Natural Remedies for severe acne? - Page 2

[Carolinamidwife]

It's likely hormonal and while giving up sugar is never a bad thing little actual evidence shows that acne is related to your diet.

I woudn't mess around too long with severe acne, scarring can be a really bad thing, KWIM? It has been my experience (and I have tried everything even though I only have post-partum breakouts, nothing severe) that sometimes you need something strong and stuff like TTO isn't going to cut it. Proactive has worked for everyone I know who has tried it from myself to teenage boys with terrible acne. You haveto use it twice a day every day but it really does the trick.

[shell024]

two words: USANA Sense


totally natural and doesn't zap moisture out of your skin like a lot of prescribed skin care products do.


pm me if you'd like some before and after pictures....I lived with acne for 4 years trying everything from Proactive, Retin-A, Olay, etc etc etc etc etc... they would all work only sporadically or had bad side effects. USANA was the only thing that did it permanently for me (3 years, still no acne now...)

[fugeeo]

Meditative Technique

From a traditional chinese medicine perspective,
the lungs rule the skin. So one suggestion is to work
on breathing. To have a focus on watching the breath,
and putting it in sync with daily activities. Monitoring
breath overcomes many problems.

Closing the eyes, and imagining the air going out of the
body, through the pores. Then also imagining the skin
as a protective shield. Feeling that the skin is very
clean and healthy, imagining that if one sees any barriers,
then these barriers are penetrated with a healing light such
as gold. These actions can tune the brain
to specifically focus on the skin.

Perhaps he is an actor and is well spoken, but to focus
internally on breathing such as this is a separate concept.

This method may take the longest of all the methods,
but at the same time, can have the longest effects.
Eating right can become a meditative
exercise of sorts, such that one can sense what the effects
a food will have when eating, and become aware.

Tuning body and mind.

[treemom2]

I agree with PP that not washing your face is truely a great suggestion. Both DH and I have great skin and all we use is a wet washcloth and gently wash our faces with that. We also moisturize with almond oil or olive oil. I think when people use cleansers on their faces, it tends to remove all the oils and so your body makes more oil to compensate--kind of like the no-poo thing where you have to rinse with vinegar to balance your scalp so it doesn't produce more oil.

I did read in one of my natural healing books that smashed strawberries will help acne, but I haven't tried it! I've tried the USANA vitamins and they were wonderful--I really think that their phytoestrin helped me get pregnant this last time. One of DH co-workers loved their Sense line.

OT: Shell024: We lived on Guam for 5 years (not in the military, just for fun)--we miss the beach!!!

[monkeysmommy]

I would have to second (or third or fourth) the no soap or cleansers idea. I have never had cystic acne, but it was pretty bad. I've tried every cleanser under the sun, and nothing has worked as well as just washing my face less. I still use cleanser, but only every other day or so, as opposed to several times a day, and I follow with a moisturizer, otherwise my face freaks out and produces extra oil.

I had a roommate who had horrible acne, cystic, and took antibiotics for years with no results. She went to see a herbalist in chicago who told her she had systemic candida- an overgrowth of yeast basically running all through her body. So the antibiotics was actually making it worse. She changed her diet, no sugar, no milk or cheese, and no refined flours. Basically all she ate was meat, vegetables, and brown rice. Also she had to drink this horrible tea (she made me taste it) several times a day. As the yeast died off, she was sick at her stomach a lot, and also she stank. (I'm not making this treatment sound too attractive, am I? :LOL ) But within a couple months, her skin was soooo much better. Now it looks *great* and she is able to eat a normal diet again. Now, I have never known anyone else who had this. Also, she had other symptoms besides acne, massive fatigue being the worst. I just thought I'd mention it since nobody else had.

[tiredmum]

I'm not sure if this will help, but I was perusing the mothering.com main page and came across this article:

Natural Acne Care for Teenage Skin

I wasn't sure if you had seen it or if it will help, but thought I would put it there for you to check out

[intruth]

Hi, I found a website called www.acne.org which is owned by a guy who suffered really badly with acne, managed to clear it up for life and is committed to sharing his discoveries. He advocates a regime of benzoyl peroxide - yes I know it has been mentioned before - but he recommends using it in quantities that you hadn't thought of before. And it really works! I have had acne, worse and less, ever since my teens. And I have done it all including accutane (which worked for a while but at the cost of pretty unpleasant side effects). When I tried his regime to the letter, my skin cleared up completely, including my forehead which resisted everything always. I get the odd pimple now and only have myself to blame when it doesn't clear up really fast (darn! just couldn't leave it well alone!). His website and the testimonies are inspiring. I wish that I had known that when I was in my teens - not my 40's!!

[AbundantLife]

I agree with the poster who said not to mess around with acne. If it is severe enough, it can cause permanent scarring and can be very detrimental to self-esteem if it gets bad enough.

[MrsMoe]

Natural remedies only help with mild acne, severe acne typically responds only to treatment through a dermatologist.

Accuntane is an oral mediction for severe acne that I have heard very amazing things about.

[Mydragonboy]

Originally Posted by intruth

Hi, I found a website called www.acne.org which is owned by a guy who suffered really badly with acne, managed to clear it up for life and is committed to sharing his discoveries. He advocates a regime of benzoyl peroxide - yes I know it has been mentioned before - but he recommends using it in quantities that you hadn't thought of before. And it really works! I have had acne, worse and less, ever since my teens. And I have done it all including accutane (which worked for a while but at the cost of pretty unpleasant side effects). When I tried his regime to the letter, my skin cleared up completely, including my forehead which resisted everything always. I get the odd pimple now and only have myself to blame when it doesn't clear up really fast (darn! just couldn't leave it well alone!). His website and the testimonies are inspiring. I wish that I had known that when I was in my teens - not my 40's!!

Yes, this is the only thing that has helped my skin longterm. I know it is not NFL, but it does work and it is better than accutane. This guy's website lists a number of drugstore products that he and others have found efficacious. He is not getting kickbacks from anyone, it is really just to help people.

[JodiM]

My brother had horrible acne growing up, my mother took him to specialist after specialist, and nothing helped for more than a few weeks.
Now that he is a adult, he has horrid scars.

When he was about 20years old, my mother had someone recommend using nail polish remover on a Qtip, on him.
Wierd, I know- but it helped ALOT.

It didn't clear him up all the way, but it took his acne down to about half.

I use it all the time when I get a pimple, I use the nail polish remover 2 times a day, and my pimple usually goes away quickly.


There is something that I want to say that I feel is IMPORTANT:

Please keep in mind that a teenager is already having lots of issues with body changes, hormones, 'fitting it', etc... it sounds like your ds is has more issues to deal with than the normal 15yo, with the divorce, switching houses, and the acne.

Please, please keep in mind that the acne will bring down his self-esteem, and you need to help him as much as you can to make him feel good about himself.

I think as parents that we forget how hard being a teen is, and then top it off with other problems, and it can be determental (sp?) to the child's well being.

[Sarihah]

I recently found this link, which may be of help. It's a great link, btw, with TONS of info on a wide variety of subjects.



http://www.tipking.com/tip/2340.html

[Bethla]

My husband had cystic acne but it has almost completely dissapeared by (I believe) quitting smoking, no dairy, and bathing before going to bed at night(instead of waiting until morning).

[~Megan~]

I was just reading (but didn't read the other replies) that Black Walnut extract is good for acne and candida.

I think the first course of action would be to determine what the "acne" is. Sometimes its traditional acne and sometimes its an allergic reaction. I've heard the latter is especially likely with acne that centers around the mouth.

[Mountaingirl3]

My cystic acne began at age 22. Both of my sisters and two of my cousins had it, too. We all tried absolutely everything--from diet changes and restrictions, to every skin care product, no products, antibiotics, retin A, vitamin A, you name it. The only things that worked were birth control pills and spirinolactone when the acne was moderate. When it was severe, only accutane worked. My sisters have each taken it once, and been acne free or only mild acne for 7 and 10 years. I had to take it twice before I was acne free. None of us had side effects other than dry skin. I've had three wonderfully healthy kids.

I'm a big believer in natural remedies, and in leaving your body alone. But true cystic acne is really awful. It is so painful that I would often cry--these big, sore, oozing cysts slowly coming to the surface of your skin. I was embarressed because the ones near my lips looked like herpes sores. Luckily, I was no longer a teenager, but it still had a huge impact on my self-confidence and I was quite depressed. My sisters got it younger, and I think it contributed to them wasting years with boyfriends who were totally wrong for them (because they felt so ugly, not because decent men would not see past acne).

I know you asked for alternative remedies, but I hope that if nothing else works, and your son wants to take it, you'll consider accutane again.

[Amy in NH]

I had great skin as a teen, but developed cyclical cystic acne as an adult. One idea I haven't seen here that really cleared mine up is using OTC vaginal yeast/fungal cream on it. When I started using a yeast cream the acne went away and didn't come back. Now I only use it preventitively during PMS and don't break out at all.

My sister had awful cystic acne on her shoulders and back. I told her about this, she tried it, and it really helped her too.

Good luck!

[cjbeach]

Originally Posted by monkeysmommy

I would have to second (or third or fourth) the no soap or cleansers idea. I have never had cystic acne, but it was pretty bad. I've tried every cleanser under the sun, and nothing has worked as well as just washing my face less. I still use cleanser, but only every other day or so, as opposed to several times a day, and I follow with a moisturizer, otherwise my face freaks out and produces extra oil.

I had a roommate who had horrible acne, cystic, and took antibiotics for years with no results. She went to see a herbalist in chicago who told her she had systemic candida- an overgrowth of yeast basically running all through her body. So the antibiotics was actually making it worse. She changed her diet, no sugar, no milk or cheese, and no refined flours. Basically all she ate was meat, vegetables, and brown rice. Also she had to drink this horrible tea (she made me taste it) several times a day. As the yeast died off, she was sick at her stomach a lot, and also she stank. (I'm not making this treatment sound too attractive, am I? :LOL ) But within a couple months, her skin was soooo much better. Now it looks *great* and she is able to eat a normal diet again. Now, I have never known anyone else who had this. Also, she had other symptoms besides acne, massive fatigue being the worst. I just thought I'd mention it since nobody else had.

I had an esthetician PUT me on a yeast free diet. I was having a facial and she looked at my skin and said "yeast infection" avoid cheeses, dairy, vinegars, sugars and it should subside. I was getting married and desperate and I'll be darned if it didn't work!!!
(PS re: the cell, it's the yeast/candida dieing off, I didn't have it but did notice it with my son when he was 3 yo and dx'd with yeast in his gut)

[KateMary]

I tried all the natural and prescription remedies that were available when I was a teen and none of them worked. They didn't have Proactiv back then though, I would be interested in trying that one at some point. I would suggest giving some of the suggestions here a try but don't write off accutane completely. It does work wonders. Eventhough it is damaging to the liver, they should do blood tests monthly to make sure the liver is handling it okay.

I would suggest doing Accutane in the summer if you do decide to go that course (I know you don't have much summer left now when its usually a 4-5 month course of treatment). Accutane made me extremely tired and depressed (although I was already depressed with the acne as it was). It helped that most of the course of treatment was not during the school year. My doctor absolutely insisted on birth control pills in regards to the birth defects but I said I was not seeing any action with my face in the condition it was in, there was absolutely nothing to worry about in that regard! Your son won't have to worry about that though.

I have also used a topical erithromycin/benzoyl peroxide blend for ongoing maintenance and it used to help pretty good but I stopped while pregnant and never got a new prescription. But it worked for years.

I know many have said to wash with no soap or cleanser, I have never tried that, maybe it works, but on severe acne, I would be pretty skeptical. I have always used gentle exfolients. Taking the dead, top layer of skin off gently makes the cysts progress and heal quicker. I use St. Ives Apricot scrub and an Aveda exfollient toner. The latter is really gentle and natural.

[NiteNicole]

I am so glad my parents let me take Accutane. I had horrible, painful, HUMILIATING cystic acne from about 11 till I finally tried Accutane at 18 or so (btw, I'm 32 and while I might get the odd zit from time to time, I have not had a cyst since completing the Accutane). I am not exaggerating when I say it totally changed my life - my skin was not only painful but it was just so embarassing. There were times that the cysts around my mouth were so bad I couldn't open my mouth wide enough to see the orthodontist (zits and braces, how did one girl get so lucky!). It hurt to EAT or wash my face. It was just horrible. It makes me sad to think about it.

I had tried every topical, every diet option, every face cleaning system, many antibiotics, any off-the-wall suggestion anyone could make and still nothing. If not for Accutane, I suppose I'd still be breaking out and crying about it even now.

When I took it, they gave much bigger doses - so I took much more than your average patient gets now (now they do it by weight, I think). My only side effects were slightly dry skin and lips - and moisturizer, lip balm, and a good diet made those fairly easy to manage. I was still physically active, I didn't have any issues with depression, nothing. It was very easy. I have known 25 - 30 people who have taken Accutane over the years and we've all compared notes. The biggest complaint I hear is dry skin.

I know there are other POSSIBLE side effects, but I just wanted to point out that they don't happen to everyone and they do lots of blood tests along the way. Also, each pill comes individually sealed in blister packaging. You would not come into contact with it unless you went out of your way to open the package and hand them to your son.

I am all for natural methods and trying different things with diet but cystic acne can leave a lot of physical and emotional scars. I hope if nothing else works you'll at least consider the Accutane. If he has a problem with it, he can always stop taking it and try something else.

[plop]

Thanks for all the ideas here. I'm not a fifteen year old boy but a 39 year old woman with moderate acne! I hate it ... but the more I stress about it the worse it gets. I did accutane and had okay results. My brother did it (as a teenager) and it worked like a charm. He says it was worth it.
However, since stumbling over this thread a couple of weeks ago, i started using the vaginal cream on my face (great idea!) and eating a LOT of cabbage. And you know my face HAS cleared up a bit. Luckily cabbage goes with everything, salads .... throwing it raw and shredded into hot soup, etc. So thanks pps for those ideas.
I have done proactive with mixed results. My friends have had great results.
For the OP, i think acne can be SO SO difficult, especially for teenagers, that if the doctor recommends it, and you let your son know that he MUST tell you or his dad if he's feeling depressed or odd in any way ... I'd let him take Accutane. It could change his life, like it did for my brother. Just keep communicating about it with him as much as you can. Oh and I don't know if he wears make up for his acting work, but please remind him to remove every trace and not touch his face, especially when he has it on.