Many desperate teenagers and young adults with severe, scarring acne
have been helped by prescription medications, but those treatments are
not for everyone. Luckily there are natural alternatives that are
effective and safe for remedying acne. At my practice, I recall a
teenaged girl who had such severe acne on her back and face that she
refused to go to the beach or to swim. I treated her with diet and
nutrition, topical and internal herbal therapy, and acupuncture. Her
condition cleared up substantially after six months of treatment. I saw
her mother not long ago and she happily reported that her daughter is
back to her outgoing self and has quite a social life now. To her
credit, she stuck to the diet I recommended.
There are many steps you can take on your own to help heal your acne conditions.
Eat the right foods
For acne relief, I encourage eating plenty of squash, cucumber, celery, carrots, cabbage, dandelions, papaya, cherries, pears (especially the Asian or Fuji variety), watermelon, persimmons, raspberry, mung beans, Lentils, split peas, alfalfa sprouts, millet, brown rice and buckwheat.
For those with acne, I suggest avoiding sugar, dairy products, chocolate, caffeine, soda, red meat, nuts and seeds, fatty, fried and processed foods until your skin clears up. Make sure you are not constipated as toxins can accumulate and aggravate your acne. Eat plenty of fibers and drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.
Get some exercise
Here is one more reason to get active: Cardiovascular exercise can help increase circulation and boost skin immunity. Perspiration can help unblock pores and follicles, allowing the sebum to be discharged. Just make sure to wash your face and affected skin areas after exercise to keep your skin clean.
Beware of medications
Watch out for medications like birth control pills, steroids, and some psychotropic drugs, which can trigger acne or make it worse.
Relax and don't stress
Manage your stress because stress hormones can upset your hormonal balance, contributing to aggravated skin conditions.
Be mindful of your face
Avoid the activities that introduce baceteria to your skin: resting your chin in your hands, picking and touching your face, biting your nails, pressing a cell phone to your face, or nesting your face in your pillow at night.
Acne Home Remedies
Below are a few other tips that I recommend trying:
* Drink an all-greens juice. Make a tea with dandelion, carrot, and beet tops. Boil one bunch each of fresh dandelion greens, carrot tops, and beet tops in 4 - 5 cups of water for 20 minutes. Strain and drink 3 cups a day.
* Yogurt brings relief. Just apply 2 tablespoons of plain organic yogurt to the affected area of your skin, 3 times a day. Leave it on for 20 minutes, then wash off with warm water.
* Treat premenstrual acne with B6. Vitamin B6 can be used to treat the kind of acne that becomes its worst right before a woman's menstrual period or at mid-cycle. You may take up to 100 milligrams of B6 daily.
* Try Chinese herbal therapy. A Chinese herbal formula from my family medical tradition that we routinely use for our patients with skin conditions is called Exquisite Skin. It contains tribulus fruit, peony root, astragalus root, Siler root, and rhubarb root—herbs that have traditionally been used to support healthy skin.
By Dr.Mao Shing Ni
There are many steps you can take on your own to help heal your acne conditions.
Eat the right foods
For acne relief, I encourage eating plenty of squash, cucumber, celery, carrots, cabbage, dandelions, papaya, cherries, pears (especially the Asian or Fuji variety), watermelon, persimmons, raspberry, mung beans, Lentils, split peas, alfalfa sprouts, millet, brown rice and buckwheat.
For those with acne, I suggest avoiding sugar, dairy products, chocolate, caffeine, soda, red meat, nuts and seeds, fatty, fried and processed foods until your skin clears up. Make sure you are not constipated as toxins can accumulate and aggravate your acne. Eat plenty of fibers and drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.
Get some exercise
Here is one more reason to get active: Cardiovascular exercise can help increase circulation and boost skin immunity. Perspiration can help unblock pores and follicles, allowing the sebum to be discharged. Just make sure to wash your face and affected skin areas after exercise to keep your skin clean.
Beware of medications
Watch out for medications like birth control pills, steroids, and some psychotropic drugs, which can trigger acne or make it worse.
Relax and don't stress
Manage your stress because stress hormones can upset your hormonal balance, contributing to aggravated skin conditions.
Be mindful of your face
Avoid the activities that introduce baceteria to your skin: resting your chin in your hands, picking and touching your face, biting your nails, pressing a cell phone to your face, or nesting your face in your pillow at night.
Acne Home Remedies
Below are a few other tips that I recommend trying:
* Drink an all-greens juice. Make a tea with dandelion, carrot, and beet tops. Boil one bunch each of fresh dandelion greens, carrot tops, and beet tops in 4 - 5 cups of water for 20 minutes. Strain and drink 3 cups a day.
* Yogurt brings relief. Just apply 2 tablespoons of plain organic yogurt to the affected area of your skin, 3 times a day. Leave it on for 20 minutes, then wash off with warm water.
* Treat premenstrual acne with B6. Vitamin B6 can be used to treat the kind of acne that becomes its worst right before a woman's menstrual period or at mid-cycle. You may take up to 100 milligrams of B6 daily.
* Try Chinese herbal therapy. A Chinese herbal formula from my family medical tradition that we routinely use for our patients with skin conditions is called Exquisite Skin. It contains tribulus fruit, peony root, astragalus root, Siler root, and rhubarb root—herbs that have traditionally been used to support healthy skin.
By Dr.Mao Shing Ni
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