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To all those beautiful offbeat girlies that have perfect skin… I am a 26-year-old and still have acne. I recently went off my birth control pills in order to make some off-kilter spawn and now my skin looks like I have the plague! My skin was pretty good on the pill, but now that I’m off, these painful little bastards are seriously putting a cramp in my style.I have used every over-the-counter wash, cream, and goo on the market and nothing seems to be working. I wash my pillow case, wipe down my phone compulsively, and try not to touch my face with dirty hands. My diet is very good and I get plenty of exercise and water. As the hubs and I work on making puppies, I am more concerned about the synthetic chemicals I’m putting on my face and was wondering if anyone has found a natural or less irritating way to kill the dreaded acne cooties. I’ve got my foot out the door to the dermatologist, but before I go… Help! And thank you.
-Chelsea
You can go ahead and say it: acne sucks. It especially sucks as an adult, when you’re all “Shouldn’t I already be past this shit?!” My skin has never been the most stellar on its own, but after being prescribed Tazorac when I was twenty, I had it under control. Fast-forward a few years to twenty-three, when I got pregnant. It turns out using Tazorac while pregnant is a BIG no-no, so I was suddenly stranded without my favorite skincare treatment.
I worked out some new routines, which I’ll share with you here. First and foremost, let me say this: talk to your healthcare provider or someone you trust about what will and won’t work for you. I am by no means an expert — these are just the things that yielded the most positive results for me.
First, I’ll say this: Don’t scrub it. Don’t exfoliate, because your skin will most likely be too delicate to handle it.
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Now, let’s talk about some stuff that might help: After many a late-night internet search for solutions, I discovered Moroccan Red Clay Powder. I was able to score a 6 oz. container at a local grocery store, but you can get it on Amazon as well. I won’t say that this completely rid my skin of acne, but it definitely made everything a lot better; if anything, I felt like my face was much cleaner after using it.
Another potential anti-acne aid is an oatmeal scrub. They’re way gentler than most chemical-based stuff you’ll find, and you can make your own pretty easily — you just need oatmeal and water. Another route would be to mix a tablespoon of honey and enough warm water to make a paste. You can use it as an exfoliant or lay gauze over your face and put the mixture on top of the gauze. Leave it on for fifteen minutes, and lift the gauze to remove. The oatmeal mixture will leave behind a milky liquid on your skin, and you simply rub that into your skin for hydration.
Also, take a second peek at your diet. Caffeine, dairy, cooked fats, and meat are all linked to acne. This doesn’t mean too much, since many a water-drinking vegetarian also contends with this facial curse. Foods that have been shown to help include avocado, mango, olives, garlic, and berries.
Alright, Homies. We all have our skincare regimes, and we want to hear about your more facial cleansers, goops, and secret acne treatment methods that are more on the natural end of the spectrum. Share your tips and links in the comments!
I know it won’t work for everyone, but I simply stopped using face wash. I was having an awful time for my skin (not bad compared to some people, but as someone who’s always had relatively clear skin, it was really bad for me). I tried different face washes, I tried the oil cleansing method (which helped slightly, but only a little), and I eventually gave up using stuff on it. I put my face in the shower stream and scrub with my finger tips or a soft wash cloth until it feels grease-free. I noticed once it’s clean, the shower feels almost like a massage on my face, that’s how I know it’s done 😛
My face got pretty greasy again quickly at first, but now my skin has regulated itself and it almost always feels good now.
However, I should ad the disclaimer that I don’t often wear skin makeup (when I do wear makeup, it’s usually just eyes and lips), so I can’t vouch for how well this works if you often wear a full face of makeup.
As well as all the suggestions for what to put on your skin, there are things you can put in your body. Obviously eating healthily, drinking water and exercising are all important (for health in general, not just skin), but sometimes you need something a bit more, and supplements can get things back to where they need to be.
Zinc is good for wound healing so it’s worth taking some of that to heal what’s already there. Vitamin E is good for the skin and circulation, and vitamin C is good for cell renewal. Essential fatty acids (particularly omega 3, which many diets are deficient in) are important for the skin as they keep it hydrated and regulate the oil (sebum) the body produces, keeping it at a better consistency so it doesn’t clog pores.
If the acne is caused by hormones then perhaps some evening primrose oil capsules would be beneficial as this can help regulate hormones. If other PMS symptoms are present it might help with those too, as can the herb agnus castus (also known as chaste tree).
Other posters have commented on acne improving after a detox to get rid of toxins that are lurking and coming out through the skin. Herbs to support the liver such as milk thistle can help this. Even if your diet’s healthy and the breakouts are hormonal, a detox can help your body remove the remains of the hormones hanging around causing havoc. Exercise and lots of water aid this process.
I could go into deeper detail but this post is already too long! But you can do a bit more research to determine what would be suitable. If you live near an independent health food shop they can probably give you some great advice on supplements, detoxing or whatever strikes a chord with you!