Acne can be embarrassing, unsightly, and sometimes even just plain painful. Luckily, finding a treatment option that can free you from acne breakouts once and for all may be as simple as just understanding what actually causes acne, and then just reverse-engineering the whole thing. So let’s get right to it! Here are the 3 primary causes of acne:

* Bacteria and toxic build-up
* Dead skin cells
* Excess sebum production

All of three of these can essentially be summed up by saying that your pores become agitated and clogged. Well, that’s easy enough, right? Just unclog the pores and clean them up, right? Well… yeah, kind of. Let’s take a closer look at how the whole process works, as well as ways to get it handled as quickly as possible.

All three of these things usually occur at the same time, so it is difficult to pinpoint each one individually, although excess sebum production is not just a general pore issue, it is something that occurs within hair follicles. Your hair follicles are each linked to a gland that produces sebum, which is essentially your body’s own natural hair oil. Sebum keeps the hair from becoming dry and brittle. The problem is, a variety of hormonal conditions can cause the gland (called the sebaceous gland) too produce sebum in excess.

This will eventually lead to a whitehead (if the follicle bulges) or a blackhead (if the plug darkens). In any regard, if your glands produce too much sebum, you’re going to get zits! And what causes an overproduction of sebum? Genetics play a factor, but more than that, it’s hormonal imbalances caused primarily by lifestyle choices. And that’s good news, right? Because it means you can do something about it.

You’ve heard it a million times before when discussing a thousand different health topics… it’s all about diet and exercise. Well, that is just as true for treating acne as it is for losing weight, improving energy levels, getting stronger, or enhancing your mood. The foods we eat and the activities we engage in play a tremendous role in the outcomes we receive in life, both physically and emotionally. Good choices lead to good results, and that’s all there is to it.

In the case of clearing your skin of acne, the most important decision you could ever make is to only eat and drink natural stuff. This means eliminating fast food, frozen dinners, candy, chips, soda, beer, and virtually anything that is prepackaged and pumped full of chemicals, trans fat, refined sugars, and through-the-roof sodium levels. And you know what that leaves… fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats! This one shift alone can positively impact your acne situation more powerfully than you may even realize.

It isn’t breaking news that acne scars can be rather unsightly and embarrassing. They are generally caused by severe acne that may or may not still be plaguing you. The bottom line is, living with acne scars is not fun, and if anything could be done about it, most people would jump on the opportunity to jump on this opportunity immediately. The thing is, not all acne scars are created equal, and not all treatment options are viable for each type of acne scar.

There are different types of acne scars? Yes. In fact, there are four distinct varieties. These are boxcar scars, hypertrophic scars, rolling scars, and ice pick scars. We will discuss each of these in some detail momentarily. If is first worth noting that many people have reduced the appearance of their scarring, so there is definitely hope for you. That having been said, let’s very briefly discuss each of these 4 main types of acne scarring…

The 4 Main Types of Acne Scars:

1. Boxcar Acne Scars. These are egg-shaped depressions which will vary in depth, depending upon the severity of your acne. These generally occur on the face, around the temples and cheeks primarily.

2. Hypertrophic Acne Scars. These can actually arise as the result of other skin conditions, as well. Most often, however, acne is the culprit. These occur as little raised red spots, or bumps. Luckily, this type of scarring can actually disappear on its own, but can certainly be unsightly when it is in “full bloom.” These scars can typically be found anywhere on the body.

3. Rolling Acne Scars. These scars will most often take place on the forehead and cheeks, and are actually quite deep. In fact, they develop within the deeper layers of skin and resemble red, rolling hills. These cannot be treated using lasers or dermabrasion, as they are simply too deeply embedded in the skin. The most effective treatment option for this type of scarring is subcision.

4. Ice Pick Acne Scars. This type of scarring usually appears to carve out a little pit in the skin. These pits can be deep or shallow, depending upon the severity of acne. Most commonly occurring on the cheeks, these scars appear uneven or “sharp” and can develop into depressed fibrotic scarring when aggravated.

Unfortunately, treating the various types of acne scarring isn’t an easy thing to go about doing. There is a lot of research you’ll need to do. First, you’ll obviously need to identify which type or types of scarring you are suffering from. Then, you’ll need to research the various treatment options for that particular type of scarring. Next, you’ve got to test the recommended treatment options to see if they work for your individual physiology. Finally, you need to perform as much trial and error as it takes to pinpoint the treatment that actually works for you.

This can be expensive and you may have to endure some side effects along the way. Of course, once the scarring has disappeared and you are left with clean, clear, healthy, and youthful looking skin, it will have all been worth it. And who knows? You may just get lucky and respond 100% favorably to the very first treatment you try!

Common treatment options for acne scarring include various medicated creams and topicals, laser resurfacing, dermabrasion, chemical peels, punch treatments, and subcision. Any qualified dermatologist should be able to examine your particular case and point you in the right direction.

Acne is widely known as a hormonal problem. Our hormones get out of balance and a chain reaction is set in place. This chain reaction ultimately manifests itself as breakouts, and until we are able to get our hormones under control, we simply cannot expect the acne to disappear. The obvious question at this point is “How the heck can we control our hormones?” Stay with me, we’re about to answer that.

First, it is important to understand how our hormones become imbalanced to begin with. Quite simply, for most of us this occurs through our overconsumption of meat and dairy products. Why? Well, when we eat animal products, we’re essentially taking that animal’s hormones into our body. As a result, our body becomes confused and overwhelmed by hormones. This leads to a whole host of health problems, but for our purposes here, it leads to significant amounts of acne.

Fortunately, it is pretty easy for today’s human to consume fewer animal products. There are healthy, all-natural meat alternatives, as well as dairy alternatives. These are a bit more expensive than the “real thing,” but they can potentially save you a lot of money in doctor’s visits and medicated creams. It may be worth trying out for a little while to see if your acne clears up.

Stress leads to breakouts, pure and simple. The more we stress, the more out-of-whack our hormones become. Managing our stress levels is essential to leading an overall healthier, longer life. People with less stress tend to age more slowly, too. Thankfully, there are some very real ways to reduce our stress, the most powerful of which are exercise and meditation.

When we get in a nice workout, our endorphins become active and we start feeling really good. Through inactivity, lactic acid builds up in our joints and muscles, which cause us to become stiff, tight, and physiologically stressed out. Exercise frees these trapped acids and allows us to feel vibrant, alive, and refreshed. Similarly, meditation can have a similar effect on the mind. We get too many recurring thoughts trapped in our brains, which start to overwhelm and stress us out psychologically. Meditation allows us to set these thoughts free and get back to our true selves.

We touched on the meat and dairy topic a bit, but what about the rest of your diet? Ideally, everyone would be eating fresh, raw, organic produce and drinking purified water exclusively. Raw veggies, fruits, herbs, sprouts, whole grains, cold-pressed oils, seeds, and nuts should make up the majority of our diet. The closer we can get to consuming only these things, the better. But at a bare minimum, you want to reduce your sugar and salt intake, avoid fast food and prepackaged meals, and reduce or even eliminate any consumption of alcohol, caffeine, and soda.

Nature comes to the rescue once again. It is nothing short of astounding how many ills can actually be treated at home by just utilizing the power of natural remedies. If you suffer from a skin condition such as acne, you are in no way excluded from nature’s healing touch. Specifically, treatments containing salicylic acid, tea tree oil, and alpha hydroxyl acids can zap zits like nobody’s business, and are most often even more effective than their synthetic counterparts.

In fairness, an acne treatment like benzoyl peroxide is generally faster to get you the results you’re after, but this may come at a price. Many over-the-counter and even prescription astringents, lotions, and creams work wonders in the short term, only to fail miserably as time goes on. Why? Well, for starters, they dehydrate the skin, which allows dirt to accumulate and clog pores at will. They can also cause irritation, which can lead to further breakouts

A natural remedy like a 5 percent tea tree oil lotion, on the other hand, may take a little longer to “kick in” and get your acne problem under control, but once it does, your skin will be soft, healthy, radiant, and most importantly, protected from future breakouts. This, of course, is only true as long as you continue to take good care of your skin after the acne has subsided.

Here Are 7 Great Natural Remedies for You to Consider:

1. Garlic – Simply rub the cloves on the affected area 3-4 times daily.
2. Oatmeal – Use a mask for 15 minutes a day. Great if mixed with raw honey.
3. Avocado – Make a paste with avocado and water. Use as a face wash. Keeps the skin hydrated.
4. Lemon juice and rose water – Spritz on face and rub in. Leave for half an hour and rinse.
5. Apple cider vinegar – Boil water, add vinegar, let cool, soak towel in mixture, apply towel to face.
6. Diet – Radishes, rosemary tea, dark berries, green tea, and other powerful antioxidants.
7. Cucumber and pineapple – Combine these 2 ingredients (equal parts) in a blender or juicer. Once liquified, apply to the affected area.

There are others, but these are 7 for you to start with. Keep the ones that work for you and discard any that don’t. There really is no “one size fits all” acne treatment, especially when it comes to natural remedies. The most important of these suggestions is #6, your diet. Of course, this is the one that is the most difficult to accomplish because it requires a lifestyle change.

Limiting your intake of animal products and processed foods is key. Favoring fresh, raw, and preferably organic veggies, fruits, sprouts, seeds, nuts, and herbs can positively impact your health in many ways. Clear, radiant skin is one of these ways.

There is no shortage of acne creams, pills, lotions, pads, liquids, scrubs, and soaps on the market. In fact, we’re pretty much bombarded with them. But did you know that many of these can actually make our condition worse? The problem is, they dry out the skin. And dehydrated skin is a known cause of breakouts. The treatment may dry out the pimple and make it disappear for the time being, but the condition of your skin is going to be perfect for future breakouts.

So what’s the solution? Well, it starts with lifestyle. A healthy diet, exercise routine, and plenty of purified water are a great start, and if you attended to these 3 things on a daily basis and at a high level, your acne would most likely be a thing of the past. But what about cleansers and products? Here are 4 important things for you to keep in mind:

1. Go as natural and gentle as possible. Contrary to what most of us have been sold, scrubbing our skin until it’s red and using industrial-strength chemicals is not really in tune with what our bodies actually need. Added fragrances can cause irritation, and your skin will react accordingly, often times breaking out. A homemade cleanser that may help with acne is 1 tbsp. raw honey, 2 tbsp. natural oatmeal, and 1 cup milk. Simply turn this mixture into a paste, apply to your skin, let set for 5 minutes, and rinse off with luke warm water.

2. Choose healthy, natural oil to break free from acne. What, really? It’s a counter-intuitive measure, I know, but just as eating fat doesn’t make you fat, applying oil to your skin doesn’t make you break out. Of course, as with the diet comparison, it has to be the right kind of fat, and the right kind of oil. Natural oils such as vitamin E and coconut oil feed the skin, keep it hydrated, and fight inflammation. Your skin will thank you by looking and feeling great. Simply apply a layer of oil to your skin right after cleansing. You should notice real results within just a few weeks.

3. Avoid alcohol, including most astringents. Alcohol dehydrates the skin badly. With no hydration, your skin has nothing to wash away the dirt and unclog your pores. You can see how this is a problem, right? There is a homemade alternative to alcohol-based astringents that just might work wonders for you. Ready? This is so simple. All you need to do is take pineapple slices and cucumber slices (approx. equal parts), run them through your blender (or juicer) until liquified, and apply the juice with a cotton ball. That’s it, and it’s amazing!

4. Go easy with the makeup, and go natural when possible. There are plenty of natural choices available today, and these look really, really good. When you cake your face with heavy, chemical makeups, your pores get clogged and your skin gets irritated. I don’t need to tell you that this will lead to a breakout faster than just about anything. Go natural when you can. Obviously, this is not such an important issue when it comes to your eyes and lips.

Try these suggestions out. Their effectiveness may really surprise you. In addition, do your best to adopt a healthier, more natural diet and an exercise routine that you can really enjoy and stick to.

It goes without saying that we can all benefit in a variety of ways by engaging in a bit of daily exercise. It helps keep our hearts strong, our muscles tone, our weight down, and our spirits up. But did you know that by getting plenty of quality exercise, we are also able to enjoy clean, clear, radiant skin?

The following is a list of 3 ways that exercise helps us maintain great skin:

1. It removes harmful toxins from our bodies. One of the greatest ways to get rid of harmful, skin-damaging toxins from the body is through respiration. When we breathe heavily, our lymphatic system circulates and we draw toxic gasses out of our vital organs and fat cells. We then exhale these toxins out of our bodies and begin to free ourselves from them. And you’ll never guess the other primary way that exercise helps us remove toxins. It’s through our sweat glands! This is a double whammy for those pimple-causing toxins.

2. Exercise promotes healthy blood flow. Our blood is the river of life that keeps all things our bodies need being delivered in a timely fashion. It also grabs all the things we don’t need, which are generally really bad for us, and takes them where they need to go to be properly eliminated. The more efficiently this occurs, the less likely it is that toxic residues will end up being “trapped” in all the wrong places. Through proper exercise, the heart makes sure that the blood does its job as efficiently as possible.

3. It helps to reduce stress. One of the most significant contributors to bad skin and breakouts is a group of stress hormones that just throw your whole physiology out of whack. Not allowing these stress hormones to grow out of control is essential for maintaining healthy, blemish-free skin. Sufficient exercise keeps these hormones in check.

As you can see, exercise helps us to enjoy far healthier skin in a number of ways. Primarily, it helps our bodies eliminate acne-causing toxins by activating our respiratory, circulatory, and lymphatic systems. It keeps our blood oxygenated and it directly helps us unclog our pours by way of our sweat glands. Aside from a pure, clean diet, nothing will work to eliminate skin problems and prevent them from recurring quite like exercise will.

When most people think of acne, they immediately think of an oily-faced, hormonally imbalanced teenager. Of course, there is good reason for this and that is quite simply that this is the age when acne is most prominent. There is absolutely no denying this fact. However, this is not to suggest that acne is exclusively a teen problem. Many adults are stricken with pimples all throughout their lives, and guess what… so are babies.

On babies, acne generally manifests itself as tiny red bumps on the chin, cheeks, and forehead. This usually occurs within the first few months of the baby’s life, and is made worse by heat, direct sunlight, and stress (and babies are actually stressed a lot!). Occasionally, little white bumps will manifest, as well. This condition is known as milia.

The main cause of baby acne is a change in the hormonal levels that takes place during the pregnancy. This skin problem is known to affect boys, rather than girls. Despite being defined as a hormonal change, baby acne must not be confused with hormonal problems. Baby acne is generally caused by hormonal changes that occur during the pregnancy. The condition almost always occurs in boys, and very rarely with girls.

While there is very little, if anything that can be done to prevent baby acne from happening, there are a few treatment options you can consider. Of course, these are very limited and often you will just need to wait it out. Bathe your child normally, paying particular attention to the face. You definitely want to resist any urges to scrub or squeeze the acne. The baby’s skin is far too delicate at this point, and this can cause an infection.

Keep your baby as clean as possible and dry the skin thoroughly. This is a situation that will take some patience to get through, although if it happens to persist for more than 3 months, it may be a good idea to take your baby in to see a podiatrist, who may recommend further treatment options. And in more severe cases where the problem worsens or does not seem to improve at all, you should see your family physician for a potentially more aggressive solution.

Since this is not a very serious skin problem, it is better to wait for it to go away on its own rather than to use topical or oral drugs that are meant for teenagers and adults who suffer from acne. Some parents decide to use home remedies for baby acne, such as a solution based on vinegar. In addition, there are many creams that are based on this vinegar solution.

Thankfully, this is not usually a serious condition, though it may be aggravating to your baby from time to time. As such, you would be wise to stay away from chemically-laden topical solutions, since your baby’s skin is so delicate. Give it time, and it is almost certain to clear up on its own.