You thought you’d get rid of acne when you reach adulthood, but surprisingly the pimples decided to stay, and it’s more than nerve-wrecking to be the only one of your friends who still battles teenage skin issues.
What can you do about it?
First, you must determine what causes skin bursts. Contrary to what some of your friends say, personal hygiene has nothing to do, and no matter how many skin cleansing products you’ll try, chances are acne to continue to grow. Dr. Anjali Mahto of the British Association of Dermatologists states that often genetics and hormones trigger acne.
You probably started developing acne first when you hit puberty because your body started producing a more significant amount of androgen hormones. Androgen hormones are known to increase the size of your oil glands, and when they are bigger, they produce more oil; your pores become clogged, and the bacteria that live on skin surface multiplies. And you know what’s next bursts of acne.
Most of the dermatologists recommend antibiotic treatment to adult patients who experience acne. Still, prolonged use of antibiotics has many side effects, and it’s best to use natural remedies when possible. So, your question may be, do natural remedies work for treating acne? Well, as with all other treatments, some work and some irritate your skin, so it’s essential to research to find out which ones are beneficial for your condition.
The scene of natural and alternative acne treatments is interesting (to say at least)
If you want to stop using antibiotic medicine and aggressive creams and lotions to deal with your pimples, natural remedies may’ve piqued your interest because everyone mentions them when speaking about skin problems.
But before ditching the treatment your dermatologist recommended, you should spend some time to educate yourself to determine what alternatives you can use. Most of the following solutions haven’t been thoroughly studied, so you count solely on the review and feedback of other acne patients provided. Most of the tinctures, creams, extracts, herbs, and plants have folklore and anecdotal evidence behind them because people are using them since the oldest times to cure specific skin problems.
And don’t expect any of the following natural remedies to be miraculous because there’s no such thing with alternative treatments. They’ll improve your state and boost your skin’s health, but they won’t cure your pimples overnight. In fact, if one of the producers advertise their solutions as miraculous, look for something else.
That being said, let’s explore together some of the natural remedies that have promising benefits for skin bursts.
Tea tree oil
Some face wash products include tea tree oil in their ingredients, but it can also work on itself. The data behind it is limited, but research highlighted that it has anti-inflammatory properties, and it can improve the state of pimples. Anti-inflammatory products can help in treating acne because they soothe skin.
Tea tree oil works if you have low impact bursts, but it won’t make a significant change if you suffer from moderate or severe acne.
Witch hazel
If you don’t like the smell of tea tree oil, which can be a little too mentholated sometimes, you can use witch hazel because it also has anti-inflammatory characteristics. Witch hazel includes alcohol that can dry out pimples and speed-up their healing. But if you use it extensively, it can burn out your skin or cause irritations, so it’s advisable to apply it only on spots.
Apple cider vinegar
Anecdotal evidence tells that apple cider vinegar can cure breakouts, but Dr. Anjali Mahto states she doesn’t recommend using it because it’s an acid, and it can have side effects on your skin.
Apple cider vinegar acts similar to a chemical exfoliant, but you can use other safer acids to do it. Don’t forget that acne skin is more sensitive than healthy skin, and exfoliating it can worsen the condition. Mahto recommends using lactic acid, glycolic acid, or salicylic acid for chemical exfoliation. Apple cider vinegar can irritate your skin and encourage redness.
Cannabidiol
There is some evidence that shows that cannabidiol products can be beneficial for people fighting acne and other skin issues. Acne is a source of irritation, and CBD products can soothe the complexion and alleviate breakouts.
CBD oil can reduce specific types of acne because it regulates oil production. When people suffer from hormonal conditions, their body produces a large amount of sebum that is waxy and encourages bacterial growth. But CBD regulates the excess sebum production and lowers inflammation so that it can improve acne without medication. If you’re an athlete you may wonder if you’re allowed to use CBD products. Well, when it comes to CBD flower and drug tests there’s a slight chance for it to show up, but most tests aren’t designed to detect THC. However it may be a good idea to use a product THC-free.
Green tea
If you want to alleviate acne symptoms for a couple of hours, apply cool green tea bags on the spots. Similar to the above natural remedies, this one also has anti-inflammatory effects, so it can help with improving the condition, but it doesn’t treat the cause. You can pair green tea with other, more efficient treatments.
Honey
Anecdotal evidence shows that honey can be used as a treatment for wounds because it has antibacterial characteristics, but there’s no research to prove that it can help acne.
But you can include this ingredient in DIY masks and scrubs because it can improve your skin’s health. Don’t expect to notice miraculous effects, it will probably make your skin more glowing, but it won’t make it worse.
Dietary changes
Changing your diet alone won’t stop skin bursts, but by cutting some foods, you can get rid of side effects. You may think that diet has nothing to do with skin problems because many of your friends are addicted to junk food, and they don’t have pimples. But some studies show that there is a connection between some foods and acne for people with specific genetics.
So, it’s up to you to identify the foods that make your acne worse and remove them from your diet. For most people, acne plays a minor role in breakouts development, so it’s worth making some changes to check if your skin feels better. At the end of the day, a healthy diet is helpful for your body in many other ways.