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.
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.
Iodine
Posted by Tish (Granger, IN)
★★★★★
I just started painting twice a day. I have always had irregular menstral cycles and cysts and recently started having problems with acne. It has been about 1.5 weeks now and my acne is almost gone. I have had acne problems for the last 6 months and tried everything over the counter and topical you could imagine. I was ready to give up and go to the doctor for meds. Thank God for iodine! It is too early to comment on the female issues, but I am having some positive signs in this area too.
EC: Read more about iodine here.
Iodine
Posted by Donna (Aspen, CO)
★★★★★
I totally cured my PMS, as I used to have severe anxiety, temper flare ups and acne. I paint myself with 2% tincture of iodine every AM & PM. Noticed the change within 2 days! Also, my allergies went away, my teeth weren't sensitive anymore.
Recipe: Paint about a 2" X 2" area on your stomach area, always moving the spot around to different locations (or the skin gets dried out and itchy). Just two days ago I forgot to paint in the morning, by evening I had a acne starting to form on my chin, I quickly painted my tummy, and when I awoke the next day it was gone!
If your paintings don't absorb then you can put off painting, maybe every other day. It means your iodine level is okay, maybe you really don't need any. However, I read that 80% of Americans are iodine defficient. They used to put iodine in all of our flour products (before 1966), then they discovered bromide, it is easier, cheaper, less messy and makes ingredients mix well, so it's in all of our bread, flour products (except "sprouted grain" breads/products & 100% organic) cakes, even Gatorade and Mountain Dew (it was found in Dansani water too)!
Fluoride, chlorine, bromide & iodine are all halogens, their atomic weight determines which one deletes the other, fluoride being the winner (doesn't that make you happy). Iodine is the loser, so all three delete iodine. That's why we are all deficient, we cannot escape fluoride, chlorine and bromide! So, paint paint paint, you only absorb what you need!
Essential Oils
Posted by Mila (Sacramento, California) on 04/03/2007
★★★★★
I tried essential oils, more specifically, rosemary and coriander oils, for my blackheads and active acne, and a miracle happened with my face. Here is how I do it: at night I wash my face first if i have makeup on with my regular camphor based cleanser, then about an hour later i heat up a huge pot of water, and hold my face above the steam for about 10-15 minutes, i also cover my head with a big towel, so the heat does not escape. The steam helps open up the pores and let the toxins out. Then I take a shower and rinse my face off oil and toxins. After i get out i pat my face dry and apply coriander and rosemary oil mixed together. It's been a couple of weeks, and my face has cleared up so much, I am amazed. There are other things I do too, like drinking less caffeine and eating less sugar ,taking flax and omega 3,6,9 oils, also praying to God( I'm a christian), and my skin has been great. It doesn't get congested anymore, it's color is more healthy and even, I am absolutely amazed. I am 22, so I know acne at my age is an internal problem, so I recommend to anybody the essential oils(coriander and rosemary), but also checking your diet, some foods cause your skin to congest and breakout. Hope this helps)) I think I'll be using essential oils now,for me they've been more effective and a lot less expensive than facials and pretty much all brand name products i've tried in my life, and trust me i've wasted thousands of dollars on lotians, facials, cremes, etc. God bless you, and hope you find this comment helpful.
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!
Lecithin
Posted by Marty (Pomona, CA) on 02/01/2006
★★★★★
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
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!
Water
Posted by Caidah (Los Angeles, CA)
★★★★★
Boil water until its steamy hot, then take it off the burner and take a rag and dip it in the water (not the whole rag, just the end) and place it on the affected area, it may burn, but it works! I did it and so have a lot of my friends, just don't burn yourself!
Water
Posted by Marvin (USA)
★★★★★
STEAM your face by boiling water and putting your face over it carefully, then wash with cold water after. the hot steam opens the pores and the cold water kills the germs.
Water
Posted by Liza (USA)
★★★★★
I started drinking 10 glasses of water/day, for no reason other than I had started exercising regularly and I wanted to be healthy. About 3 weeks into this regime, I noticed my acne had completely disappeared, I had not been using anything topically for my acne at this time nor did I change my diet besides the drastic increase in water intake. Another bonus was, my regularly dry skin is now as soft as a baby's (even my hands!) and I don't have to use lotion at all--even after shaving my legs. When you first start drinking lots of water you are in the bathroom quite often--including in the middle of the night. This subsides after a week or two--your bladder becomes accustomed to the increase and adjusts. I learned the easiest way to drink 10 glasses of water/day is to drink out of two of the 1 liter water bottles or 4 of the smaller size (20 fl. oz.) bottles. For economy, I refill mine. I also try to drink 1 liter by noon and the second liter by 4 p.m. (So I'm not in the bathroom at 1 a.m.) I recently read an article by a doctor in Connecticut that said drinking that amount of water will reduce allergy symptoms, constipation and some other common ailments, (including acne and dry skin). Her article also mentioned that drinking juice takes away water from our bodies because the sugar level in the juice is higher than that of our blood so water is supplied from our body to our gut to dilute the juice. (In other words, it takes away water, rather than adds to it.) I regularly don't drink anything besides water --I'm never thirsty! Her article also said that you can count as one of your 10 glasses of water an herbal tea or a glass of 1/3 juice with 2/3 water.
Zinc
Posted by Anonymous (Missouri)
★★★★★
Zinc oxide cream: This is very inexpensive and it should be somewhere near the band aids and neosporin section at the store. Just dab on heads at night and in the morning they are dried up. If they're small then the zinc oxide will draw out more pus resulting in it being bigger than before you put it on. Just use the creme again and it will dry up the whitehead.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Deonnise (Arima, Trinidad) on 02/20/2007
★★★★★
A COMBINATION OF REMEDIES, learnt from this site, is ridding acne from my face. A problem I have struggled with for years is finally saying Bye-Bye! I have introduced my body to OIL PULLING; I alternate days by eating either 1 TOMATO or 1 tbsp MOLASSES first thing in the morning. I do the BROWN-SUGAR SCRUB twice per week. I use HYDROGEN PEROXIDE after washing face; wash pillowcase regularly; apply VIT E before bed; apply a different FACE MASK once per week; apply CLEAR TAPE over troubled areas and peel away dead skin cells once per week. I also drink water regularly (spring/purified/tap). Thank you Earth Clinic for alternatives, and thank you fellow readers for sharing your tips.
Pantothenic Acid
Posted by Jess (Johnson City, TN) on 02/26/2007
★★★★★
I have suffered from severe cystic acne, the most severe, painful, and deepest of acne for at least 13 years (since puberty). I've tried everything. Nothing topical worked because the acne was so deep. I finally found the cure! A form of vitamin B5, pantothenic acid, in extremely high doses cured my acne completely! I have been taking 10g of pantothenic acid a day for almost a month. Within a week I could see huge results and within two weeks I was completely clear. I'm so glad I decided to try this instead of trying Accutane like the rest of my family. If you decide to try this build up to 10g/day over the course of a week (if not, it can cause stomach upset) and continue the 10g/day regimen for 2 months. After that you can gradually decrease the dosage down to a maintenance dose of 1-2g/day. This information is supported by a study done by Dr.Leung in China. The initial 10g/day dosage is extreme-the pills mostly come in 500mg doses which ends up being 20 pills/day but if you're desperate like me then it's worth it. I split mine up into 2 doses/day and dissolve the pills in a drink. It doesn't taste good but its better than having to take so many pills. I've read that smaller doses work but it may take longer to see results.
Eye Drops
Posted by A. (San Francisco, California) on 03/18/2007
★★★★★
If I feel a blemish coming on and I have some where to go, I usually get a q-tip wet with eye drops and put it in the freezer. when the q-tip is frozen I put it on the pimple and it take the red out and reduces the swelling. thanks for this great site, after reading all this great information, I thought I'd share one of my own.
Aspirin Mask
Posted by Corrine (Arlington, VA) on 04/02/2006
★★★★★
I read a blog on the internet about aspirin masks. I tried it and it is unbelievable! My skin looks and feels amazing after just one mask. If you can find aspirin powders, that works best, otherwise plain aspirin will do the trick as well. I emptied 2 aspirin powders in the palm of my hand with a little calamine lotion (just enough to make a creamy paste) and applied to my face in a circular motion and let dry (approx. 5-10 mins.) I then added a little water and and again massaged in a circular motion and then rinsed it all off. A great exfoliator and it worked BETTER than any store bought product I've ever bought! (Aspirin contains salicylic acid which is in a lot of acne products) It also immediately got rid of the redness my skin is prone to having--AMAZING! A MUST TRY.
