Jul
2
Acne Home Remedies.
July 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Home Remedies
People have devised a number of potions to put on their faces as home treatments for blemishes. There’s really no good evidence that any of them work, but they might be worth a try. We heard from a man who had tried washing his face with milk every day as a teenager and found it helpful. He wasn’t able to convince his daughter to try the same approach, though. We haven’t seen any evidence that a milk face wash is effective, but it seems like a low-risk adventure. In India, milk is mixed with ground nutmeg and applied to blemishes as a treatment.
Another approach is the clay mask. Versions of this are sold in drugstores and at cosmetics counters. We don’t know why it would work, but it has been popular for a long time.
Q. I taught pottery at a vocational program in the Dominican Republic some years ago. My teenage students often smeared liquid local clay from our workshop on their faces as a cure for acne. The treatment worked.
A. We’ve never seen a scientifically solid study of clay for treating acne. But clearly, clay masks have been used as a complexion aid for centuries. We don’t know if American teenagers would be willing to embrace such a treatment, but stranger things have become popular.
Clay is not the only traditional “poultice” that has been applied to blemishes. We’ve heard of one home remedy that calls for mixing a teaspoon of powdered nutmeg with a teaspoon of honey and putting it on the zit for 20 minutes.’ Then it is rinsed off, just as the nutmeg-milk mixture or milk alone would be. Still another variant is to apply a paste of ground cinnamon and honey to the blemishes and leave it on overnight. Whether any of these will actually clear up pimples is a mystery to us. They have not been put to the rigors of scientific study.
One natural product that has been studied is tea tree oil in a 5 percent gel. An Australian study compared a gel composed of an extract of the Australian tree Melaleuca alternifolia to a standard over-the-counter (OTC) acne treatment, benzoyl peroxide.’ The scientists who conducted the 124-patient study wanted to see if the antimicrobial activity of the tea tree product would be useful. They found that although the initial response was slower, the benefits were comparable for non-inflamed lesions after 3 months of treatment. Benzoyl peroxide was significantly better at reducing inflamed lesions, but it also produced significantly more undesirable side effects, such as skin dryness, stinging, itching, burning, and redness. If you can’t find a water-based tea tree oil gel, look for a cleanser with tea tree oil, which should be readily available. Some people are allergic to tea tree oil, so try a bit on the inside of your forearm first to make sure you don’t have a reaction. Watch for redness, itching, or irritation.
Speaking of cleansers, it is a myth that acne is caused by dirt that needs to be scoured off with a harsh or gritty cleanser. Simply washing the face gently each morning and evening with a nondrying cleanser such as Dove, Cetaphil, or CeraVe is recommended. Cosmetics and sunscreens should be noncomedogenic, which means they don’t contribute to blackheads. This information should be on the label. As for prescription drugs Accutane is today a mostly prescribed anti-acne medical remedy, it is available online from internet pharmacy at a cheaper prices than offline.
Q. I am 39 years old and plagued with acne on my chin and neck. The dermatologist has given me topical prescription creams that haven’t done much good, and has said my only other choice would be oral antibiotics. Recently I started applying Neosporin ointment to the affected areas of my face. The difference is miraculous! I am practically blemish free after only 2 weeks of this treatment. Any blemishes I do get are very small and disappear within a few days of applying the Neosporin. Have you heard of this? My teenager tells me that some of her friends do the same.
A. Neosporin contains the antibacterial ingredients polymyxin B, bacitracin, and neomycin. It is used for first aid to keep minor cuts from becoming infected. Your use of Neosporin is new to us. If you stop getting good results, check back with your doctor. There are a number of other prescription treatments for acne that should help. Some people develop serious skin reactions to neomycin.
Tags: acenocoumarol potency warfarin, acne treatment, actonel jaw falling, affect cymbalta side, american teenagers, benzoyl, benzoyl peroxide, blemishes, boniva hotel prague, caffeine chemical energy, can neurontin cause muscle pain, celexa memory, cell body or soma, cephalexin expired, cheap price viagra, cipro in dogs, class action lawsuit seroquel, Clay, clay mask, clay masks, cleanser, clindamycin phosphate vaginal cream 2, complexion, compulsive obsessive disorder and prozac, craftsman 19.2 lithium, cure for acne, doxycycline treaments, Drug, drugs, drugstores, eczema side effect of zantac, entocort pentasa comparator, face wash, fluconazole for treatment of cocci, flutamide and hair loss, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, hepatic metastasis use diflucan, hippocampus volume suicide murder lithium clozapine, home remedies, home remedy, info on viagra, levitra line pharmacy, levitra south africa, lithium for autism, milk mixture, neomycin, omeprazole still feel sick, peripheral neuropathy and seroquel, pharmaceutical compositions containing lithium carbonat, pimple, pimples, pool paint shock lithium, poultice, prescription, quinacrine chloroquine antimalarial, Remedies, response, rigors, sciencedaily testosterone deprivation makes men forget, skin, steroid results testosterone cypionate, stranger things, tamoxifen toxicity, tea tree oil, teenage students, tegretol xr in children, tetracycline receptors stomach, treating acne, Treatment, typical dosage of abilify, what is allegra used for, zantac for excess bloating and gas, zoloft negative side effects