Being such a common disorder, research on how to cure it has been constantly conducted over the past few centuries and although many breakthroughs have been made in curing acne, we still have some ways to go in preventing it.
The last few decades saw an increase in natural acne treatment products, their popularity being corroborated with the overall increase in trust for non-chemical medicines. But before we go any further into finding out how to get rid of acne naturally, let's take a look at what causes the condition in the first place.
Acne, or acne vulgaris as it is called in scientific circles is a condition that is primarily triggered in teenagers and young adults, although a fair percentage of persons suffering from it might continue to experience a milder form of acne even through adulthood.
After hitting puberty, our sebaceous glands increase their production rates, releasing extra sebum that cannot always come out through our skin's pores as they are blocked by hair follicles.
This forms small cysts called comedones that act like a snowball: the more they are left to gather up sebum, bacteria and keratinous material, the higher the chance they will produce a cyst that can become dangerous to the skin.
If you're planning on getting rid of acne naturally, your first concern will be to eliminate these comedones and you can do this through several means: making hair follicles wider so sebum and bacteria can come out as they do through the rest of the body, decrease the activity of your sebaceous gland or simply keeping your skin extra clean, reducing the negative effects of the comedones.
Sebum production can be controlled with the help of vitamin A, which is commonly used in natural and non-natural acne treatments alike.
If you want to go all natural with your treatment, you'll want to balance out your diet so it contains a healthy amount of Vitamin A on every meal. Some foods that are A-rich include: potatoes, carrots, spinach, apricots, milk, liver, cheese and mango fruits.
Just make sure you don't go overboard with this vitamin, as it can produce toxicity above a threshold (it can also be dangerous for pregnant women, so it's best to consult a dietician beforehand).
Although it might seem weird, another good way to treat acne naturally is by drinking water constantly. If you could drink around 8 glasses of water per day, you will be able to reduce the amount of toxins in your blood, thus proportionally reducing the bacteria that end up in the comedones and spark up the disease.
Is eating and drinking right really the natural way to cure acne? Well it's not necessarily THE way, but it can help a lot. If you manage to control what gets to the comedones in the first place, you might not have to worry about their negative effects later on.
The main condition that determines the appearance of scalp acne is stress. When great stress is experience, a person may have to deal with scalp acne. But scalp acne can also appear when the hair gets oilier than usual, like when the hair is not washed on a regular basis or too many cosmetic hair care products based on oil are used.
What is very annoying about scalp acne is that it causes an itchy sensation that does not give up too quick. People with scalp acne tend to scratch the areas affected almost all the time. Scalp acne manifests as little pustules that appear on the upper forehead at the hairline. In time, they can develop into more pustules, which aggravates the condition.
Scalp acne, as described so far, is in its mild form. But there are forms of scalp acne that can cause bigger problems. For instance, acne necrotica miliaris is a type of scalp acne that manifests through the appearance of large inflamed papules that develop a black crust. The scars left by acne necrotica miliaris look like those left by chicken pox. Many people are affected by this condition, but it tends to manifest especially among African American males.
If you are one of the people having to fight with scalp acne, you must know that there are solutions. When experience a mild case, you can use the same methods as when you have to treat any other type of acne. The best products are those based on salicylic acid. In order to avoid getting your hair too dry from the effect of this substance, apply it only where is needed.
Using the products especially designed for your type of hair is also advisable. Oily hair tends to cause scalp acne, so use a shampoo made for oily hair. If you like to use more than one product for your hair, check all of them to see if they are fit to be used on your hair and purchase others if you find that they are not made for oily hair.
In the more severe cases, the best advice is to see a dermatologist. These people are the only ones that can teach you what to do when you have to deal with severe scalp acne. A product that should be avoided, when wanting to treat scalp acne is benzoyl peroxide. This substance causes hair to change color, so you may find yourself with a weird looking hair in the end. This is especially forbidden when you have a permanent treatment done to your hair or you have it color treated.
Both James Briggs & Alisia Friend are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.