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.
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.
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Nathan (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) on 07/24/2006
★★★★★
Supplementing my diet with molasses has decreased my acne about 97% in two weeks. I take two tablespoons when I wake up in the morning, and two before I go to bed at night. It eases digestive problems, so if your acne is related to constipation, it's a sure-fire bet. It also supplements you with minerals such as Chromium, which about 90% of Americans are deficient in.
Aloe Vera
Posted by Glen (Phoenix, AZ) on 04/08/2006
★★★★★
At 51, I continue to have the occasional pimple, often on my nose, sometimes on my lower lip or elsewhere. Recently, while doing some yard work, I accidentally sliced a piece of aloe vera from a plant. Having heard about its medicinal value, I tried applying the sap on a fast growing pimple on my lower lip. I reapplied the invisible sap four times in the course 24 hours, and twice the next day. The pimple just evaporated. I've since tried it repeatedly with the same results. I'm delighted. This was must faster than anything I've experienced before. My garden aloe is free. Like I said, the sap is invisible. There is an initial odor, but it fades quickly. I recommend trying it.
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.
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
Carrot Juice
Posted by Tony (Toronto, Canada)
★★★★★
I notice drinking pure carrot juice everyday works to clear acne.. Also eating/drinking watermelon juice does the same... Now I incorporate these two fruits into my diet for healthy looking skin...
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.
Zinc
Posted by Piper (Toronto, On) on 09/18/2010
Zinc ointment or commonly known as diaper rash cream is very healing. It is good for bringing up whitehead as well as for getting spots to heal faster. Apply at night as you don't want to walk around with white stuff on your face. As you sleep the zinc cream will help spots heal. Diaper rash cream or zinc ointment can vary in zinc content from 15-37%. I use the brand with the highest content I could find and it is worth the price difference.
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.
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.
Honey and Cinnamon
Posted by Anonymous (USA)
★★★★★
A paste of honey and cinnamon. 3 Tablespoons of honey to 1 cinnamon. Apply topically. Dries acne out takes about 2-3 weeks.
Goldenseal
Posted by Steve (Florida) on 08/01/2017
Interested in knowing the latest on your son's condition with the use of Goldenseal. Could you please leave an update?
Radish Juice
Posted by Libraloveshealth (Los Angeles, California) on 02/27/2017
★★★★★
Radish juice can be a bit hard to drink for some because of the taste but this will clear your skin up within a few days. its a great remedy! Skin will be glowing.
Zinc
Posted by Joyce (South Carolina) on 01/19/2017 5 posts
★★★★★
One of my teenage boys had terrible ACNE. A Mexican missionary told us about this. We used zinc powder (patting it lightly on the face after washing it). This can really dry out the face too much, so we eventually began to get it under control and then keep it back by washing face and a little tea tree oil rubbed on his face before bed.
At age 24, he still has a tendency to bad acne BUT ONLY IF he doesn't keep up this regime. It isn't as bad as when he was 16 but still there. Especially on his back. We have the best healthy diet of anyone I know, so it is not junk food either. Maybe gluten, but haven't noticed a big difference when he gets off it. Anyway, just saying to you all... if you are taking the Acutane for acne..Why? There are natural ways to deal with this that don't involve such an aggressive dangerous drug.
Vitamin D
Posted by Bobbi (Virginia) on 03/11/2016
My 16 year old son had some rather large, red, hard acne bumps on his face, especially in the middle of his forehead. He went skiing for one day and came back with a sunburn on his face, but the acne was about 80% cleared up after just that one day in the sun. I'm guessing it was the Vitamin D that did it. So we'll keep giving Vitamin D until summer and see if the improvement keeps up.
Wash Only With Water
Posted by Rw (Southwest Virginia) on 03/11/2016
★★★★★
It works! I had acne and also tried all kinds of things. I finally stopped using anything but water to wash my face and don't use any other products on my face. I rarely have a problem with acne now.
Baking Soda
Posted by Kaja (Mumbai - Maharashtra ) on 06/26/2017
Is it safe to use the baking soda scrub everyday for 10 minutes?
Coffee Enema
Posted by Jacqueline (Portland, Or) on 12/29/2014
★★★★★
I think acne might have various causes because for me, it is all related to how clean my blood is. When I do several rounds of coffee enemas (not for everyone, but I have had great success with them, do a Google search for pros/cons) my skin will clear up completely. Knowing my body reacts this way I would self-diagnose as having a clogged liver and "leaky gut" which causes my skin to excrete toxins and thus get clogged and result in acne. It is much easier to use coconut oil as an ongoing treatment for cleaning liver/digestive tract (and reducing leaky gut for cleaner blood) instead of the coffee enemas (VERY messy and VERY time consuming! ). :)
Milk Thistle
Posted by R.w. (Southwest Virginia, USA) on 12/21/2014
★★★★★
Milk Thistle Extract clears teenage acne: I tried a few other things that had worked for my oldest son (thylox soap, oil pulling) and it didn't help with my youngest. So I got Milk Thistle Extract capsules and he takes 2 caps in the morning. Acne cleared up in about 10 days. Each capsule has 250 mg of Milk Thistle Extract standardized to contain at least 80% Silmaryin. The bottle says to take 1 cap 3 times a day, but 2 seemed to do it for him (he's less than 120 lbs.)
