The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Steam
Posted by Nature Lover (Grand Rapids, Michigan) on 03/29/2009
★★★★★
Background: I had a problem of adult acne for several years. I used to have at least 2-3 active zits over my face. I tried everything: OTC Acne products, ACV, H2O2, and went to a dermatologist for creams and Zyrtec. Then I cam across steam bath at my apartment complex. Within a week my skin was great, no acne problems for months! And then the Steam bath was out for repairs and my problem slowly crept back. So I bought a 'Steam facial' on Amazon for about $30 and it works almost just as great.
Measurements that worked for me: Steam bath/ steam facial: 10--15 minutes, three times a week. I make sure my face about 5 drops of sweat trickles down on the towel. I saw dramatic improvements within a week. In steam bath, I make sure the heat is enough to accelerate my heart without any pain or discomfort.
My results: I haven't used ANY skin medicines for 5 months and going strong! It also helps get rid of any cold/ cough symptoms. My wife saw her back-ache vanish.
I have used many remedies from this site and I thought I should share this very natural, no-chemicals-involved remedy with you.
Replied by Tee
(Chicago, IL)
03/29/2009
Replied by Rosy
(Orlando, Fl)
03/31/2009
Replied by Lucy
(Sydney, Australia)
08/29/2012
Strawberries
Posted by Matt (USA)
★★★★★
According to the ancient Egyptians, fresh strawberries (when eaten) help acne. So do wetted strawberry leaves applied on the face topically.
Strawberries
Posted by Jade (Staffordshire, UK)
★★★★★
I mixed 2 large straberries and 1/2 a peeled orange together mashed up. I then put it in the freezer until it was a block (usually put it in overnight). The small block should be wrapped in a cloth or towel and put on the affected area. This should be repeated 2 or 3 times per week and then you should notice a difference.
Sulphur Soap, Aspirin Mask
Posted by Rw (Tazewell, Virginia) on 01/28/2011
★★★★★
My teenage son has been using sulfur soap for moderate acne and his face is now clear. Also helpful is a crushed aspirin mixed with a little bit of water rubbed on the face and rinsed off after a few minutes. Also the sulfur soap is to be left on the face a few minutes (works well to leave it on your face while you take the rest of your shower). This has been a very inexpensive and very effective remedy.
Supplements
Posted by Jamie (Chattanooga, Tn) on 12/28/2010
★★★★★
I have researched many cures for acne on line and have put together what works best for me.
Daily Plan:
Vitamin A 3 8000iu (24, 000IU) capsules 2x's daily
Vitamin E: 1 200IU 1 or 2x's daily. (i find 2 sometimes makes my face greasy)
Zinc: 1 caplet 1 time a day (can't remember the mg off top of head)
Niacin flush daily. You will have to experiment to find the appropriate amount of Niacin to cause the "flush" which I have found to be the MOST helpful part b/c if I miss it a day or two I have a breakout. My flush amount is 300mg on empty stomach. Wash 2x daily with ben Peroxide wash and use salicylic acid moisturizer.
Supplements
Posted by Anna (Sacramento, CA) on 05/06/2007
★★★★★
My daughter had severe acne as a teenager and saw three different dermatologist giving her various medications that hardly made a difference. I read that often times acne is caused by a zinc deficiency. I took her off of all perscription meds and put her on zinc supplements 3x a day. Within a month all of her acne was gone. She had some redness and scarring but all acne was gone. I was amazed that something so simple, over the counter, could work so well. I'm not sure if I can mention this or not but if you need the exact amount it was in some book that is titled Foods that Heal.
Replied by Corrie
(Baton Rouge, La)
04/21/2009
Replied by RL
(san antonio, TX)
04/21/2009
Replied by Tee
(Chicago, Il)
04/21/2009
Replied by Selena
(Chula, GA)
04/22/2009
Supplements
Posted by Anna (Kansas City, MS) on 12/07/2006
★★★★★
I really never have had a problem with acne so when I developed a pimple on my chin it was somewhat of a big deal. I'm not used to something on my face hurting like it did. At first I popped it and pulled out that little yellow bullet shaped thing from the middle ( what is that, the infection or dried pus?) It bled a little then a bit more pus came out - still hurt of course. I decided to try ACV which hurt and made me develop immediately a fine rash of bumps all around the blemish. I think it is because my skin is very sensitive and it just burnt it a little - or because I had the opening in my skin for it spread faster... Then I thought of crushing half of a multi vitamin and making a paste. I did so, applied the paste to the blemish, put a bandaid over it ( it did hurt for a few minutes) and Voila! in about an hour the spot had dried up and was on its way to healing and not feeling tender! I would definitely do this again!
Supplements
Posted by Boris (Vancouver, Canada) on 11/15/2006
★★★★★
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!
Supplements
Posted by Matt (Slidell, LA) on 08/16/2006
★★★★★
CORAL CALCIUM: I take about 800-1000mg - two in the morning. Results should appear in about two weeks. My understanding is that people with facial acne is a result not so much from infection of oil glands or dirty skin, but a mineral deficiency. I first came across this product originally to treat calcium deficiency. After using it for awhile my facial acne disappeared. Coral Calcium can be found in drug stores, Wal-Mart, kmart, and the like. Take care.
Supplements
Posted by Melissa (Asheville, NC) on 05/30/2006
★★★★★
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.
Supplements
Posted by Jenny (Canada) on 02/03/2006
★★★★★
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.
Thyme
Posted by Rob (Manhattan, Ny) on 04/19/2012
★★★★★
Nature wins again... a new study showing preparations of Thyme extract are more effective than prescription creams...The beauty of nature is the vasteness of its elements that just may never be measurable and will forever remain unknown to us.
Tomato
Posted by Nature Lover (Grand Rapids, MI) on 06/19/2006
★★★★★
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
Posted by Christie (Bristol, Ct) on 04/29/2012
★★★★★
When I was travelling last week, I ate a chocolate and peanuty dessert at a restaurant. Well, within an hour I had a big pimple popping out on my chin. Peanut and chocolate combination will sometimes do this, esp if the chocolate has cocoa butter in it. I didn't have any pimple remedies with me, but I remembered reading about toothpaste for pimples. I dabbed some on my pimple and went to bed. The next morning, it was barely visible. I think it's the mint that works. Yea toothpaste!
Toothpaste
Posted by Barb (Suwanee, Ga Usa) on 09/26/2011
★★★★★
I suffered for many months at a time from perioral acne (red, bumpy, itchy, oily, flakey rash with pustules) around my nose and chin, and tried all the classic home remedies from AC vinegar to calamine lotion, to eating foods that fight infections, etc. Rubbing alcohol made it redder and it didn't cure it.
The cure? Change to Tom's Toothpaste with no fluoride. Regular toothpastes (common brands like Crest, Colgate, and all others) have fluoride and some other ingredients possibly. In one day the red bumps were calmer and not "active" and in about 2 days they were gone. My face was clear!! Such a simple solution, and I had struggled for about 5 months! As soon as I started fluoride toothpaste again after a week or so of Tom's, it usually broke out again. It isn't the toothpaste dripping on the skin, it is that the toothpaste has irritants which are absorbed through the membranes of the mouth lining, so it becomes an allergy to some people. Even mouthwashes & some sugarfree gums or mints which may be strong can cause flare-ups of perioral acne. My dermatologist had given me an antibiotic for this which did work, but then you're on antibiotics which make skin sensitive to sun. After weeks on Tom's you can usually go back to your regular toothpaste, but you'll know what to do if you feel the first itchy, red little bump...
