#1: Acupuncture
Acupuncture, the traditional Chinese medical treatment where tiny needles are inserted just beneath the skin’s surface, may help you get rid of acne. The needles are inserted in areas associated with healing whatever problem you have. The procedure is painless. While scientists are not sure exactly how acupuncture works, they do know that it has been shown to be effective in a wide range of conditions. It is believed to work by activating the nervous and/or immune systems when the needle touches the area of the nerve that’s being targeted. Some say acupuncture results are simply a placebo effect, however, acupuncture is used in veterinary medicine with quite a bit of success and animals are unlikely to experience a placebo effect. If you believe a weak or reactive immune system is involved in your acne, acupuncture might be an especially good option to try.
#2: Acupressure
Acupressure is based on the same principles as acupuncture, except that instead of using needles to stimulate the target area, pressure is applied. This is not painful and feels much like a massage in which light to medium pressure is applied to stimulate the nerves.
A related treatment is laser acupuncture, wherein laser light or low level laser light is aimed at the target nerve. The light stimulates the area, eliminating the use of needles. For people interested in acupuncture who don’t like needles, laser acupuncture is a good solution.
#3: Reflexology
Reflexology is similar to acupressure, except that it involves massaging and applying pressure to certain points on your feet. It is based on the idea that massaging certain areas of the feet will stimulate a corresponding part of your body to heal. Even if that is not true, the massage is extremely relaxing, so the reduction in stress hormones alone could lessen breakouts. In reflexology for acne, the parts of the body the reflexologist targets include the liver, kidneys, adrenal glands and pituitary gland. You’ll notice that these are mostly parts of the body that clean out toxins. With your body detoxed and in tip-top shape, your acne should disappear.
#4: Aromatherapy
Certain fragrances ease stress or induce other emotional responses. Used on a daily basis to induce relaxation, you can ward off acne caused by stress. Stress is a major cause of acne because it changes your body’s hormone balance. Mental thought processes have a very real effect on our physical bodies. Every time you feel stressed, irritable or sad, a stress-related hormone is being released into your body. Controlling and managing stress helps you blunt the effects of these hormones, which are known to aggravate acne.
Aromatherapy could technically use any scent that makes you relax, but certain essential oils have been found to induce a relaxation response for most people. These oils include:
- cedarwood
- clary sage
- eucalyptus
- frankincense
- geranium
- juniper berry
- lavender
- lemon
- lemongrass
- sandalwood
- tea tree
To benefit from these, you need only smell them. In aromatherapy, the fragrance can be placed anywhere:
- Put a cotton ball soaked in a watered-down essential oil into your pillowcase or dresser drawer.
- Put the essential oil (with water or another liquid) into an atomizer or spray bottle and spray it around the room, your car, etc.
- Create massage oils or lotions using the essential oil.
#5: Margarite Acne Pills
These supplement pills, also known as Chai Feng Zhen Zhu an Chuang Wan, are a blend of Chinese herbs intended to treat eczema, dermatitis and acne. Anecdotal evidence points to them working well, however, it may take two or even three months to see results. This formula works on the premise that acne is not the problem, it is the result of a problem. Your body is out of balance and toxins are not being expelled from your skin. The result is inflammation and pimples. The idea is that once the internal cause of the problem is corrected, the outside manifestation of it (pimples) will go away.
#6: Cucumber
Cucumber is extremely popular for skin in skin care and in Chinese herbalism because it helps with so many different skin conditions, including acne. Using fresh, organic cucumbers as a home remedy for breakouts is the best way to use cucumbers. To use a cucumber to treat acne, you can slice it and leave the slices on your face as a sort of “mask” for 15 to 30 minutes, or you can get the juice from the cucumber (which is easier than it sounds- the juice comes out everywhere when cutting it) and apply it to your face or even water down the juice a bit, funnel it into a spray bottle and mist your face with it throughout the day. When applying it as a juice, some people wash it off after awhile and some do not. Typically, leaving it on the face is not uncomfortable, nor does it clog pores.
Some people also swear by simply eating lots of cucumbers to get rid of breakouts. If you already like cucumbers, this is a great excuse to load up your shopping cart with them.
#7: Watermelon
Watermelon is rich in Vitamin A, B6 and C, all of which help get rid of acne. To use watermelon to get rid of acne, extract the juice from a slice of watermelon into a bowl. Using a cotton ball or pad, apply the juice to clean skin and leave it on for 10 to 20 minutes. Then rinse or wash it off and your skin dry. Your skin will act as a sponge, soaking up all those vitamins and rehydrating itself.
#8: Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle flowers are known to eliminate acne. This could be due to the fact that honeysuckle has natural antibiotic and antiseptic properties. These make it excellent for soothing inflammation. To use honeysuckle, get some honeysuckle flowers (you can buy them online or pull them off a honeysuckle vine, if you have one) and blend or mash them into a paste using a blender and a small amount of water. Apply the mixture to the area where you have a breakout and leave it on for 20 minutes.
Another way to use honeysuckle flowers for pimples is to drink a tea made of them. This is thought to boost the immune system, so it is more of an inside-out approach. If you buy honeysuckle tea, instructions for brewing it should be included. If you want to make your own, gather a small handful of honeysuckle flowers and add them to hot water. It is useful to put the flowers in a strainer, so they’re easy to pull out when the tea is done. Allow the flowers to steep in the water for 10 minutes and then enjoy your cup of tea!
#9: Dandelion Root
Most acne treatments that use dandelion root call for taking the root internally. You can purchase capsules of dandelion root powder to take daily for acne, or you can prepare and drink dandelion root tea.
To make your own dandelion root tea, you can buy dandelion root from a health foods store or you can gather your own. If you are using your own, be sure to wash it well and use only the root portion. You can chop the roots up a bit if it makes it easier to get them into the hot water. Place them in a small strainer and set them in hot water to brew the tea. Drink one cup each day. Dandelion root improves liver function, which some studies show are implicated in acne problems.
#10: Chrysanthemum Tea
Chrysanthemum tea has a lot of beta carotene, which the liver converts to vitamin A, albeit somewhat inefficiently. It is perfectly fine to pick a small handful of fresh chrysanthemum flowers and steep them in hot water to make your own tea. You can also purchase chrysanthemum flowers if you’d rather not disassemble your garden. Drink one cup of the tea every day with a meal.
