Acne and Ways To Clear It Up

Acne and Ways To Clear It Up

Acne is the bane of many a teenager and quite a few adults’ skin. On this week’s The Beauty Column I’ll talk about what it is, medical and natural options to treat it.

Acne or acne vulgaris usually erupts when you’ve got clogged pores from oil, dead skin or bacteria that become inflamed, it shows up as rash like or pustular lesions on face and while it doesn’t cause much problems medically the scarring and appearance may affect one’s self esteem.

Acne may occur for any variety of reasons including hormones (teenagers, pregnancy etc) and could appear as whiteheads, blackheads, cysts etc.

How to treat the acne depends on how severe or persistent it is

Mild acne: May be treated by over the counter medications from pharmacies some helpful active ingredients to look out for include resorcinol, benzoyl peroxide, salicyclic acid, sulfur, retin-a, azelaic acid these come in form of gels, soaps, creams and lotions.

For severe acne it’s  best to see a dermatologist (skin doctor) who would likely prescribe some stronger versions of topical products with similar active ingredients as those for mild acne. Your dermatologists may recommend injectable corticosteroid, oral isotretinoin, oral antibiotics, peels, oral contraceptives always seek a professional when treating severe dee

Now not all products are for everyone so here are a few natural home remedies you can try first.

Using lemon:

 After cleansing your face, dip a cotton swab in fresh lemon (or lime) juice and apply it to the pimples before going to bed. Also you could mix one tablespoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of cinnamon powder and apply to pimples at night, wash off in the morning.

Use apple cider vinegar diluted with some water on a cotton swab on your pimples.

Drink lots of water eight glasses are recommended daily, eat your veggies (yes that works too)

Apply an oil free moisturiser and try to avoid direct sunlight from 11am to 3pm.