Homemade Remedies: Acne, Black-Whiteheads

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Acne
Acne is a common concern amongst teenagers and young adults. This is because it is within these age ranges that the body is undergoing a series of changes that may contribute to additional acne. However, regardless of these changes there are many steps that teenagers and young adults can take in order to reduce their amount of acne naturally and organically.

The first step is to maintain a healthy and nutritious diet. This step is especially important for teenagers and young adults because their daily schedules are usually very busy forcing them to either eat on the run or to purchase meals from fast food restaurants. Fast foods as well as most ‘ready to eat’ store bought foods contain high amounts of fructose, oils, and carbohydrates that contribute to high blood sugar which in turn contribute to increased acne. To reduce high amounts of acne maintain a healthy nutritious diet consisting of a lot of fruits and vegetables.

Another important step is to reduce the amount of dairy within the daily diet. Dairy does not need to be cut out of the diet entirely but does need to be reduced. This is because during puberty the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is extremely high and the bovine IGF-1 found in milk and cheese may contribute to increased amounts of acne. Simply by reducing the amount of dairy consumed in one day to one cup of milk per day or one ounce of cheese per day can greatly decrease acne.

Many physicians have begun recommending omega-3 fish oil supplements to their patients that suffer from high amounts of acne. This is because omega-3 fish oil is a natural anti-inflammatory which helps reduce inflammation caused by acne. Also, because dealing with acne can cause depression omega-3 fish oil supplements also work great as a natural anti-depressant.

Blackheads
A blackhead is an enlarged plugged follicle that is open on the surface of the skin. The tiny black dots that can be seen around the sides of the nose and cheeks are not the result of dirt within the skin but rather oils on the skin that have been exposed to oxygen. Blackheads do not usually become inflamed but can be difficult to remove and can linger for quite some time.

The first step to properly ridding the face of blackheads is to routinely wash and scrub the face with soap or a cleansing cream. Daily cleansing of the face will help prevent the oils on the face from being exposed to oxygen for too long helping to reduce the amount of blackheads.

One great homemade remedy for blackheads is to mix an equal amount of baking soda versus water than to thoroughly wash the portions of the face that have the most severe amounts of blackheads. The concoction should be somewhat pasty rather than watery. Once the face has been thoroughly washed rinse off with lukewarm water and repeat twice daily until the blackheads have begun to clear.

Whiteheads
A whitehead is formed by skin oil and cells that gather than harden on the face. Excess oils make their way to the surface of the skin through various follicles alongside cells and eventually come to rest on the follicle end acting as a plug. As time passes more oils and cells secrete through the same follicles forcing the whitehead to ‘bulge’ due to the blocked pores causing pain and discomfort.

Surprisingly for many decades toothpaste has been used as a natural remedy to fight against whiteheads. Simply just apply a very small amount of toothpaste directly to the whitehead and allow it to set either overnight or for an extended amount of time. Eventually the toothpaste will have helped crack open the whitehead in order to flush the excess oils and cells out.

At the first sign of a whitehead rubbing alcohol can be applied via a Q-tip in order to help reduce the amount of swelling and to kill any excess bacteria. Rubbing alcohol will also help to clear the excess skin oil and cells if used in time. However, if rubbing alcohol is used in excess it may dry out the skin causing further discomfort.

Drinking green tea has also been proven to help reduce the amount of whiteheads as well as prevent them from appearing altogether. This is because green tea contains antioxidants and antibacterial agents which help kill germs that can cause acne.

 

Sources:

 

“Acne: Causes.” By Mayo Clinic Staff
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/acne/DS00169/DSECTION=causes

“Hormonal Acne: Causes and Cures Explained.” By Natural Acne Solution
http://www.natural-acne-solution.com/hormonal-acne.html

“Homemade Remedies for Blackheads.” By Kimberly Ripley, eHow Contributor
http://www.ehow.com/way_5143762_homemade-remedies-blackheads.html

“Home Remedy for Whiteheads.” By Christine DiMaria
http://www.livestrong.com/article/292492-home-remedy-for-white-heads/

Alden Morris
Proprietor at All Done Marketing
Alden Morris is a freelance writer and producer of content aimed to create interest, inspire, and educate.