Acne can happen for a number of reasons, including stress and hormones.  We find that it is more common in teenagers and pregnant women, but realistically we can all suffer from it.  And for the most part, different treatments have different effects depending on your skin type.  But some have found that natural masks and at home treatments can be the best treatments for them.  This could be because the ingredients are affecting the skin, or it could have something to do with the time taken each week to relax and take a breath.  So we have found a few natural masks that can be used once to twice per week to revitalize and soothe your skin, possibly helping you to fight acne.

1. Baking Soda-Bran Pack
   1. Mix ¼ cup oatmeal or bran with 2 teaspoons baking soda
   2. Add water as needed and make a thick paste
   3. Apply over the face, avoiding the eyes
   4. Leave on for 15-20 minutes
   5. Then rinse gently with warm water off
2. Garlic Mask
   1. Peel and crush 8 cloves garlic
   2. Apply to face, staying away from eyes
   3. Leave on 10 to 15 minutes
   4. Wash off with warm wash cloth
3. tomato-honey mask
   1. mix ½ teaspoon camphor lotion, ½ teaspoon honey, and ½ teaspoon tomato juice
   2. apply to face, staying away from the eyes
   3. leave on for 15 minutes
   4. wash with luke warm water, then rinse with cold immediately after
4. milk-lime peel
   1. boil ¼ cup whole milk
   2. let cool and then mix with juice of one fresh line and 1 teaspoon glycerin
   3. apply to face, avoiding the eyes
   4. allow to dry and then peel off or wash off with warm water

            Sebum: a substance which can build up in your pores and contribute to greater rates of acne.  It may sound funny if you’ve never suffered through it.  But for those suffering from sebum related acne, it is far from entertaining.  It acts as an irritant, clogging your pores and causing pimples, pustules, blackheads, whiteheads, etc.  It is comprised of glycerides, fatty acids, cholesterol, cholesterol esters, squalene, and wax esters, not exactly appealing to most people.

            Sebum is not a completely horrible thing.  It does prevent your skin from losing quite as much water, and it protects the skin from infectious bacteria and fungi.  It can reduce body odor, and some even say it can regulate the immune system.  However, when sebum production gets out of control or rises in connection with hormones or other factors, that is when it becomes a bad thing.

            Sebum can be found in every hair follicle across the entire surface of our skin and bodies.  The sebaceous glands around these hairs produce sebum, and in the right amounts, it can keep our skin soft and smooth.  But when bacteria grows, it traps sebum below the surface, keeping it from performing its essential functions.  This results in a clogging of the pores, and it results in acne.

            The big things to do are to clean your skin on a regular basis and don’t use cosmetics that have agents which may clog your pores.  But for some, it may take more than just cleaning your face and avoiding things that may contribute to more acne.  Others experience improved results by exfoliating the skin on a regular basis.  It helps to rejuvenate the skin as well as getting rid of dead skin cells.  Some have also chosen to use hormonal treatments.  Others have consulted a physician or dermatologist.

            Many stress over where they can go, what they can do, and who they can associate with when they have acne.  They feel self conscious and stressed over what people may think, and this stress may actually add to their acne problems.  So worry about the things you can control.  Fight your acne in the best ways you know how, and otherwise go out and live your life.  Eventually, everybody outgrows their acne.  So it may be a matter of waiting for that time or you may be able to benefit from different acne treatments.  It just depends.

            We’ve all heard of acne vulgaris, it’s the type most of us suffer from.  But there are a number of extreme cases out there such as acne fulimans, otherwise known as acne maligna.  If you have failed in treating another form of acne, acne conglobata, acne fulimans can make its debut.  Working against the immune system, acne fulimans elevates levels of testosterone, sebum production, and acne related bacterias.  If you are familiar with steroids, this is also part of why many steroid users suffer acne, though usually in less severe forms.  Acne fulimans however can be treated successfully with steroids, though usually those that raise estrogen levels rather than testosterone levels.

            It begins with pain and inflammation within the joints.  It continued onto the lymph nodes in the neck, swelling the lymph nodes to large proportions.  As the lymph nodes decrease in swelling, swelling will actually increase in other areas of the body such as the joints.  Appetite does not only decrease, it completely disappears at this point.  As such, many will suffer extreme weight loss.  Many will also lose muscle mass all together or at least severely atrophy due to the lack of nutrient delivery to the muscles.  Those with these severe reactions will eventually be unable to physically function if it goes untreated.

            Treatment with acne fulimans should be sought early on, or else extended periods of hospitalizations will be necessary.  The bones can suffer severe problems during this process, that could easily last a lifetime after.  Hospitals naturally test for these losses, because they already know appetite, weight, and muscles have severely decreased.  The digestive tract can also be permanently damaged.  Some will develop open sore similar to those of buruli ulcers or more familiar to many, becoming a leper.  They can be large enough to fit at least 2 fingers into.  They do crust up, and they can become extremely sensitive to the touch.  These crustings do have to be removed, and it can be impossible to sleep on the sides with these sores.

            Unlike some other severe forms of acne, acne fulimans usually manifests early, around the age of puberty or 13.  The best method of prevention or treatment is early recognition.  Otherwise, severe symptoms and ultimately hospitalization are likely to occur.

            Otherwise known as Melaleuca oil, Tea tree oil has nothing to do with green tea, black tea, white tea, etc.  It is essentially a pale golden color, and it has been used as an antiseptic and antifungal.  It has been popularly used for its cosmetic functions, and it has been recently introduced to the acne treatment market. 

            It was originally found in the eastern areas of Australia, used as a traditional medicine among natives from everything to coughs and colds to sore throats and skin ailments.  Reports of its antimicrobial effects were first published in the 1920’s by research Arthur Penfold.  It was popular for a time, and then its popularity declined after World War II.  It rose again to some popularity in the 1970’s.  They have since found that its effects are mainly based on an alement known as terpinen-4-ol.

            In recent studies, they have found that when applied to mild to moderate acne, 5% tea tree oil is comparable to 5% benzyl peroxide in its treatment.  The main difference is that this action comes without all the side effects.  It has been compared likewise to a placebo with statistically significant differences.  A few isolated studies have shown tea tree oil to work against herpes, cold sores, chicken pox, shingles, etc.  It has also been used by some as an all natural flea control element. 

            However, despite its relative safety on the skin, it should be noted that tea tree oil should not be orally ingested. It is toxic when swallowed and thereby causes drowsiness, confusion, hallucinations, comas, unsteadiness, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach upset, blood cell abnormalities, and severe rashes.  So therefore, it can not be used in supplements as witch hazel can.  It is solely for external use.

            Those who have discontinued use with tea tree oil have often found it preferable to benzyl peroxide in another way.  Their acne stayed under control or only returned to its previous state if that.  With benzyl peroxide, it is common to experience severe bouts of acne with a cessation of treatment.  If you keep up a good skin regimen after using tea tree oil, even with periods of non use, you should not expect severe breakouts.

            Overall, when used correctly, tea tree oil is one of the best acne treatments to date.  It has no serious side effects when used topically, and many users have been extremely pleased with results.  It is highly recommended, and it has been around and in use for centuries.  We have found tea tree oil to be one of the best up and coming acne treatments on the market.