Natural acne remedies

This article is for the people who think they’re alone in persistent adult acne. I was 21 years old and suddenly facing breakouts! I thought this stage of the game was over once I graduated high school. At first, I avoided social settings and swore never to go to the beach again. So, how did I solve this problem? Choosing routes like birth control and Accutane had too many adverse effects, so I dove into exploring natural remedies that changed everything.

What exactly is invading my face? 

So, what exactly is the red or white or black thing that thinks it’s okay to hang out on people’s faces? The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases explains that acne is a common skin condition that happens when hair follicles underneath the skin become clogged and react. Sebum is the oil that prevents skin from drying out. Dead skin cells and sebum can clog skin pores and lead to breakouts. The Institute explains that hormones, family history, medications, and age can contribute to the presence of acne. Diet, stress, pressure from clothing, environmental irritants, and mistreating the skin can play a role in causing breakouts.

About a year ago I befriended Ashley. She’s 27 and has known adult acne all too well. For us both, issues with skin have settled down to virtually no breakouts, however, she explained that she “struggled with intense acne for 14 years.” Ashley would go for chemical peels and other topical beauty treatments, but nothing permanently worked. “I struggled with intense acne for 14 years. Around 3 years ago, things finally settled down.” She theorizes that her hormones are finally more balanced now, attributing to her clear skin.

Choose sleep everyday

Adults are called to get at least seven hours of sleep. Skin is the largest organ in the body, and during sleep, skin cells repair. People who have poorer sleep quality will typically face more issues with acne. Sleep also plays a huge part in regulating your hormones, especially for women.

Choose your skin: Toss these foods

I’m not another Gen Z pushing you to join the no-gluten fad, I’m really just relaying my research over here. All the cheese, milk, and ice cream lovers: brace yourselves. Healthline explains that dairy can throw off hormones and cause a negative reaction on the skin, this is because of the many artificial hormones that cows are given. So when we digest these growth proteins in milk that are meant for baby calves they release a hormone in the body similar to insulin called IGF-1. This confuses the body’s endocrine system and causes breakouts. Giving up dairy definitely decreased the amount of breakouts that I was facing, and eliminating it from my diet honestly wasn’t that difficult.

Kendall Jenner decided to cut out dairy and she said that it helped her skin tremendously. Adjusting her dairy intake and increasing her water consumption improved her complexion.

“It’s something that I’ve dealt with since I was a young teen and has caused me to feel anxious, helpless and insecure” is what she disclosed on social media in 2019.

GoodRx explains that eating sugar spikes blood sugar levels and releases the hormone insulin. Eating sugar leads to inflammation and shows up on the skin as acne. Cutting out sugar changed everything for me, and if I’m being honest, I’m still on this journey every day. Giving up sugar is one of the hardest things I have ever done, partly because it’s in everything but also because it is just as addictive as cocaine. My skin changed completely when I reduced my sugar intake. I had no breakouts and no discoloring. I didn’t realize how dull my skin looked prior to cutting out sugars.

Shweta Sengar gave up sugar, and she explains that, “As the weeks went by, the puffiness that had once plagued [her] cheeks began to recede, revealing contours [she] never knew existed.” She explained that she was “freed from the shackles of sugar-induced inflammation, [her] complexion took on a newfound radiance. [She] also noticed fewer bumps and acne on [her] face.”

Gluten needs to go. Gluten isn’t always easy for the body to process and digest, so it can often cause inflammation. This inflammation shows up on the skin as acne just like it does after processing sugars, and once I cut it out I saw improvements on my face.

The diet that helps me

One thing I’ve learned: treat food like medicine, and treat tea like your most important pill.

Drinking spearmint and green tea was incredibly helpful for my complexion. I would recommend these beverages every morning and in the afternoon. Also, adding lemon to the green tea adds some more flavor.

I live mostly on greens like kale, spinach, and bok choy. My diet consists of vegetables, poultry, meat, and seafood. Anything that turns to sugar I try to avoid. I would like to add that when it comes to maintaining such a strict diet the most important component here is grace. On this journey, I have fallen short many times, but always persist in eating this way because it has truly given me my best results.

I have yet to try it out, but vitamin A seems to provide some remarkable results when used correctly.

Use kind words

How are you thinking and how are you speaking to yourself? Our bodies react to our beliefs, and I am always paying attention to the way I speak.

I easily went from being negative in my speech over to being positive, and I observed literal results happen on my face. The words we choose to use have a lot of power. I take this part just as seriously as the diet and sleep adjustments, if not more important.

Taking control over my diet, sleep, and words really changed the game for me. Looking at my complexion now, you would never know the struggle I once faced a few years ago. I applaud anyone who is interested in dramatically changing their lifestyle to get the skin they deserve!