Natural Cure for Problem Acne

A Natural Cure For A Common Problem of Acne

Acne is often seen as a natural rite of passage of adolescence; as you reach puberty, your skin changes, and the sebaceous glands, that produce the natural oils that keep your skin supple and smooth, change along with the other changes of puberty; this is part of the process that results in more body hair during puberty, through balancing androgen hormones.

When everything is working smoothly, the sebaceous glands produce the right amount of oil, and you don't get pimples or acne.  However, there's a fine balancing act between your skin, your lymphatic system, and your hormonal regulation going on.  When acne occurs, it's the result of a mixture of excess oil, mixed with a buildup of toxins from your lymphatic system seeping up and providing an environment where bacteria than thrive in the pores.  These bacteria thrive, multiply, and get fought by the lymphatic system, which causes the swelling and redness of acne.

The usual, immediate solution to acne is some sort of skin cleanser, like Clearasil or something similar.  These cleansers have three functions.  First, they're going to remove dead skin cells, which is a contingent problem with acne – think of the dead skin cells as providing a place for those oils to accumulate, and those bacteria to hide.  Second, they're going to kill the bacteria.  When the bacteria are killed, the problem goes away.  Third, and usually an unanticipated effect, is that they dry out the sebaceous glands of the oil they're supposed to produce.  Enough passes through this course, and you can seriously damage your skin.

The immediate solution to acne is generally a quick fix, because it concentrates on the symptom, not the root cause; while a quick fix can get you out of a tight spot, for persistent and pervasive acne, you need to look at the root cause and fix it.

What's the root cause of acne? 

Well, let's look at some commonalities.  Acne most commonly occurs during puberty; for women, acne most often occurs when they're ovulating or menstruating.  What do those two data points have in common?  Androgenic hormone production.  When the human body is rebuilding itself during puberty, we often refer to teenagers as being "flooded" with hormones, and that's literally the case.  Testosterone levels increase in both genders, women produce more estrogen, and eventually progesterone, and these powerful hormones trigger secondary and tertiary changes in how cells act and your body behaves.  When women ovulate, their body begins a gradual transition from producing estrogen to progesterone, making a lining on the uterus to host a pregnancy.  During menstruation, the progesterone levels drop suddenly and estrogen levels kick in; these changes create mood swings, food cravings…and can trigger different pH levels in the blood and lymphatic system.

Think of your hormones as pegs that fit into specially shaped holes; hormones are made at various glands, and transported by the blood to receptors, where they trigger cells into doing the things that need done, and are then released, and scavenged by the blood and lymphatic system and transported to the liver, where they're neutralized, either by being broken down, or by being agglomerated into larger molecules that are too large to fit into the hormone receptors.  That's what's happening when everything's working properly.

When things aren't working properly (like during puberty, when the body is adjusting to the raised hormone levels of the changes), your liver gets overloaded, and can't clear the broken down hormones as quickly as possible, and some get recirculated.  When they get recirculated, they're already partially broken down, or they're being run against the wrong receptors, and different hormones get produced…including the hormones that trigger the skin to build up more oil in the sebaceous glands.  Sometimes, in an attempt to flush these partially broken down hormones from your body, they're secreted into sweat glands, where they get smeared into sebaceous glands, and combine with your natural skin oil to make a health spa for bacteria.

Any time your body shifts the androgen hormone levels, there's a chance that it'll run ahead of your liver's ability to break them down harmlessly, this triggers the cascade described above, and acne results.  Other factors that can trigger acne are stress hormones.  Physical stress wears on the body, you produce hormones that tell your body you're in a fight or flight situation, and it expends all kinds of resources to get you out of it – including a lot of hormones like testosterone and adrenaline and steroidal hormones to improve strength and cardiovascular efficiency.  These can also overwhelm the liver, because your body's saying "We'll deal with the mess later, let's get out of the problem we're in now."

Remedying this problem requires finding a way to either improve your liver functions, clear your lymphatic system, or re-balance your body's hormonal levels.  This takes time, and a bit of patience; there are several all natural avenues to help you do this, ranging from dietary changes (vegetarianism, or alkaline diets can work, depending on which imbalance you're working with), to acupuncture and acupressure, to herbal supplements that block receptors, or stimulate production of other hormones, or stimulate the function of the liver.

Before you get into a cycle of external cycles of body washes and rinses to clear up hormonal imbalance induced acne, do investigate all your options.  The road to a clear, unblemished skin may be closer at hand than you think, if you address the core problem rather than treating the symptoms.

1. acne scar
   
   Acne forms with an excess of sebum results from overactive sebaceous glands that clogs the pores through which it flows. The root is deigned to allow this oily substance to make its way to the skin’s surface to help lubricate the skin. However, it can mix with dead skin cells and clog the pore, creating blackheads and pimples in most people and cysts under the skin in severe cases. Manual manipulation of these blemishes can result in the spreading of the bacteria and the potential to leave an acne scar.
2. Sensitive Skin Care
   
   Our faces are not like the rest of our bodies. You may not have known this, but your face is an organ. It demands and deserves special care. If you fail to comply, it will show in your complexion. This could mean anything from acne breakouts, dry patches, razor bumps, fine lines, and sun damage.

Read our Exposed Acne Review here.