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Acne Remedies

Updated: 03/17/2010

DISCLAIMER
Our readers offer information and opinions on Earth Clinic, not as a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested by anyone on this site. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.

SUPPLEMENTS

9 YEA

[YEA]  05/30/2006: Melissa from Asheville, NC writes: "Gaia Milk Thistle Yellow Dock Tincture helps to correct metabolic disorders and rid of EVERY type of acne (no matter what type) and lots of other skin disorders. Can cause flare up as you begin but I used it on and off for years now I have seldom use for it. It's not just Milk Thistle and Yellow Dock so I really haven't found another brand that works like this. I keep going back to it even when I try other herbal "acne" tinctures.

My mother developed cystic acne as a young adult. She is gorgeous but with a very scarred face. She still tries to get dermatologists to help but has never had the success I do! I used to work in a health food store and recommended this to many people. O

ne lady said her son had acne so badly they had him on Proactive and Accutane. He stopped those and switched to the Gaia tincture. She was so amazed, she brought him in a week later with scars healing and redness disappearing. She said it changed his life."

[YEA]  02/03/2006: Jenny from Canada writes: "i read a piece by anne louise gettleman, a leading nutritionist from the US about her experience with acne. when she was at uni in the 70s she was a big advocate of vegetarian diets and was on one herself. she soon developed symptoms of bad acne, an overactive mind and tired body and hair loss. this is because veg diets are high in copper and low in zinc. copper and zinc are antagonistic to each other and when one rises the other falls. upon discovering that this was the underlying cause of her symptoms, she went back to an animal based diet, her energy came back, her acne cleared up and her hair became full again. too little zinc can cause acne."

11/17/2009: London from Sandusky, Ohio replies: "I heard Pantothenic acid or vitamin B5 is supposed to be awesome for acne. You have to take quite a bit of it, and it can be expensive but it helps. It gives your skin a youthful glow, etc, as well"

[YEA]  11/19/2009: Codysmom from Alexandria, Va replies: "I've been taking vitamin B5 for past five years and that has kept my face clear. I used to get really deep and big boil type of cysts on my nose and chin. The pantothenic acid helps by preventing the pores of your skin from clogging. I always have B5 on hand. I take five capsules a day and my face is clear. I occasionally skips and my acne comes back and all I have to do is double or quadruple the dose for a few days and my face is clear again. It is the best stuff I've come across for acne. I also apply benzoyl peroxide (generic drugstore brands) on my nose and chin to kill the bacteria that may get on my face. This combined with the B5 has kept my face clear of acne and I am over 40."

11/19/2009: Theath from La, Ca replies: "Hi, Great to hear that B5 has worked for you. I am just wondering what company B5 should i buy. I know it is not allowed on this site to say the product name but I would appreciate if you can tell me what kind of B5 are using and what is the strength. Thanks a lot.

Theath"

11/29/2009: Codysmom from Alexandria, Va replies: "I buy the 500 mg capsules, usually from on-line vitamin supplier that has the best price. I buy the biggest bottle they sell, usually 300 capsules. At the beginning you'll have to take 20 capsules everyday until your face clears up. Then you can taper off to 5 a day for maintenance. You can even skip a while until you start getting them again."

11/30/2009: Lita209 from Sanford, Fl, USA replies: "To Codysmom from Alexandria VA: You buy 500mg of what??? you don't specify the vitamin you are talking about. I suspect you are talking about Panthotenic Acid because of the dosages you are talking about. But other people don't know. I know it worked great for me!!"

EC: Yes, B5 (Pantothenic Acid). Codysmom mentions the vitamin in her first post in the thread and was responding to Thealth's question.

[YEA]  02/01/2006: Marty from Pomona, CA writes: "I tried every thing for my clogged pores. I was taking 1200 IE of natural Vit E and still no change. Then I added lecithin capsules and walla, all my clogged pores went away in a week. My nose now feels really smooth and all those little crusty whiteheads (and whatever the heck that crusty stuff on my skin was) is going away. Yippie! Just had to share that. Best Regards, Marty"

[YEA]  Cindy from Milwaukee, WI writes: "I have had acne for years - was geting worse till I saw a site w. info on B5 for acne - B5 helped my acne.. About B5 - I'm not sure how/why it works - I take about 3,000 mg/day. But, it can cause hair loss - remedied by taking L-LYSINE (1,ooo mg), BIOTIN (1,ooo mg) and I also take Alpha Lipoic Acid 300mg. - This info is somewhere on http://www.clearskin.net (General Acne discussion) - you can SEARCH. The B5 worked immediately for me- strange."

TEA TREE OIL

9 YEA

[YEA]  05/23/2009: Elizabeth from Nashville, TN writes: "I am a 29 year old that has been suffering off and on with adult acne since the age of 19. I've tried everything....zit creams, proactive, toners, scrubs..you name it. I took Accutane when I was 23 ( a six month dose) and it did clear it up for a couple of years. Although, if I had to do it again I probably wouldn't have taken Accutane b/c of all the possible side effects, but I digress. Anyways, I have been getting pimples that have been taking FOREVER to get rid of, so of course it leaves a red dot where the pimple was. This is what I have been doing for the past week and my pimples are virtually gone and the red spots are fading fast.

1) I wash my face morning and night with Castille soap...I also use baking soda as a scrub a couple times a week.

2) After I wash my face I apply hydrogen peroxide with a cottonball and let it air dry (I do this at night only)

3) I dampen my face and apply a 70/30 ratio of jojoba oil and tea tree oil. The tea tree oil is strong so I cut it with the jojoba oil.

4) Then I get a q-tip and drop some tea tree oil on it and apply directly to current blemishes and red spots.

5) After my skin soaks this up I then apply a pump of face lotion for sensitive skin...to moisturize.

6) If you are a woman and use liquid foundation....STOP...that stuff has so many chemicals in it...I always break out when I used it...now I use a mineral foundation that is made of natural ingredients and my skin can breathe!

That's it!!! I've only been doing this for a week and my skin feels and looks so much more clear and smooth, not to mention a more even-toned complexion. I've tried ACV for my skin and it did help at first but I started breaking out again. Plus, the tea tree oil makes your skin tingle...in a GOOD way! Now I need to work on my dark eye circles! They are BAD :(

Well, I hope this helps others with acne and the scars that go with it..."

[YEA]  04/06/2009: Amanda from Carrboro, NC writes: "I like the apple cider vinegar remedy for acne, but while it helped (in place of washing with soap), I still experienced breakouts. I have been applying undiluted tea tree oil to blemishes 1-2 times per day with a cotton swab, and the blemishes are clearing quickly and fewer are appearing. My acne is often acne cysts, which are long lasting and very difficult to prevent/heal--the tea tree oil is the only remedy that makes a clear difference. It works quickly and is effective. I have read that as many as 6% of the population has a reaction to undiluted tea tree oil, though, so be sure to test a small patch of skin first, or try it diluted."

[YEA]  02/27/2009: Corrie from Newark, NJ, USA writes: "I have found that pure 100 percent tea tree oil when dabbed on acne a few times daily helps to dry out the oils and other goo that seems to accumulate there. Also, I don't know if this counts, I like to crush up aspirin from the drug store, mix it with a drop of TTO, a few drops of water, and then scrub my chest of whatever wait it for a minute or so. I've also tried baking soda with a few drops of water with good results for yucky whiteheads. Toothpaste also is a very good, quick treatment, but be caareful! It could dry out your skin. That happened to me once, and it was very red and painful to the touch, and it was days peeling and healing. I used pure aloe vera gel to moisturize my skin then, and it really helps to get rid of the redness and such.;) good luck, all!"

[YEA]  01/03/2009: Natasha from Boston, Ma writes: "I'm 35 years old and after going off the pill, I had acne for the first time in my life. It was cystic acne on the forehead and temples in addition to breaking out on the chin. I tried every OTC remedy I could think of, such as ACV, neutrogena products, aspirin masks, oxy, aha's, etc. Everything made it SO much worse! Finally, I stumbled across diluted tea tree oil. I use approx. 1:4 ratio of tea tree oil to water (my skin is very sensitive). With a q-tip, I spot treat the zits and holy cow I saw improvement within as little as two days! The redness was gone and it has been clearing up. Woohoo!"

[YEA]  07/15/2008: Sandie from Choctaw, Oklahoma writes: "I find that Tea Tree Oil is great for melting away WARTS ! I tried every cure from freezing to duct tape to cut it off with clippers. It always returned. I then tried Tea Tree oil. Would apply with qtip several times a day. I tried to put a bandaid on with the oil, but the oil would just melt the adheshive. In two weeks my wart was gone and never came back. Since then I have tried it on several relatives with the same great result. I am now trying on my sons acne and it seems to be working with no side effects or scaring."

[YEA]  03/11/2007: Sue from Prince George, Canada writes: "I tried putting Tea Tree oil directly on my face for my acne and blackheads. I've tried almost every single product out there and this is the only one that works. After washing and lotioning, I apply a few dabs on the pimple or if it's a case of blackheads, I apply a small layer all over. It tingles and feels like a cool breeze. It really works. Mixed with my lotion, it doesn't dry out my skin! Some people are allergic, so try it on a small bit of your arm first and wait a bit. It works awesome for body acne too, you can get it in a shampoo and it cleanses your head and body while you're at it. Mix it with a little bit of jojoba oil and lemon oil. It cleanses and moisturizes."

[YEA]  11/14/2006: Sky from North Dakota writes: "Put 100% tea tree oil to a clean cyst twice a day for 3 to 5 days and the oil dries the cyst. I use it on my face all the time, its the only thing that works."

[YEA]  10/17/2006: Michelle from Atlanta, GA writes: "This is the best thing for acne i have struggle with acne and dry skin since i was 12 i have tried everything and nothing as really worked. some have cleared up the problem area but it usually made a new problem(side effect). I wash my face with a mild soap and at night cover my face in tea tree oil. I wake up with a clearer, smoother face after 2 weeks face was completely clear. My 10 year old daughter also uses this on her nose where she gets little freckle looking spots in the summer(dry heat) WORKS WONDERS."

[YEA]  Dale from Lonnon, MI writes: "I call it Zit Killer.. Combine: 4 ml Tea Tree Oil, 4 ml Grapefruit seed extract & 80 ml Witch Hazel. After washing skin with very hot water and soaking with a hot wet wash cloth, dry skin and apply mixture to pimples."

TEA TREE OIL, HYDROCORTISONE

1 YEA

[YEA]  04/18/2009: Vicki from Bridgewater, New Jersey writes: "I have suffered from adult acne for more than 20 years with it getting progressively worse no matter what the treatment. Prescription or over the counter, nothing worked. At any given time I would have anywhere from one to ten or more "lesions" and was NEVER without at least one. I've used products with tea tree oil in the past but never tea tree oil full strength. For the last 2 weeks I've been using full strenth tea tree oil and hydrocortisone cream and have seen wonderful results. I wet my face and use 3 or 4 drops of full strength tea tree oil and massage my face. It feels cool and refreshing. Then I use any facial cleanser and continue massaging and rinsing. Then I use and finger's length of hydrocortisone cream (I've been using maximum strength) and a drop or two of tea tree oil rubbed together and massaged into the skin until dry. The hydrocortisone cream has left my skin softer than any moisturizer. (I was never able to find a moisturizer that didn't make me break out.) And with the tea tree oil "wash" my face just cleared up without drying and I've had NO breakouts for more than a week, which hasn't happened for years! I'm hopeful for continued improvement and would like to know if anyone else has similar results."

TED'S REMEDIES

1 YEA

[YEA]  11/15/2006: Boris from Vancouver, Canada writes: "My staph problem is clearing up with a topical application of clindoxyl, however I did want to comment on Ted's suggestion of zinc and manganese supplements for oily skin. Oily skin can help create conditions for stubborn bacterial infections for the bacteria feeds off all that excess sebum. Prior to Ted's suggestion I had been supplementing with 75mg of zinc gluconate with 10mg of tin oxide for about a month with perhaps the result of clearing up seborrheic dermatitis around my nose, eyebrows and ear folds. I still had very oily skin on my face and scalp though. As was recommended, I've been supplementing with a cup of soy milk along with 50mg of chelated manganese for six days now and my face is noticeably less oily. I've also been taking in 150mg of flax lignan, which I've read also helps. At any rate, something here is working. I'll continue to supplement with the manganese for another week, as per Ted's suggestion. Perhaps this info could be cross-posted to the acne page as well. Thank you!"

TOMATOES

1 YEA

[YEA]  06/19/2006: Nature Lover from Grand Rapids, MI writes: "Tomatoes have improved my skin. They also cure my low-intensity digestion problems. Whenever our skin does not look healthy-- pimples, etc, I and my wife found this very useful: First thing in the morning, take half a tomato. One full if it is small or a Roma tomato. Cut into 4 to 8 pieces. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper powder. Eat it. And do not eat anything for next 30 to 45 mins. That's all. Within 2-3 days, you should notice a change. If you do, continue for next 2-3 days. Make sure you eat it in the morning on an empty stomach. I guess is that it removes certain bacteria/ worms from the stomach and directly improves the skin. Hope it helps you too!"

TOOTHPASTE

3 YEA
1 NAY
1 WARNING!

[NAY]  08/08/2007: Jay from Alloway, New Jersey writes: "TOOTHPASTE DOES NO T WORK IT ONLY MAKES PIMPLES WORSE, MORE SWOLLEN, RED, AND THEY LAST ALOT LONGER. I DONT KNOW HOW IT WORKED FOR THOSE RECOMMENDING IT BUT FOR ME, WITH THE OCCASIONAL BREAK OUT I DONT HAVE PROBLEM SKIN OR SENSITIVE SKIN THE TOOTHPASTE MADE MY PIMPLE INFLAMED. MAYBE THEY SHOULD MAKE CLEAR WHAT THE INGREDIANTS ARE IN THE TOOTHPASTE THEY USE THAT SEEMS TO BE SUCCESFULL FOR THEM. MAY BE ITS A CERTAIN INGREDIANT THAT IS NOT IN ALL TOOTHPASTES. REGARDLESS... I WONT TRY IT AGAIN."

07/16/2009: Julie from DC, USA replies: "If using toothpaste, don't use toothpaste with whitening because it can burn the skin. But normal toothpaste should work pretty well. I use this when I get a zit and it dries out my zit and causes it to heal faster."

[WARNING!]  07/17/2009: Susan from Dublin, Ireland replies: "I used toothpaste on a breakout above my lip once and fell asleep with it on. In the morning I awoke to burned skin and it was red for nearly a week. The skin peeled and puckered, I applied loads of vit e and thankfully in the end my skin cleared up. Be careful about using toothpaste on your skin."

[YEA]  05/04/2007: Brianne from Shawnee, KS writes: "I just wanted to add that I also use toothpaste for acne. It won't help prevent acne, but if you have a pimple, put a dab of toothpaste on it before bed time. Sleep with it on and wash it off in the morning. You will find that the soreness, redness and swelling has gone down considerably!"

[YEA]  03/18/2007: Randy from Provo, Utah writes: "Toothpaste on those nasty zits you can feel the pressure on the inside too, will suck out the oil. In fact toothpaste on any zit will do that. I only know from experience on one of those nasty ones developing. I put the toothpaste on it at night, and in the morning my face was incredibly oily, and the wad of toothpaste was covered as well, and no more zit pressure."

[YEA]  Nick from Ontario, Canada writes: "To reduce pimple redness, apply toothpaste (yes, toothpaste!) so it covers the pimple. Wipe/rinse off after a couple minutes, and the redness should decrease a little while after."

TURMERIC

2 YEA
1 WORKED TEMPORARILY

[WORKED TEMPORARILY]  10/17/2008: Njay from Fargo, ND writes: "I'm 40 years old woman. I have been having this pimples all the time on my chin about 10 years.(never had adolescent skin problem) sometimes a littel better some times a little worse, you know. But this time it was so painful that I couldn't even open my mouth and it had no sign to go away even after my period started which was usually the case before. Then while I was shearching for the "answer" I found this site. I have been having turmeric as the way I learned form this site, but divide by 4, so a little less than a teaspoon every 5 hour or so.(why take the risk while you are sleep, right?) To cure this things the taste doesn't matter a bit for me. At first I misread the direction and had one Table Spoon after the meal two times and changed to right dosage but it started to work only after a day. Painful swell was gone just after a day! You could literally see it was going down! I was amazed because I have been doing just about everything and was about to succumb to depression. After 3days or so my boil become just a.. well... pimple and disappointingly enough other small ones still coming up but it was not that painful and healed faster so I had gone on with great hope. it's been a week and a two days.

And.... this morning I was dismayed to find two potent pimples popped up around mouth over the night. Ok, I have been drinking coffee as usual which is less than 1 cup a day and didn't eat anything unusally greasy food or anything yesterday or the day before. I had 2 whisky before I went to bed last night but it couldn't have ruined everything just like that could it? Now, you might say it's just two pimples and I make such a big deal out of it but I mean, these people are saying turmeric cured their cyst and MRSA and they are problem free years since they found it, but it won't cure my stupid pimples? I'm from Korea and turmeric is known herbal medecine there too(though not so famous for healing boils)and this site is saying after a while problem might be getting worse before it gets better again because it's part of the healing process to build a harmony of the body or whatever but you see, it's my face! I can't afford to wait and see if my body's going to work it out itself as my face start to have all this ugly scars and painful boils, right? What they suggest is, against the advice of some poeple here, to lower the dosage instead of raising it. What do you think? If I stop now wouldn't it all go berserk? I am confused and hurt. It was working so well and what happend? :( Please anybody, any suggestion? "

[YEA]  08/06/2008: Havilah from Auburn, CA writes: "I have had boils and severe acne since I was ten years old. I'm twenty five now. The boils spread from my face to my back and arms, and then to my thighs and other areas in that region. I was unable to find a remedy. It was very frustrating and painful. I discovered this website last year and have used several remedies successfully for other issues. One day I discovered the section on boils and saw that many people recomended turmeric. I started taking app. 7 capsules of turmeric every day. I purchased the capsules from Wal-Mart. They are very inexpensive. Within two weeks my face cleared up. It's been four weeks now and no new boils have appeared at any place on my body. I get compliments from friends and family asking what I did to clear my face up. The turmeric not only cleared up the boils but the acne as well."

[YEA]  07/01/2008: Donna from Janesville, WI writes: "Facial Acne: I have no idea why Turmeric isn't #1 on here! It is amazing! You can buy it at your nearest Tree Hugger Store. Like Basics, or Whole Foods. My daughters face was red, purple and bumpy. Just after 1 cap. a day for the past 4 days, she is almost completely clear already!!! I am to excited and tell everyone I know~every chance I get! The pill is a little big for my daughter, so I give it to her with a little yogurt to help it go down. I love you Earth Clinic and all its members! God Bless!"

UNLIT MATCH

1 YEA

[YEA]  06/28/2008: Daisy from NY, NY writes: "As I was reading this post,

[YEA] 06/26/2008: Donna from Garnerville, NY writes: "I tried this last night and I'm shocked at how well it works!! When you hold the match head on the sore, it HURTS like you want to SCREAM, but when you're done, the pain practically disappears. The next day, the sore is significantly less painful and it has started to heal."

I had a swollen zit near my chin. I know, gross. It is/was the kind with a center that won't come out until IT is ready to. So I found a pack of matches and I applied the tip of one to the zit (yes, it was kind of open because I can't leave them alone!) I could feel a little burning, nothing major. Checked it out the next day and it had shrunk and was not painful to the TOUCH anymore. Thank you for this suggestion!! Now, does anyone know of any acne medicine that contains sulfer so I don't have to walk around with matches stuck to my face? LOL"

URINE

6 YEA

[YEA]  07/16/2009: Tony from London, UK writes: "Hi there, read the comments on Urine Therapy and thought, 'why the hell not?'. I've been using it on my face for the last 2 weeks, one to two times a day and it has really cleared up my skin and made it glow. People have been commenting, not least my girlfriend who was very amused when i told her what I had been up to.

It's not horrible, it doesn't smell when it drys and if you are worried just rinse with water. i do it in the shower first thing wash the rest of my body and then rinse it off last thing. I've stopped using soap on my face as well and my chronic mild acne (20 years and counting!) and bumpy forehead has cleared right up.

thanks for all the posters, great site."

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