Author: Moin Nex

Pimples on face, forehead or on any body part starts with redness, swelling and most of the times comes with pain. These bulging red pimples spoils overall look of your face and you may feel depressed and isolated.

With simple home remedies you can reduce redness and swelling of pimples right away. So, next time when you’ve to visit a party try this quick remedy and wipe out swollen pimples.

Quick and short term fixes to reduce swelling and redness of pimples

1. Place an ice cube on bulged pimple for few minutes. This minimizes redness and swelling of pimple, as blood underneath pimples contracts.
2. Aspirin, that old tablet you use for fever you can use it on pimples too. Salicylic acid present in aspirin has an anti-inflammatory property which helps to fight acne.
   Procedure: Make gritty paste of aspirin tablets by breaking them into fine powder and mix water. Using cotton ball or stick, apply the paste on pimples.
3. Use cream tooth paste to apply it on red pimples. Hydrogen peroxide and other chemicals present in tooth paste may leave your skin dry. So, it recommended using this home remedy with care.
4. Place sliced lemon, cucumber or tomato on pimple. Anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties in these natural ingredients fight bacteria and reduce redness, swelling of pimples.

Long term remedies to wipe away pimples

Acne can’t be treated in a single shot, it’s a continuous process. So remember that you need to continue with same home remedy for weeks to see best result. Another important step in treating acne involves knowing and determining your skin type.

Step: 1 Don’t pick or squeeze pimples

Bacterial infection is one of the main causes of acne. When you pop or pick pimple infection spread to other parts of the body. Though it’s tempting to touch we recommend avoiding it. You may try above mentioned short term remedies to restrain yourself from touching pimples.

Step: 2 Wash your face with any cleanser

Daily twice wash our face with mild soap specially made for cleansing. Be gentle on your pimples. After washing pat dry don’t rub hard.

Avoid soaps with fragrance, as they contain chemicals which strip natural moisturizer from skin.

Step: 3 Apply moisturizing cream

Prefer noncomedogenic moisturizer, which doesn’t blocks skin pores. As you determined your skin type select moisturizer that works for your skin. For oily skin consider oil free moisturizer.

You can try homemade natural moisturizers like honey, aloe vera gel and other essential oils.

Step: 4 Watch what you’re eating

Though there are many experts saying that food has no direct relation to acne or pimples, few researches proved that taking low glycemic diet improved acne.

Consider taking rich amount of vitamins and nutritious diet.

Hydrate yourself from inside by drinking water and eating citrus fruits.

Related: Food and acne

Step: 5 Treat acne with home remedies

It’s better to cure before red pimples pop out. Try some home remedies including argan oil, jojoba oil, hydrogen peroxide, witch hazel, rose water, fish oil and face packs to cure acne.

Acne is normal, so don’t get depressed, as stress and depression also causes acne. Thinking it’s common you shouldn’t ignore, as this may spread all over the body.

Related: Home remedies to treat forehead acne

Consult your doctor for severe acne.

Wrap up

Redness and swelling of pimples are part of acne. With short term fixed you can reduce bulging of pimples right away, but within a day they may come back. Try long term remedies to treat acne.

Here we shared all home remedies to treat acne.

Have queries? Comment below

First of all let me clear that it’s not fish oil but omega 3 fatty acids present in fish oil matters.

Just by adding fish oil to your diet you can reduce acne by 42% (studies shows). How it works, how much amount you should take, do they’ve any side-effects and why it’s not recommended for everyone? We’ll discuss on these questions in this article.

Let’s start with omega 3 fatty acid as it got a good amount of popularity in nutrition world.

Related post : Relation between food and acne

Omega 3 fatty acid – A short intro

Omega 3 fatty acid belongs to polyunsaturated fatty acid.

The word fatty acid may trigger a concern in you. But let me bust this myth. Not all fats harm your health; there are some fats (like this one) which are not only important for your health but have a bunch of benefits.

And I must clear this, your body can’t make omega 3 fatty acid (they’re important); you must get them from your diet.

There are 3 types of omega 3 fatty acid – DHA (docosahexaenoic), EPA (eicosapentaenoic) and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). DHA and EPA are found in marine oil and ALA in plant oil.

Reports says with fish oil you can treat acne by 42%

Experts in Seoul National University College of Medicine (South Korea) carried a study with 42 acne affected adults and distributed them in three groups.

• First group advised to take omega 3 fatty acid (1000 mg DHA and 1000 mg EPA).
• Second group, 2000mg of borage oil, containing 400 mg of GLA (gamma-linolenic acid).
• And the last group with no supplement.

After 10 weeks first and second group shown a positive impact, more than 42% of acne was cured. (source)

One important thing to be noted here is people with mild to severe acne shows good results.

Another study carried out, 13 men with mild to severe acne were given fish oil capsules for 12 weeks. (930 mg EPA, 720 mg DHA and 174 mg DPA)

And the result was, though people with moderate and severe acne shown improvement, mild acne got worse.

Conclusion from these 2 reports

From above mentioned reports it can be concluded that fish oil can treat moderate/severe acne, but for mild acne you’ve to look for some other natural remedies like argan oil, rose water, jojoba oil or honey.

Also read: Remedies to get rid of pimples with baking soda

Fish Oil for Acne – How it works

There are lots of researches which proved that omega 3 fatty acid can cure acne.

To know what properties in omega 3 fatty acid help to cure acne, let’s refresh the main causes of acne.

Acne is caused due to excess oil (sebum) production by sebaceous glands and dead skin cells which blocks skin pores. Bacterial infection increases acne. Though these are main causes of acne, stress, depression and some hormone causes excess oil production.

Now come back to fish oil.

Main properties of omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, as inflammation and oxidation stress are main causes of acne it makes sense that omega 3 fatty acid easily treat acne. You know that stress also causes acne; omega 3 DHA fatty acid in fish oil reduces mental stress.

Fish oil contains bioactive chemical which helps in regulating sebum production.

Note: Pregnant women are asked to consult a doctor before taking omega 3 fatty acid capsules.

Wrap up

Omega 3 fatty acid in fish oil notably DHA and EPA treats acne. These are important fatty acid for our body which you can get through diet. There are various studies which prove that omega 3 fatty acid can treat acne. But for mild acne it’s not recommended.

You can get omega 3 fatty acid or fish oil capsules from local store. 3000 mg of dosage is recommended.

Other health benefits of omega 3 fatty acid or fish oil include

• Treat Psoriasis
• Reduce wrinkles (face packs for wrinkles)
• Skin irritation
• Atopic dermatitis
• Heart diseases
• Controls blood pressure
• Weight loss support
• Arthritis
• Depression

Share your views on this article.

Source:

• http://www.acneeinstein.com/fish-oil-for-acne/
• http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20411530,00.html
• http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/omega-3-fatty-acids-fact-sheet

Witch hazel is an astringent extracted from leaves and barks of Witch hazel shrub. A chemical found in witch hazel called tannins helps to break down excess oil; controlling sebum (oil) production is the main criteria in terminating acne cycle.

Because of anti-inflammatory and anti-irritant properties of witch hazel, many cosmetic products include it. After shave cream is the best example, witch hazel in this cream helps to tighten the skin, and many other medications include this astringent to slow down bleeding.

Not just acne you can cure many skin related diseases with witch hazel, which include minor burns, skin irritation, itching, inflammation and insect bites.

How Witch Hazel Works in Treating Acne

As mentioned above a chemical in witch hazel astringent called tannins helps to break down oil resulting is clearing clogged pores which were blocked with excess oil and dead skin cells.

Not just this, if any bacteria (P.acnes) comes in contact with witch hazel it kills them. Thus two main reasons of acne (excess oil production and bacteria) can be resolved by applying witch hazel.

Diseases including diarrhea, vomiting, cough, tuberculosis, cold, eye inflammation and bruises are said to be cured with witch hazel but not yet proved.

Directions to Apply Witch Hazel

Get witch hazel from a local store.

Dip a cotton ball in witch hazel to apply it on washed acne affected area. Leave it for few minutes and rinse it off, apply twice daily.

If you’re like me (I love natural remedies) then you can add honey, avocado or egg white to make it a face mask.

Witch Hazel Face Mask

Things you’ll need

• Witch hazel
• Honey
• Tea tree oil
• Rose water (optional)

Instructions

• Mix 1 tbsp of witch hazel, 1 tbsp of tea tree oil and 2 tbsp of honey in a bowl. Add rose water if you’ve dry skin.
• Once you mixed it thoroughly apply a light layer to acne affected area.
• Then rinse it off after 20 minutes.

You can try adding egg white, avocado, essential oil or sandal wood.

Side Effects

• Though it’s safe for many adults it may cause mild skin irritation in some people.
• Topically application has no high rate of side effects. But internal use is not safe.
• Witch hazel contains safrole, this is a cancer causing chemical. Anyway amount of it is too small to concern.

Do you use witch hazel as face mask? Share your mask ingredients here.

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Both benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid are used to treat acne and both have their side-effects too.

These drugs are included in most recommended home remedies to treat acne.

Note: Consult your doctor before using any of these drugs.

Let’s start with Salicylic acid.

Salicylic Acid for Acne

Also known as beta hydroxy acid is commonly used to treat skin diseases. Salicylic acid promotes shedding of dead skin cells; this is a great way to exfoliate your skin. Many cosmetic products already included salicylic acid to their ingredients list.

Acne which is caused due to accumulated dead cells and excess sebum clogging pores can be treated when you can shed dead cells clearing pores. Anyway excess oil can’t be effectively control by salicylic acid. For this purpose (to control excess sebum) use jojoba oil or aloe vera gel.

Salicylic acid is a keratolytic and belongs to same class that of aspirin. If you’re allergic to aspirin don’t use salicylic acid.

Not just acne with salicylic acid you can treat warts, stretch marks, remove calluses and corns and other skin diseases.

Directions to use Salicylic acid

Concentrations of salicylic acid in products vary from .5% to 2%. Get the one prescribed by dermatologist. Follow doctor or instructions given on product.

Various forms of salicylic acid found in market are, salicylic acid pads, a salicylic acid lotion, cream, gel. Use any one among them.

Wash the area before applying medication. Pat dry and apply medication on bumps, avoid medication coming in contact with eyes, nose or other sensitive parts of the body, wash immediately if medication gets in these areas.

It’s important to continue using salicylic acid for best results.

Side Effects

Not every skin loves these remedies. You may see redness, dryness or irritation on your skin. Stop using salicylic acid as soon as you feel irritation.

Apply natural moisturizer after treating with salicylic acid.

Benzoyl Peroxide for Acne

This is one of the most recommended and inexpensive treatment for acne. Many over-the-counter products include benzoyl peroxide as an ingredient; even in medication this drug is prescribed.

Acne is mainly caused by excess sebum (oil), dead cells and bacteria. These bacteria are called P. acnes. When pores gets blocked oxygen is not allowed, so this oxygen less environment is favorable for P.acnes to grow and multiply. Applying benzoyl peroxide will promote oxygen into pores thus making it difficult for these bacteria to survive; also it reduces number of break outs on skin.

Directions to use Benzoyl Peroxide

Get a lotion or gel with 2% of benzoyl peroxide, higher percentage may irritate your skin.

Wash the affected part and then apply a thin layer of benzoyl peroxide, leave it for few minutes and rinse it off. Avoid nose, eyes and other sensitive parts getting in contact with this lotion or gel.

If you see no result after using for weeks, try increasing the dosage.

Side Effects

Like salicylic acid bezoyl peroxide may leave your skin dry and flaky. Though you may see acne is treated, you‘ll have dry skin left.

Consult your dermatologist before continuing with these remedies.

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Beauty of natural resources is, they come with lots of benefits for human and have less or no side-effects. Same goes for argan oil; this gold liquid of Morocco is extracted from nuts of argan tree. (Argan trees are found in Morocco)

Argan oil comes with bunch of natural antioxidants, vitamins, fatty acids and carotenoids. The antioxidant property of argan oil helps to cleanse the skin pores that are clogged by sebum and dead cells. These nutritional properties of argan oil grabbed attention from cosmetic industries and most of them are now including argan oil their cosmetic products for skin and hair.

Traditionally unroasted argan oil is used to treat various skin diseases. We will be discussing about this later in this post.

Skin benefits of Argan Oil

1. Antioxidant

Antioxidant is a molecule which breaks chemical chain reaction that result in free radicals which damage skin cells. Vitamin E in Argan oil is primary antioxidant which helps skin in reducing acne inflammation and balances the skin moisture levels by controlling sebum production.

2. A Great Skin Moisturizer

Dry skin is the main cause of most skin diseases like itching, eczema and psoriasis. Essence of argan oil is a great skin moisturizer. Absence of cholesterol makes argan oil more effective than other natural moisturizers like olive oil and shea butter.

Wash the affected part with water and pat dry with smooth towel. Massage in circles with few drops of argan oil. For best result repeat it regularly.

3. Anti-aging property

Lack of hydrate makes skin lose its natural elasticity forming wrinkles; aging is the main cause of wrinkles. Applying argan oil topically helps rehydrate the skin and reduce wrinkles.

4. Controls Sebum

Acne causes when sebaceous glands releases excess sebum (oil), this oil along with dead skin cells gets clogged at pores blocking oxygen. Topical application of sebum as mentioned above helps to moisturize and control sebum level throughout the skin.

5. Reduce Stretch marks

Argan oil along with maintaining pH level helps to fight free radical that causes blocking of pores. Pregnant women can use argan oil to reduce their stretch marks.

6. Treating Acne with argan oil

Acne is not a single skin disease condition. Pimples, blackheads, whiteheads and cysts all fall under acne. Main causes of acne are:

• Dead skin cells.
• Excess sebum production which blocks skin pore not allowing oxygen.
• And bacteria grow rapidly due to lack of oxygen.

Applying argan oil on pimples or acne flare-ups, balance sebum level on the skin and terminate chain reaction that causes free radicals.

Acne, which spoil your appearance act as a spoilsport even after treating by leaving scars on your face. Studies prove that daily application of argan oil make acne scars disappear.

Also read about 14 natural remedies to get rid of white patches

7. Essence of Argan oil for Eczema and Psoriasis

Dry skin is main triggers behind these chronic skin diseases (though main cause is still unknown). Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes sliver patches on skin, applying argan oil helps retain skin moisturizer and reduce psoriasis symptoms.

Likewise, eczema triggers with dry and unhealthy skin, antiseptic property in organic argan oil reduces itching and regain moisture.

8. Boost Immune System

Argan oil is made of 80% of fatty acid this makes it more resistant to oxidation. Oleic acid is effective in lowering cholesterol improves circulation and boost immune system.

Did you ever use argan oil to treat acne or any other skin disease? Please share in comments.

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