How to Clear up Acne?

[LegendarySandwich]

So, my mom got me new acne treatment medicine, and I was like "meh". But this morning when I was in the bathroom I actually looked over the box, and found that it said "natural homeopathic acne tablets".

 

The brand is Nature's Cure, and it's called 2 Part Acne Treatment For Males. As well as the tablets, it comes with "acne medication vanishing cream" that they claim is "dermatologist tested".

Here's the homeopathic tablet ingredients:
Active ingredients: Antimomium Crudum (antimonious sulfide) 12x, Calendula officinalis (marigold) 6x, Carbo vegetabilis (vegetable carbon) 30x, Cimicifuga racemosa (black cohosh) 30x, Echinacea angustifolia (cone flower) 12x, Graphites (graphite) 30x, Hepar Sulfuris Calcareum (calcium sulfide) 24x, Hydrastis canadensis (golden seal) 6x, Juglans regia (walnut) 6x, Ledum palustre (wild rosemary) 12x, Orchitinum (glandular) 12x, Sarsaparilla (wild licorice) 12x, Silicea (silica) 6x.

Inactive Ingredients: Lactose, Magnesium Stearate.

It says that its "Tablet ingredients and their indications are based on traditional homeopathic evidence[sic]" and "Made in accordance with the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States."


Okay then. Here's the vanishing cream:

Active Ingredient: Benzoyl Peroxide 5%.
Inactive Ingredients: Allantoin, Aloe Vera concentrate, Carbomer 940, Dioctyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate, Diazolidinyl Urea, Disodium Edetate, Purified water, Sodium Hydroxide.

It says that only the tablets are homeopathic, but I want to be sure.

[McQ]

Homeopathic Medicine = Oxymoron

Funny that they should include benzoyl peroxide with the homeopathic tablets, since benzoyl peroxide is good old western acne medicine. That's the active ingredient in acne medicines for decades here in the U.S. It essentially helps clear your skin pores by causing your skin to peel. At concentrations of 5% - 10% it works pretty well. And yes, it has been thoroughly tested in clinical studies for safety and efficacy.

In the flip side, I'd just skip those tablets, personally, and work instead on good diet and nutrition. You'd be amazed what good a proper diet does for acne.

[Whitney]

...is the 10x etc following the ingredients how many times it has been diluted?

The cream will work, that's the same amount of benzol peroxide you'll find in the most common otc acne creams.

Skip the pills (save them to prove you skipped them), use the cream, keep your face clean with regular face soap, and avoid junk food...that should keep most teenage acne under control.  I think exercise seems to help complexion too; but that could be related to being overall more healthy rather than the exercise itself.

[KDbeads]

On the facial soap though, try to avoid scents and dyes if possible.  I battle adult acne myself (25 years now of this crap, starting to hate it) and artificial crap aggravates my skin enough to make the acne worse.  I tend to stick with the neutrogena acne bar, which is something like 3% salicylic acid for normal every day use and pull out the benzoyl peroxide for the actual bad breakouts when they hit and they do hit often enough for me to hate my skin.
Most acne is caused by bacteria that lives on your skin; it loves oil and moist open pores, some of us just host it better than others   The trick is to take away the buffet.

[Will]

I had trouble with acne for years. The absolute best thing for acne is a good diet high in a variety of fruits and vegetables, along with lean, hormone-free meats and protein sources. In addition, you'll want to wash your hair and face before going to sleep and make sure your pillow is clean.

Homeopathy is basically just water. Save yourself some money and just drink from the tap.

[LegendarySandwich]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I'm kind of chubby -- I definitely need to start eating healthier and exercising more, but bad habits are hard to break.

When I told my mom that homeopathic remedies aren't medicine, she told me to try it anyways and see. No thanks mom, that sounds like a waste of time, and if I started to think they were working it would be because of the placebo effect.

[ForTheLoveOfAll]

For the love of a flying fuck. Homeopathic medicine is a fraud, end of discussion. James Randi gave an excellent speech about it.

[youtube:2j1qvbj1]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWE1tH93G9U[/youtube:2j1qvbj1]

I had trouble with acne for agessss. But I can tell you how to get over it. It'll take time, by the way, if you actually want to CURE acne, and not just cover it up or make it go away for awhile. Things like ProActiv work, but only as long as you use them. Plus, it has some pretty toxic stuff in it.

I'd suggest switching to a vegan diet. (It's not as hard as you might think, and I promise you'll feel better and look better. Everyone who I know who has gone vegan/vegetarian has.) Eat ALOT of raw fruits and vegetables. Try to go at least 50% raw, and drink at least a quart and a half of water every day. Keep your piss clear.

And switch to ivory soap, or something else natural and unscented. I use a bar of ivory to wash my hair and my body, works just fine, and my acne goes away.  

If you really want to get busy getting rid of acne, try some hydrotherapy. Not only will it improve the way your skin looks, but it'll increase your blood flow and help brain function. What you do is, when you're done taking a shower, finish with hot water, as hot as you can stand it, and hit your entire body with the stream of water for 15-30 seconds, then switch the hot water off, all the way to as cold as it'll go, and do the same for 15-30 seconds. Do this a few times. When I started off, I did it 14 times every single night. After a few months, I'm just doing it once every night. You'll definitely be dancing if you try this one, though.

[Alexander]

Anyone else suffering from this? If so, have you got any tips for getting rid of it - medication to take, etc?

[Cecilie]

I've got it. I tried different skin care products, but nothing worked so I eventually stopped caring and realized that nobody else gave a shit either.

[Jester]

I've never had a problem with it. My dad says that using cheap bar soap on your face will really suck out all the oils, though.. and if clogged, oily pores are the cause of acne, then in theory, it should dry pimples out. There's also the risk that it would dry out the rest of your skin, though, and it would start to flake off.
I've done it before and had no side effects, but then again, prolonged exposure to nearly toxic levels of chlorine also does not bother my skin, so that might not be good for everyone.

[Lost]

The best things for acne are: A good gentle cleanser (not soap), cream with benzoyl peroxide (or Salicylic Acid), eating healthy, excercise and keeping your pillow cases clean. Also, don't lean on your hand while at your desk, or hold your phone up against your face.

Beyond that, it would probably be of benefit to go see a dermetologist.

[Will]

I thought I'd expand a bit on my post above.

Here's the thing: hormonal imbalances like those one has during puberty mean that sebaceous glands start working overtime, releasing a ton of sebum, the oily substance that helps to keep skin and hair moisturized (it's made of triglycerides and other fatty acids). Normally, dead skin cells are released at a rate which prevents sebum from clogging pores, but when sebum production goes into overdrive an imbalance can occur. The sebum gets trapped under dead skin cells and that is a very friendly environment for bacteria, particularly Propionibacterium acnes. A little civilization of bacteria develops, which triggers your immune system to release white blood cells to deal with the infection. Like any site of infection, it becomes swollen and red. Boom, acne.

The best way to deal with something like this is not to over-dry your skin with just soap. Your body responds to dry skin by releasing even more sebum, which can make the problem even worse. What you want to do is remove the offending oil, and then replace it with a moisturizer. What you want from a proper cleanser is to foam, exfoliate, and wash everything away. I use Lab Series Multi-Action face wash, and then immediately follow up with a solid, oil-free moisturizer with sun protection, Neutrogena Men Triple Protect face lotion. Artificial moisturizers are not as friendly an environment for bacteria, but can help to keep skin properly moisturized which prevents that increase of sebum. This is really only the beginning, though. Skin, as an organ, requires to be fed and treated well so that it functions at it's best. Avocado, mangos, almonds, cherries, mushroom, and flax seed all supply important nutrients which will help feed your skin exactly what it needs. In addition, you'll want to get regular exercise, particularly the kind that makes you sweat. Sweat is basically saltwater, and will flush your pores of oils very effectively.

Beyond all that, you'll want to prevent extra oils and dead skin from coming into contact with your face. Make sure your pillow case is always fresh and clean, free of body soil, which is oils, dead skin cells, and sweat. Make sure your hair is not dirty and oily before going to bed, which means using a good shampoo and oil-free conditioner which will do to your hair what the face wash and moisturizer do for your face.

I hope this has been helpful. Best of luck with your problem!

[Whitney]

I merged this with another topic that was half way about acne and put it in the help desk for anyone looking for similar answers...I don't' think there is one among us who has never had to deal with breakouts on at least some scale.  My face still breaks out seemingly randomly and I'm almost 30.

[rawrdog822]

Sounds like they are feeding you some useless pills and then giving you acne cream.  They can charge you more for the "two" items.

[YaarghMatey487]

I'm a HUGE fan of Lush products. Lush is based out of the UK but there are several stores in the United States. The products are all hand made and all are animal free! I have annoyingly sensitive skin and Lush products are the first I've EVER tried that seem to help.