Top Acne Treatments - Proven Remedies to Get Rid of Acne Fast

Acne- ruining your social life?

Acne is an infection of the sebum producing glands, known as the sebaceous glands, present in our skin leading to unsightly eruptions which can ruin our social life. As we know, skin is the largest organ of our body. It has numerous hair follicles which are connected to the sebaceous glands producing sebum, an oily fluid. The basic purpose of sebum is to give a waterproof covering to our skin. Simultaneously, new skin cells are continuously produced which reach the surface of the skin and replace the old dead cells. When the openings of the sebaceous glands on the skin are blocked because of the dead cells or other contaminants, sebum collects in the pores. Inflammation and bacterial infection of this collected sebum results in outbreak of acne vulgaris. This condition can also be due to excessive production of sebum.

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common bacteria implicated for causing acne. Acne can result anywhere on the body but they are most commonly found on the face, back and chest. They become far more annoying when repeated infection of the blocked pore leads to formation of ugly cysts which can leave behind an acne scar.

Facial outbreak of acne vulgaris can result in low self esteem and embarrassment and can ruin your social life. This is all the more so as the condition is most common in teenagers where personal appearance matters a lot. Despite being more frequently found in teenagers, acne outbreak can occur in any age group, even in small babies.

A variety of reasons have been implicated to be the cause behind the outbreak of acne in a person but lack of personal hygiene leading to dirty skin conditions is the most common. Repeated touching of the face, either habitually or because of some tension can result in the transfer of bacteria from unclean hands to the face. An improper diet with an unhealthy fat content and lack of exercise has also been believed to result in outbreak of acne. Whatever may be the reason; an acne ridden face certainly makes for an unsightly appearance and has the potential of ruining one’s social life.
 

Natural remedies to get rid of acne

There are various natural remedies to get rid of acne. The first and foremost thing to remember while dealing with acne is that one shouldn’t try to fiddle with the eruptions or keep pinching or prodding them. As our hands are often not very clean, they host a multitude of bacteria. Unnecessary fiddling with the acne just transfers these bacteria to the acne thus worsening the situation. The hands may also be carrying oil and grime. You may even accidentally damage the sebaceous gland in an attempt to pull out the acne resulting in an impacted pimple which is even harder to treat.

Drinking lots of water is the easiest and cheapest natural remedy to get rid of acne. It is a natural cleanser and flushes out all toxins resulting in a glowing skin.

Applying lemon juice on the face for about fifteen minutes can help in shedding off those dead cells which are clogging the opening of the pores. This is because lemon contains glycolic acid, a natural exfoliating agent.

Some people believe that applying honey onto the face is also beneficial for getting rid of acne. This is owing to the strong antibacterial properties that honey is said to possess.

Clove oil is believed to be effective against Propionibacterium acnes.

Tea tree oil is said to be the most effective treatment against mild acne as it has both antibacterial and disinfectant qualities without being harsh on the skin.

Black currant seed oil, because of its good antioxidant and essential fatty acids content, is believed to be a good herbal adult acne treatment.

Tomato juice and extract of mint leaves are also good natural remedies to get rid of acne. As excessive production of sebum is one of the causes of acne, do not use oil based cosmetic products on the face if you are prone to acne.

Also try to cut down on the fat content in your diet. So we see there are several natural remedies to get rid of acne. Try out which of these suits your skin type the best and then go for it.
 

Medical treatment for acne

There are several medical treatments available for acne. The key is to remain patient while trying them out as most of them begin their action after two to eight weeks.

The most commonly used medical treatment for acne is anti acne lotions containing retinoic acid and adapalene. They are extracts of vitamin A and are believed to decrease the amount of sebum production. They significantly reduce the severity of the acne outbreaks.

However, retinoic acid can cause mild to severe allergic reactions in individuals sensitive to it and should never be applied on open wounds or sun burned/ wind burned skin. Use of products containing retinoic acid is contraindicated during pregnancy.
 
Milder side effects of retinoic acid are associated with burning and stinging of the skin, lightening of the skin in the treated area, peeling, redness, an unusually warm feeling and unusual dryness. More severe retinoic acid side effects are linked to darkening of the treated area, allergic reactions, skin rashes, problems with breathing, feeling of tightening of the chest, hives, and swelling in the mouth area, tongue, and lips.

If these anti acne lotions containing retinoic acid and adapalene do not bring about the desired affect or you cannot use them because of some medical condition (sensitivity, pregnancy, etc), then you can opt for antibiotics like tetracycline. They damage the P. acnes bacterium and prevent their further replication. But antibiotics can result in a dry skin prone to sun burns. Therefore one should always use sunscreens in tandem with the antibiotics.

Salicylic acid is a commonly used keratolytic agent which helps in shedding off the layer of dead cells which are blocking the pores. It also makes the skin more susceptible to the harmful UV rays as a side effect. One reason why acne is more common in teens is the high level of hormones like androgen and testosterone which stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce sebum.

FDA has approved oral contraceptive pills containing estrogen and progesterone as a medical treatment for acne. These hormones reduce the production of sebum and therefore decrease the incidence of acne formation. However birth pills have their own side effects and so their usage as an acne treatment should be a well thought out decision.

If the above mentioned treatments are not very effective, then one can use cleansers, creams and lotions containing benzoyl peroxide as their active ingredient. The latter is especially helpful in killing Propionibacterium acnes. The dryness of skin associated with its use can be countered by using a good moisturizer. Laser is another form of medical treatment used against acne wherein the sebaceous glands which produce sebum are damaged thermally without producing any visible effect on the skin.

Thus we see that there are many proven remedies to counter acne. We have to choose the one which is the most suitable for us and then lead a normal life without getting embarrassed by their ungainly appearance.