The causes of acne may include hormonal changes in the subject, which is why acne often appears on the faces of young people going through puberty. Additionally, there may be many other causes, or to use the proper term, “triggers” for an outbreak of acne. The people who get acne aren’t limited to youngsters, although they most often suffer outbreaks. Menopause seems to trigger acne in some people; even infants have been known to suffer from acne outbreaks.
There are many treatments for acne, but it seems that each treatment works only for some people who suffer from acne. The care of acne is also the preventative care of acne prone skin and that consists of:
- Wash your face (and other acne prone areas) thoroughly with a gentle non-oily soap morning and night. You may wash after exercise, or other times that you sweat, or get your face dirty.
- Don’t wash too often.
- Use water based cosmetics or “acne-safe” cosmetics.
- Make sure that you remove all makeup before going to bed.
- Don’t rub, pick or poke at your pustules.
- Do not squeeze your acne pustules. Squeezing the zits, blackheads, and/or whiteheads will very often lead to infection and the material coming out of the affected pore is likely to cause other pustules on your face where it comes in contact with [clear] skin.
Stress is also sometimes listed as a trigger for acne. It is quite difficult to avoid stress in today’s society, but you might want to learn how to relieve stress not only to help with your acne but also to help with your life in general.
The problem with “natural” cures or treatments for anything is that today everything is labeled as “Natural” or as “contains no chemicals,” or even “organic.” All of these labels are at best misleading. As an example, I will cite one of the most accepted components in acne lotions or washes, and that is salicylate. Salicylate is, like aspirin, (acetyl salicylic acid) a naturally derived medicine. It is organic, as it is derived from willow bark. The other label is so stupid that it doesn’t deserve to be called anything but a lie. All physical materials contain chemicals. Water is made of chemicals; as a matter of fact it is made of hydrogen and oxygen.
Despite all the caveats in the above paragraph, there are several, or maybe even many botanical extracts that are currently being offered on the internet or in pharmacies, or health food stores which may be effective in the treatment of acne. Because there are so many and because they may or may not work for your acne, I will resist the temptation to suggest that you try any of them.
There are also medical appliances that are being sold to treat the individual pustules of an acne outbreak. Most of these are for sale at prices above one hundred dollars and their advertising doesn’t disclose how, exactly, they treat acne. Caveat emptor!