acne remedies

[dwbonfire]

hello all.. i have battled acne for a while now, it comes in phases for me and nothing seems to trigger it, or help it really. im not even quite sure a dermatologyst would classify it as acne but i believe thats what it is.
i have use proactive, and it seemed to work for some time but now is not. i have tried witch hazel, and other face products. i do not know if my skin is considered oily or dry..

is there any natural remedies that have helped people get rid of thier acne? i have thought about using coconut oil, but fear it will make me break out worse since it is oil.. i have also thought of ACV, but worry to use that too and make it worse. it is a very aggravating thing to deal with and would love to hear how some of you have treated it!! thanks!

 

[Emerald]

exactly where on your face do you break out? the forehead or the cheeks/nose or chin? it if is over your cheeks and nose it could be Rosacea. And seeing a dermatologist will help.
if it is on your cheeks and nose and a bit of your forehead it could also be something else.. like Lupus(can you hear dr. house saying It is not lupus?).
Both of those causes come and go.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

My personal favorite way to treat any wounds, including acne, is salt water. I came upon this knowledge when I was 14 years old and went to my aunt's camp and went swimming several hours. By the time I went in and showered and looked in the mirror....I thought I was beautiful. Been using it ever since.
Well, I am studying healing herbs right now and there are several things you can use. Salt. Paste made with baking soda and water...apply and leave on face for 15 mins. Honey dabbed onto blemishes. Onion juice. Also it is recommended to remove toxins from your blood/liver. Drink lots of water. Vitamin C and zinc are what nurses give to patients who have wounds that need to heal.

 

[dwbonfire]

exactly where on your face do you break out? the forehead or the cheeks/nose or chin? it if is over your cheeks and nose it could be Rosacea. And seeing a dermatologist will help.
if it is on your cheeks and nose and a bit of your forehead it could also be something else.. like Lupus(can you hear dr. house saying It is not lupus?).
Both of those causes come and go.

it is my forehead/temples and the sides of my cheeks like towards my ears and sometimes down my jaw line. seems to sometimes spread into my cheeks toward my nose sometimes when im having a bad break out.

at the risk of sounding not so smart, what is lupus? i am going to look it up now..

 

[Emerald]

a somewhat rare immune disease. Most common symptom is a butterfly pattern of red/rash/acne over cheeks nose and forehead.
I get a few breakouts of acne but our family has a history of Rosacea so I keep an eye on it.
but where yours is have you checked what shampoo/conditioner you are using at the time? those are areas that hair brushes against. if you change every so often it could be that..

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

I don't know if this applies, but sometimes overzealous scrubbing can cause acne.

 

[dwbonfire]

good point about the shampoo.. i remember a while back i was using olive oil shampoo, and im not certain but it may have been around the time my face was looking pretty good. i am going to give it a shot to try the olive oil shampoo and see if that makes a difference! wouldnt that be wonderful.

i do tend to scrub my face maybe more than i should, it is very hard not to do that when you feel you need to keep it clean to rid the acne.. i will also try to be less aggressive about that.

thanks!

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

I am guilty of the same thing...overscrubbing. Well, way back when. I have learned that "less is more".

 

[Justme]

My DD is slightly OCD when it comes to germs and cleanliness. She has learned the hard way that there is such a thing as too clean. By this I mean she's washed her hands so often that they were raw and cracked. And her face has in the past been covered in an acne like rash. It wasn't that she was drying out her skin or scrubbing too hard instead she was killing all her good bacteria. For both hands and face we and our homeopathic chiropractor convinced her to use a greek yogurt mask every day. And very little soap and absolutely NO anti bacterial soap. This worked wonders. All rash is gone and hands are smooth and healthy again.
Recently she was having more acne (real acne this time) breakouts and was trying to find something that didn't dry her skin out but helped with the acne. We weren't having much luck until I stumbled across articles on coconut oil. She is now a devout user of it for washing her face and it has remained blemish free since she started. She no longer uses any moisterizers or oil control products. Yea sounds weird but from what I read it makes since- oil attracts oil. And the more you strip your skin of it's natural oils (which it needs) the more it will produce. Try the coconut oil. Just a little dab rubbed all over the face then follow with a warm cloth for a few minutes and a warm rince.
I also agree with Emerald. Check your shampoo and other hair products. I myself have real issues with most "top" common brands of toothpaste. It causes severe acne like rash around my mouth and chin in just a few uses.
Since it seems to be a phase thing it could be harder to determine the cause as foods, hormones, stress, environment, amount of sun, different chemicals(as in shampoo and washes), immune system, etc all could play a part.

 

[dwbonfire]

thank you very much for your reply.

i think i am going to try coconut oil as well as changing my shampoo. my only question/concern is that i do alot of work outside so i get alot of dust and dirt on my face (which is why i wash it twice a day and scrub harder than i should).. so if i want to cleanse my face of the dirt should i use a face wash and then follow that with the coconut oil? i worry that the coconut oil alone wont be enough to get the dirt out of my pores..?