Home Remedies for Curing Acne

There are a lot of home remedies for curing acne floating around, but, what really works? What are you supposed to believe?

The answer appears to be “It Depends!” Most of the more widely known home remedies for curing acne (toothpaste, tea tree oil, etc.) have been reported by so many people, and in so many places, that you have to believe that they are effective. At least, some of the time!

But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Before we look at what works (and, why it works), you need to have a basic understanding of the underlying cause of your acne.

Your sebaceous glands are just below your skin’s surface alongside hair follicles. Your body uses these glands to produce sebum oil. Your acne breakouts begin when, for whatever reason, your body begins making too much of the oil. During your teenage years the cause is most often a hormonal imbalance that is natural as we pass from childhood to adolescence. Is cases of adult acne, it is more often due to your body being overloaded with toxins and chemicals that come from things we use every day (processed foods, for instance).

Now, the amount of sebum oil on your face is important because when too much is produced, it tends to pool in the pore of your hair follicle, which provides a perfect breeding ground for the P-acne bacteria, which is also present on all of us and, in normal numbers, is quite beneficial. This bacteria actually protects us from other, more harmful bacteria that come along.

As the numbers of bacteria begin to grow, they will produce an enzyme that irritates your skin. Your body views this irritation as an infection and sends white blood cells to fight it. At the same time, your skin is naturally shedding dead skin cells, which get stuck in the oil and effectively clog the pore. Absent any intervention, this will continue until a nice, fat zit forms.

Now we can see that the effective home remedies for curing acne will, at the very least, have to do three things:

1. Exfoliate the dead skin cells causing your pores to clog.
2. Remove excess sebum oil from your hair follicle pores and, if possible, stop your body from once again producing too much.
3. Eliminate the P-acne bacteria that is causing your skin irritation.

You can take care of the first two chores by using a gentle anti-bacterial face wash and shaking a little bit of common table salt on your wash cloth or sponge. Don’t scrub! Just use a gentle motion. Too much pressure while washing can actually make things worse!

As for #3, even though the cleanser you chose probably also has “anti-bacterial” qualities, most (including the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions we linked to above) contain only enough antiseptic to eliminate the bacteria that is on your skin, but you may find that you’re going to need more help with the bacteria that is deep in your hair follicles.

Now is the time for some of the things that are suggested in many of the more popular home remedies for curing acne. Dabbing tea tree oil or raw garlic juice (among others) directly on your pores will serve to kill the bacteria deep within. You may have to experiment a bit to find the best treatment for you, but, one or more will prove effective.