following are some home remedies for acne scars:
1. Apply fresh mint juice every night to cure acne.
2. Do not use oily cosmetics; do not use make-up at all, if you
can help it.
3. Vitamin E, Echinacea, thyme, and tea tree oil can cure acne
scars.
4. Sandalwood paste with rose water when applied on scars will
help in healing.
5. Cut a tomato into slices and rub them on your skin. This helps
lighten acne scars.
6. 3 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder made
into a paste and applied overnight helps reduce scars.
7. Do not squeeze or prick your acne. This causes scars.
8. Avoid fat food and have more of vitamins and proteins.
9. Raw papaya juice may help acne scars.
10. Apply cucumber paste on your face. This will help to heal the
skin.
11. A paste of sandalwood powder and rose water also cures acne.
12. Ground nutmeg with raw milk cures acne scars.
13. Orange peel can help cure the affected skin.
14. Facial creams containing isopropyl palmitate and sodium chloride
should be avoided.
15. Wash your hair regularly and keep it off your face. In case
you have a dandruff problem, treat it immediately.
16. Don't spend too much time in the sun.
References:
1) Kubo I., Muroi H., Kubo A. "Naturally occurring anti-acne agents".
J Nat Prod. 1994 Jan; 57(1): 9-17.
2) Nam C., Kim S., Sim Y., Chang I. "Anti-acne effects of Oriental
herb extracts: a novel screening method to select anti-acne agents".
Skin Pharmacol Appl Skin Physiol. 2003 Mar-Apr; 16(2): 84-90.
3) Guoquing D. "Advances in the acupuncture treatment of acne".
J Tradit Chin Med 1997; 17:65-72.
4) Jin L. "Treatment of adolescent acne with acupunture". J
Trad Chin Med 1993; 13:187-8.
5) Yihou X. Treatment of facial skin diseases with acupuncture. J Trad
Chin Med 1990; 10:22-5.
6) Paranjpe P, Kulkarni P.H. "Comparative efficacy of four Ayurvedic
formulations in the treatment of acne vulgaris: a double-blind randomized
placebo-controlled clinical evaluation". J Ethnopharmacol 1995; 49:127-32.
7) Krowchuk D.P."Managing acne in adolescents". Pediatr Clin
North Am. 47:841-857, 2000.
8) Murray MT, Pizzorno JE: Acne vulgaris and acne conglobata. In Murray
MT, Pizzorno JE (eds): Textbook of Natural Medicine, 2nd ed, vol 2. New
York, Churchill Livingstone, 1999. 1033-1038.
9) Jemec G.B., Jemec B. "Acne: treatment of scars". Clin Dermatol.
2004; 22(5): 434-8.
10) Friedman P.M., Jih M.H., Skover G.R., Payonk G.S., Kimyai-Asadi A.,
Geronemus R.G. "Treatment of atrophic facial acne scars with the
1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser: six-month follow-up study". Arch
Dermatol. 2004 Nov; 140(11): 1337-41.
11) Dreno B. "Acne: physical treatment". Clin Dermatol. 2004
Sep-Oct; 22(5): 429-33.
12) Spencer J.M. "Microdermabrasion". Am J Clin Dermatol. 2005.
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