How To Cure Adult Acne, Everything you need to know

You wake up in the morning and take a peak into the mirror. To your horror, you see acne appear out of nowhere. Where did these little red nuisances come from, and how can you get rid of them?

What is Acne?

Acne affects 95 percent of all people, and nearly 50 million Americans. To put this into perspective, Americans alone spend more than $1.4 billion a year to treat their acne.

Although most believe acne is only a physical effect, it also makes a lasting impact emotionally. A pimple is born when oil from hair and skin, called sebum, is combined with dead skin cells. Acne pops up most during the teenage years due to rising hormone levels, causing increased oil production.

However, this can still be a struggle for adults, no matter what age.  Making your pimples disappear over night is highly unlikely, but following these tips will keep acne at bay.

Three Basic Tips

Taking care of your skin is the first step to keeping it hydrated, exfoliated, and clean. Doing so may be difficult because skin is sensitive and there are hundreds of products out there. 

1. Washing your face may be the first thing you think of when you hear the word acne. However, overwashing can dry out the skin and irritate your acne even more. Remember, acne does not necessarily come from being dirty.

2. Don’t touch your face! When you run your fingers over your face, bacteria transfers over and can infect acne prone places. These little critters dig deeper into the source, and can even change a small pimple into cystic acne. Cystic acne is the red, painful, and sometimes itchy acne that is full of puss.

3. Overusing products is a mistake that most people do when they are eager to get rid of a pimple. However, doing so will not cure it faster but rather increase redness, irritation, peeling, and dryness. This is why using moisturizer during acne treatment is essential. It prevents drying and reduces oil production.

Natural Remedies

Natural remedies sound healthier than prescribed medicines, and can cure your acne without all those chemicals. But what makes these work, while some expensive acne treatments may fail?

Most acne remedies are available in nature. Many ingredients of acne products can be found in plants and herbs. These type of remedies are healthier, easier on the skin, and much safer than products with dangerous chemicals. It is important to note that skin is different from person to person, and what works for some may not work for you. Here are a few natural treatments you can try with ingredients from home!

Lemon juice is actually a popular ingredient in numerous home treatments and remedies. This applies to blackhead remedies at the same time. Experts recommend applying fresh lemon juice on the locations where blackheads are present. Variations of this treatment are available as well. You can mix the lemon with salt, honey, and yogurt onto a face scrub for a natural face wash.

Tee tree oil is also a great alternative due to its antibacterial and antiseptic behavior. It is able to clean out pores and kill bacteria with a natural astringent it has. This natural ingredient can be applied to the face straight away, or mixed with some water.

Aloe Vera is also a natural remedy that may prove to be effective for you. The liquid from these leaves are said to heal the scarred skin. Another benefit is its ability to soothe and moisturize dried skin. This has proven to be one of the most successful home remedy of them all.

When trying to cure acne through home remedies, it is important to know that these will take patience and some experimenting. The recovery process may be painstakingly slow, but sticking to the remedies will only help.

Diet

Many believe diet has nothing to do with acne. This is not the case because making a simple change to your diet can have a huge impact on your body. This will in turn, have an effect on your acne.

Before diving into eating healthy foods, getting rid of toxic food is the place to start. This is where soft drinks, coffee, and other processed foods come in. Although there is no connection between chocolate and acne, chocolate will still add toxins to your blood. Once these are out of your life, we can then focus on improving your diet.

First we should look at any acne reactions you have to certain foods. Some have reported cases of reacting to red meat, dairy, and gluten. Make sure to find out if a certain type of food you are consuming is causing your acne.

Next, make sure you are hydrated throughout your acne treatment. Water is essential for transporting nutrients to your skin, as well as other parts of the body. It is recommended to drink at least eight glasses of water a day to keep your skin healthy and fresh.

It is important to carefully research acne free diets before indulging yourself into them. Some may not fit your body, and can leave you more harmed than when you first started. For example, a detox diet involves detoxifying your body, or removing toxins from it. However, you should only carry out this diet for a short period of time (around 3-5 days) if you would like to keep your intestines healthy.

Post Treatment

If you have reached this stage in acne treatment, congratulations! You now have clearer skin and you feel more confident. However, you may have acne marks, known as macules.

Acne scars are different from acne marks due to the fact that they leave indentations or protrusions in the skin. Acne marks are simply dark brown or red spots that come after pimples. These types of marks may take years or months to go away, but can leave on their own. This is also known as hyperpigmentation, and can be caused by allergies, tanning, and aging as well.

An important step to treating your acne marks is wearing sunscreen consistently. It is known to prevent more hyperpigmentation and stops dark sports from becoming darker. Exfoliation is also essential when it comes to this process. No matter what type of exfoliation you decide to use (chemical, machine, washcloths), they all shred off old peeling skin.

The last tip is to be confident with your new clear skin. No matter how severe your acne was, getting rid of it is extremely rewarding. Staying consistent with your routine as well as trying many different products was well worth it!