Top 5 Solutions For Acne That Are Guaranteed To Work
Are you sick and tired of trying out acne solutions that don’t really work?
Spending countless hours researching solutions and testing out remedies is no fun. Paying for expensive products that can’t really do anything for your acne is even more frustrating.
I know the feeling. I’ve been there.
So, to put an end to these frustrations, here’s a list of the top solutions for acne that are proven to work. Let’s jump right in.
1. Change your diet
If you really, really want to solve your acne, changing your diet should be on top of your list.
Well, this is probably the easiest to say but the hardest to do. It’ll take a lot of hard work, discipline and determination.
But, believe me, just by watching what you eat every day, you’ll be able to reduce your skin breakouts.
Listen.
People who eat more foods that can boost blood sugar level are more prone to developing bad acne. It seemed that carbs are the likely culprit.
In the study, participants who ate more carbs in total experienced more acne than those who consumed less.
Here’s why:
Foods with high glycemic load can raise your blood sugar faster. As your blood glucose increase, so does your insulin.
As your body produces more insulin, the level of another hormone called insulin-like growth factor increases. This, in turn, stimulates the release of androgen.
Androgen can directly affect your oil glands. It can make them produce more sebum which can cause clogged pores and dull skin.
And you know what else?
High glycemic foods aren’t the only ones you should eliminate from your diet. You should also skip dairy products, sweets, chocolates and even alcohol.
2. Manage your stress
Stress doesn’t really cause any skin disease, but it can do so much damage to your body that your skin suffers.
Imagine this:
When you are under constant stress, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. This hormone can increase the level of inflammation in your body as well as make your oil glands overactive.
And you know what happens next.
Another way stress can mess up your skin is by disrupting your sleep. When you aren’t able to rest properly, your skin won’t be able to rejuvenate and your immune system will greatly weaken.
This can leave your skin vulnerable to acne-causing bacteria.
So, what to do? It’s simple.
Manage your stress. You can try meditating, exercising or trying out a new hobby just to relax your nerves.
3. Use topical antibacterial products
If you have mild to moderate acne, you can use cleansers with acne-fighting ingredients.
One great example is benzoyl peroxide. This ingredient has the ability to fight off acne-causing bacteria while reducing your clogged pores.
Salicylic acid is also a great ingredient against acne but it doesn’t really possess any antibacterial property. To make it more effective, you can take oral antibiotics, like erythromycin.
Salicylic acid is also a great ingredient against acne but it doesn’t really possess any antibacterial property. To make it more effective, you can take oral antibiotics, like erythromycin.
One warning, though.
Oral antibiotics require prescriptions. Be sure to check with your doctor first.
In case your acne is severe, you can use prescription retinoids. Since these products are stronger and more potent than your OTC retinoid products, see your dermatologist first.
She’ll be able to assess and give you a clearer idea on how you can use them for your acne.
Oh, and another thing.
Retinoids have anti-wrinkle properties which makes them effective for stopping signs of skin aging. They can also make you more sensitive to the sun’s harmful rays so be sure to always wear your sunscreen.
4. Try a tea tree oil remedy
This might sound surprising but tea tree oil actually has properties similar to benzoyl peroxide. It has the same antibacterial property minus the chemicals.
It can also help tone down your skin cells’ inflammation.
Now, you might be wondering: How do you use tea tree oil for acne?
There are a lot of ways, but the most effective is to use it as a spot treatment.
If you have sensitive skin, read this:
Tea tree oil, although natural, is still irritating. Before you actually apply it on your face, do a sensitivity test first.
You simply need to soak a piece of cotton ball with the oil and apply it on your forearm.
If you don’t see any redness or experience itching, you’re good to go.
5. Consider blue light therapy
Tired of the old, usual ways to treat acne? Then try getting a blue light therapy.
But, beware:
This modern treatment can burn some serious holes in your wallet. You may need to pay as much as $250 for the dermatologist’s fee and around $800 for the actual therapy.
For most cases, a 4-week treatment involving 2 sessions per week works. Each treatment lasts for about 15 minutes only but there’s a pretreatment procedure that can take about 30 minutes or more.
If you have the money and the time, then, by all means, go. If you don’t, you can choose to self-apply blue light therapy and it’s proven to be effective as well.
Blue light therapy utilizes really powerful rays that penetrate your follicles. There, the rays kill off acne-causing bacteria.
Despite being able to penetrate your follicles, this treatment isn’t invasive- so don’t worry. The blue light devices used today don’t contain UV lights, too.
As for side effects, there are a couple you can expect but they are really minor ones. After the session, expect to have some temporary changes in your skin’s pigmentation as well as some swelling and dryness on the treated part.
Conclusion
There are a lot of ways to treat acne but only a few can work for you. And to find out what those ways are, it can take a bit of trial-and-error on your part.
This can easily make you feel stressed out and frustrated.
This list of top solutions for acne is created to help address that. By focusing only on what are proven by research to work, you’ll be able to spend less time, money and effort trying out solutions after solutions.
How about you? What solutions for acne work for you? Let us know!
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