Posts Tagged “acne treatments”

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As crazy as it sounds, recent studies conducted at Stanford and Wake Forest Schools of Medicine suggest there’s a connection between stubborn stress-related belly bulge, unsightly acne flare-ups and the so-called “Belly Fat” pill, Relacore… and that link is stress. By now we’ve all heard that stress increases cortisol (the stress hormone) and cortisol increases “belly fat.” Well, now it seems that stress also increases both the frequency and the severity of acne breakouts.

While this may be terrible news for millions of us who seem to be stressed-out even on the best of days, it turns out to be great news for the Carter-Reed Company. You see, Carter-Reed makes Relacore, the anti-stress feel-good pill that has become America’s #1 selling “Belly Fat” pill because of the connection between stress and abdominal fat. In fact, Carter-Reed is seeing a huge spike in sales as more people understand that controlling stress will not only help reduce “belly bulge” but can also help lessen the frequency and severity of acne breakouts. Read the rest of this entry »

In my teens and twenties I went through trying every thing I could to get rid of my acne. I used everything from Accutane to Tetracycline to Benzoyl Peroxide and this natural list brings back some memories. All of these things do work, although I have never tried the vinegar, and are a great addition to your daily skin regimen.

Acne suffers usually go out and spend good money on common over-the-counter acne treatment products. The truth is, most of these products are full of chemicals that can actually slow down the healing of acne, and irritate your skin, causing farther breakouts.

When an acne product has 20 ingredients listed on it, it can be hard to know if one of those ingredients is actually stopping you from having success. It can be even harder when you can’t pronounce the ingredient, much less know what it is and how it is going to affect your skin.

The very sick thing is that most popular acne treatments are not only much more expensive than common household items, but they also don’t always work as well either. With that in mind, I will list some basic household items that can work wonders on clearing up your skin.

Baking soda

- A very cheap cooking ingredient that most people have in their homes already, baking soda can be used as a great scrub. The purpose of a scrub is to exfoliate the skin, removing dead skin that can eventually clog pores and lead to acne spots.

To start off, you’ll want to mix a small amount of baking soda with some water for form a paste. Baking soda is very effective as a scrub, so you want to be sure to be extra careful when applying it to your face. Gently massage the paste into your skin for ten to fifteen seconds. Then rinse the baking soda off, and pat your face dry with a clean towel.

Apple Cider Vinegar

- Though most people that use vinegar to treat acne use the apple cider form of vinegar, you can also use plain old regular vinegar. Regardless of which type you use, vinegar can be very helpful with it comes to clearing up acne. It can kill off acne causing bacteria, balance your skin’s pH, and absorb extra oil on your skin.
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I just ran across this list of active ingredients that are common to different acne treatments. Most of us are used to seeing Clearasil and Proactiv but to know what these products contain is at least as important as the ads that they have on TV

Used to treat mild, moderate and severe acne, the effectiveness of over-the-counter medications lies in the product�s active ingredients. The active ingredient benzoyl peroxide reduces acnes; whereas, salicylic acid helps correct abnormal skin shedding. To choose what to use look at what the ingredient is expected to fix. I have included common active ingredients used in over-the-counter acne medications sold in the United States. Check with your dermatologist or pharmacist before combining acne products.

Alcohol and acetone
Found together in some over-the-counter medications used to treat acne, acetone works as a degreasing agent and alcohol has mild antimicrobial properties. When used alone, acetone tends to have no effect.

Benzoyl peroxide
The mainstay of over-the-counter acne treatment, benzoyl peroxide works to clear up acne by reducing acne and removing dead cells from the skin to prevent comedones. Use of benzoyl peroxide should be continued after acne clears to prevent new lesions from forming. It was one of the first agents found to be effective in treating mild acne and has been used in acne treatment for decades. The principal side effect is excessive dryness of the skin, so be sure to follow directions and not use more than stated unless otherwise instructed by a physician. Care should also be taken when applying it to avoid the bleaching effect. Benzoyl peroxide has been known to bleach hair, sheets, towels and clothing. For this reason, an old shirt should be worn after applying benzoyl peroxide to acne on the back or chest. Benzoyl peroxide is available over-the-counter as a lotion or gel.

Herbal, organic and natural products
Over-the-counter products labeled �herbal,� “organic” or “natural” are marketed as acne treatments but their effectiveness has rarely been tested in clinical trials. The value of such treatments is generally unknown.

Resorcinol
A popular ingredient in over-the-counter acne medications, resorcinol controls small acne lesions and is frequently combined with sulfur in products at the drugstore.

Salicylic acid
Salicylic acid is effective in treating non-inflammatory acne lesions, salicylic acid helps correct the abnormal shedding of skin cells and unclog pores to resolve and prevent lesions. Salicylic acid does not have any effect on sebum production or P. acnes. Like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid must be used continuously. Once stopped, pores clog and acne returns. Salicylic acid is found in many over-the-counter acne products, including lotions, creams and pads. It may be irritating to the skin.

Sulfur
Sulfur has been used for more than 50 years in combination with other agents, such as alcohol, salicylic acid and resorcinol and is found in many over-the-counter acne medications. While long used to treat acne, it is not known how sulfur works to clear acne. Due to its unpleasant odor, sulfur is not frequently used alone as an acne treatment.