Acne Acne is caused by bacteria. It is common in oily skin. In Acne, the pores get clogged with oil, dead skin cells and dirt. Bacteria grows in the clogged pores, infecting the pores, leading to pimples and blackheads.
Acne treatments tried and tested
Antibiotics. The most effective means to clear acne is to see a doctor. He would probably give you a course of antibiotics. That clears acne really quickly. Alternatively, an alcohol based lotion containing antibiotics also works very well on clearing acne. The catch is that, for my case, the acne kept returning. Retin A A doctor put me on retin A. This takes a long time to work. But when it does, skin remains clear for a long time too. What happens is that you are given retin A cream to apply on your skin twice daily. During the period of treatment, you would have to avoid the sun as your skin would be more sensitive to the sun. Initially your skin will get worse as the blemishes hidden in the deeper layers of the skin surface. After the first few weeks or months, the skin starts to clear. This treatment is great if you can persevere and tolerate the initial period when your acne really worsens.
Aromatherapy. Tea tree oil is reputed to be good for pimples and boils. It worked well for boils but the pimples still take a long time to subside. By the time a pimple has subsided, new ones have appeared. I would rate its effect on acne as mild Lavender is even milder. A daily facial steam using lavender oil, petitgrain and chamomile oil (1 drop of each) is recommended by some aromatherapy books. But works really slowly, if at all. Continue reading »
