While there are multiple causes of acne and myths about acne, there is one big myth to start about.  There are some who like to tell you that they can cure acne.  There is no cure for acne.  It is a disease of sorts yes, but you grow out of it.  You cannot make your hormones suddenly stop acting up just because you want them to.  Now if you want to deal with your acne in the meantime, you can certainly control your hormones behavior to some degree, disinfect to kill bacteria, reduce excess oils on the surface of your skin, etc.  But you cannot cure acne.  In addition, you have to remember that just about everything affects acne.  Not everything causes acne.  But multiple things like stress, diet, exercise, sleep patterns, etc. can affect it.  They can make it worse, give you breakouts, make your skin more prone to blackheads, etc.

So in general, these are good things to do.  But while you are waiting to grow out of your acne, we suggest controlling your diet, using a good acne wash on your face, keeping your stress levels down, getting enough sleep, and drinking a good amount of water.

Blackheads are caused by many different factors.  There is one thing that is sure about them.  They appear as these little black dots littered across the skin in just about every pore, and they can be compared to whiteheads in some ways.  Scientists and experts have said that blackheads actually result because bacterias have gotten into the pores and they have trapped oils in the pores, which subsequently hardened and when exposed to oxygen then turned into the black coloring you see with blackheads. 

Others have said that they are caused by makeup which blocks the pores and gives you other problems as well in some cases.  However, that depends largely on the makeup.  Either way, blackheads are otherwise known as open comedones, and they have been a growing problem, especially because they are the precursors in some ways of acne breakouts like zits.  Still, there are various ways to get rid of them.  Some treatments get inside the pores to kill the bacteria and release the oils.  Others use small metal tools to try to push them out.  Still others pull them out with a nose strip or otherwise.  But either way, there are various ways to get rid of blackheads.  The problem is more surrounding the idea of keeping them away.

I am definitely not condoning all of these treatments, as some of them are flat out ludacris.  But there is a new movement in acne care that suggests a few different things.  There are those who avoid supposed damage to the hair by not washing it, because apparently shampoos cause hair to become more oily, and apparently these people wanted to follow the same mentality.  But I will start with the ones that actually do apply.

1. Start taking a multivitamin

Your body can be deficient in certain vitamins and minerals, and therefore it can be important to take a good multivitamin for greater results and better health in general.  This will get rid of many types of acne, and if your multivitamin has extra ingredients like antioxidants, you get even greater results.

1. Flaxseed oil

Flax seed oil is high in omega 3 fatty acids or good fatty acids.  These actually help to nourish and properly moisturize the skin, and they can be highly beneficial to many.

1. Drink  plenty of water

With more water, you more frequently flush out the skin and body and therefore keep it free of many bacterias and toxins that would lie in the skin and cause varying cases of acne. 

Now we move onto the ones that don’t work out

1. Stop using products

While some products are heavy and would therefore clog pores, not all are this way.  You should use sunscreen to protect your skin in general, you should use moisturizers to provide the right kind of oils.  Essentially, you should protect and nourish your skin.

1. Stop washing the skin

If you don’t wash your skin, the oils and bacteria will build up every day and cause more acne.  It seems stupid because it is stupid.  You cannot make a problem go away by ignoring it.  Now you should stay away from those products that are too harsh or only dry out the skin as they will not produce results.  But don’t stop washing your face all together.  This can only cause greater woes.

I was thinking about this the other day, and honestly, my skin is ridiculously thick, ridiculously resilient, or something.  I know due to other people’s experiences and other people’s product reviews that a lot of products like Proactiv and others based on alcohols and benzoyl peroxide damage your skin and cause irritation, redness, etc.  I always had really oily skin as well.  But a lot of the moisturizers that were too thick for others interestingly enough really didn’t negatively affect my skin either. 

Some of my acne fighting habits have been some of the worst, and I’m referring to those of my teenage years.  I was the pimple popper, the kid who used rubbing alcohol as a spot treatment, all of that good stuff, and yet I never had the same side effects as the people around me.  That being said, I never had clear acne.  So maybe that’s the downside.  My skin does not react to acne treatments and alcohols….period.  It doesn’t get irritated, but it doesn’t clear acne either.

On that note, if you happen to have a more normal skin type than I do, keep in mind that these are never good practices anyway.  For people like me, we use rubbing alcohols and see no difference at all.  However, for someone with normal to sensitive skin, you might use benzoyl peroxide or alcohols and see your acne temporarily disappear while accompanied by redness, itching, dryness, etc, and in most cases it seems that the acne always comes back.  However, even with my obviously resistant skin, I’ve noticed that tea tree oil in particular has been highly helpful.  You should keep in mind your own needs as you go.  Obviously, there is no one size fits all solution.  But for any skin type, I can virtually guarantee that there are solutions that are guaranteed not to work.

A recent trend has suggested that you could actually use aspirin in treating your acne in general.  They claim that it can be made in the comfort of your own kitchen, and that is true, generally finding aspirin in your bathroom cupboards.  However, a bottle of aspirin will not generally last long considering how many pills it does take to make a full mask.  They do however recommend using an exfoliator and also using the uncoated aspirin.  They also suggest a moisturizing mask to be used before using an aspirin mask, begging the question is it all the steps or the aspirin mask that will truly make the difference?

But in terms of actual and theoretical efficacy, aspirin masks could contribute to healthier skin in general or at least more beautiful skin.  Aspirin, otherwise known as white willow bark, has been used in multiple natural products before.  It can generally be found in most acne treatments, especially those that have high concentrations of potentially irritating ingredients.  It calms the skin essentially speaking and also reduces inflammation.  It produces the same benefits as it would for your body.  The only difference is it is being used externally instead of internally.  In terms of actually fighting acne, it seems that it would be the other treatments they recommend actually fighting the acne.  But the aspirin mask might reduce the irritation associated with other treatments or past damage in general.  This benefit is not to be downplayed.  But white willow bark or aspirin can also be found in many over the counter treatments anyway.

Rooibos tea, native to South Africa, has recently become the next health revolution in weight loss, acne, and everything else….literally everything else.  I don’t even want to get into some of the benefits they are claiming.  The fact is that rooibos tea does have some elements such as being an antioxidant, anti-mutagenic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral.  Will these promote amazing benefits, maybe to some degree.  In terms of acne, antioxidants benefits kill of free radicals and toxic buildup.  But they really don’t do all of it on their own.  So it will make a difference, just not a huge one in that way.

On a personal level, I am a fan of rooibos tea.  Ever since a trip to South Africa, it has been one of my favorite tastes along with oolong tea, which is apparently supposed to be high in antioxidants as well.  But I don’t think of either one as the miracle tea that will cure all your woes like acne and weight loss.  I don’t think that for a second.  I’ve been drinking oolong tea since I was 14 or so and rooibos tea for a few years.  I can honestly tell you they don’t magically get rid of acne.  Mine on a personal level was at its height despite heavy consumption in my teenage hormone driven years.  It was easily worse than that of my peers, and really tea did nothing to reduce it.  So I am as you can understand skeptical to say the least.

As people seek to “go green”, essential oils are gaining popularity as acne treatments.  they are natural alternatives to cosmetics and other chemicals that may do harm to your skin adn to the environment, even causing toxic buidup in your body at times.

The problem for many is that while essential oils can look nice in the bottle, how do you really know if it works or if it’s just hype.  the biggest turnoff for many is the simple fact that they are called “oils”, and we don’t recogize the fact that there should be naturally occuring oils in the skin.  It’s understandable, we’ve been taught that our entire lives.  It’s what we grew up believing. 

But these oils are not like your average massage oils. They are not the oils that stick on your skin, seem to feel extremely heavy, may even clog pores for some individuals.  These are more like tea tree oil, lavender oil, clove oil, grapefruit oil, orange oil, and tangerine oil to name a few.  Granted, not all of them have the power to fight acne.  But then again, those used against acne in general don’t.  The difference is, these will not irritate or harm even senstiive skin, unless of course you are allergic to the basis, which does happen.  And at least in the case of tea tree oil, it is actually proven to effectively fight acne.  At the very least, they will soothe and nourish your skin, and in some cases, you will see them doing more.  The best way to get these oils is through reputable products and companies, because those companies will use more refined oils that will better seep into the skin and really better work for you.

Chemical peels for acne control, they seem a bit extreme to say the least.  But some people are willing to get them, because they have come to a point where they feel the need for something extreme.  There are different levels of acne to be sure, and there are different chemicals used for chemical peels.  Some of these include benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid.  Those are the gentler ones that can actually be obtained over the counter in most cases.  You don’t have to have the concentrations that would cause an entire layer of your skin to come off and quite possibly do quite a bit of damage to the skin in the process.  That is of course taking out the fact that benzoyl peroxide damages skin in smaller amounts.  But others use things like glycolic acid.  Glycolic acids have been recently allowed to be dispensed over the counter as well, but it is still questionable.

Chemical peels by nature essentially chemically burn off the top layer of the skin.  It kills bacteria associated with acne as well as getting rid of dead skin cells.  They come with no risks of raising antibiotic resistance, considering it works by simply burning.  But you should seriously consider all things before doing it.  The risk of chemical burns and extremely increase sun sensitivity are high with chemical peels.  The FDA has now required them to print recommendations of sun block or sun avoidance to be used on all packages to protect users from an increased risk of skin cancer due to chronic sunburns.  And this is regardless of whether you use one of the gentler or harsher chemical peel forms.

It should also be noted that though chemical peels have been used for acne and aging, they are not necessarily the best treatment for either.  By burning away bacteria, you only get rid of it on a temporary basis, and it can easily grow back.  In addition, chemical peels may actually cause premature aging and skin cancer.

Therefore, you should note that when you feel that “tingling” sensation with benzoyl peroxide type products, it is not the pleasant feeling of knowing that the ingredients are getting deep into your pores and killing off bacteria.  It is actually a mild pain response from your skin that we have somehow learned to enjoy.

Azalaic acid, if you’ve never heard of it, you are not alone.  Millions have thought that benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid were really the only ways to treat acne, even though there are now many other options.  But Azelaic acid works under the brand name Azelex as a prescription treatment, and it is generally used in a 20% concentration topical cream.  It works by killing bacteria in the skin, much like benzoyl peroxide and clearing and preventing acne that is specifically caused by bacteria.

It is prescribed to clear up acne and prevent new outbreaks, and it can actually also reduce acne inflammation.  It often works to clear mild to moderate outbreaks, but it doesn’t necessarily work for acne that is infected by bacteria.  Some studies, though they are limited, show that it can work as well as benzyl peroxide, tretinoin, and antibiotics.  But the actual results are still up for question.  It generally takes 1-2 months for acne to even start disappearing.

In terms of side effects, azalaic acid can cause burning, stinging, dry skin, and redness just like benzoyl peroxide.  You should not use it on areas that don’t have acne, but rather as a spot treatment.  But you should also keep in mind that not all cases of acne are actually caused by bacteria.  In fact, there multiple other causes.  And this particular product is not approved for children under the age of 12.

While azalaic acid is technically effective against some cases of acne, we do recommend other options.  If you have bacterial acne, we would suggest tea tree oil.  It is actually as effective as benzoyl peroxide, more effective than azalaic acid for many, and it comes with no side effects including burning, itchy, or red skin.  You can also get it in over the counter options and when combined with other types of acne fighting ingredients, you can often get a full effect.

Originally marketed as a birth control pill called Yasmin, they have since changed the name to Yaz and marketed as a birth control pill that could also reduce the symptoms of PMDD and hormone related acne in women.  Women have found many different ways to deal with acne, this is just the newest one, and of course it depends on the type to determine what will work.

Some women have managed skin complications by changing diet and exercise habits as well as increasing fluid intake.  But others have turned to external scrubs and washes, pills such as Accutane, etc.  And others have already started using other birth control pills that don’t necessarily claim to treat acne on the box, but have seemingly worked for some. 

Yaz is manufactured by Bayer, and they also claim it will improve skin in general.  They claim it can target premenstrual dysmorphic disorder or PMDD, and they have apparently obtained FDA approval to make these specific claims.  It has been recently approved by the FDA in the treatment of adult onset acne.  It has the normal birth control ingredients.  But in addition, they provide a 24 day dosing of active hormonal ingredients in addition to the norm to control symptoms of PMDD and improve the general appearance of the skin.  It still uses the standard 4 days of placebos or sugar pills to be used in balance with the active pills.

Some Yaz users have reported side effects including nausea, vomiting, changes in weight, and headaches.  But all these side effects are common to birth control pills in general.  But either way, women seeking any kind of birth control pill should disclose a complete medical history to their physician.  Those women who smoke or have pre-existing liver disorders should not take Yaz.  For those women who did not previously suffer from acne, the skin changes may be significant, noticeable, and unfamiliar to the user.  However, for those women suffering from acne connected to hormonal fluctuations, Yaz can be a viable treatment option.