Acne affects more than 20 million teenagers, and hundreds of adults according to the AAD (American Academy of Dermatology). It is the most common problem in the United States. Many over the counter remedies exist and hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent yearly on them. I have come up with some inexpensive home remedies that work perfectly well and are healthier for the skin.

ACNE Symptoms: Persistent, recurrent pimples or skin blemishes on the skin. Acne is commonly found on the face but can also occur on the chest, shoulder, neck and upper portion of the back.

What is going on? Usually because of clogging of the pores in the sebaceous hair follicles, from oils and dead skin cells that build up bacteria in the blocked follicle, thus causes inflammation in that area.

Prevention: Keeping the area clean, eating less fatty foods and sugars will most times prevent acne.

Cleanse:

Cleanse (not scrub) your face at least twice daily with a gentle natural anti-microbial herbal soap such as calendula (Calendula officinalis), lavender (Lavandula officinalis) for both treatment and prevention.

After cleaning, apply one drop of tea tree oil - a natural anti-microbial - to each blemish. *For an overnight treatment that will dry and heal, use a clay poultice, worn all night. Use either green clay or bentonite as a base. (Can be obtained at most health food stores). Combine 1 teaspoon of clay with enough water to make a paste the consistency of toothpaste. Mix in 3 drops of tea tree oil and apply to blemishes. Rinse off with warm water in the morning.

Facial Steam:

Give yourself an herbal facial steam treatment twice a week to gently and deeply clean pores. Into a heat-proof bowl pour 1 quarts of boiling water over 2 tablespoons of dried lavender, which is both and anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory. Cover your head and the bowl with a large bath towel, steam your face for 10 minutes, taking care not to burn yourself with the steam.

Natural Alpha Hydroxy:

From your own kitchen comes a great natural alpha hydroxy healer. ~ Wash well and put into a blender: 2 or 3 ripe unpeeled pitted apricots, ~ 2 large or 3 medium sized fresh Strawberries preferred, but frozen will work as well, ~ of a medium to large avocado (equivalent to a 3"X 2" piece, ~ 1 heaping tablespoon of honey. Put in blender and liquefy until frothy. Apply to face, leave on for about 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse with warm herbal soapy water. Then open a capsule of vitamin E and apply to face.

If leftovers, store in a glass jar for no more than 7 days. Use this facial twice weekly for soft blemish free skin. To remove small wrinkles leave on overnight.

Natural Blemish Healing Astringents:

Apply Lemon juice and let dry, apply as often as you wish. Acts as an astringent and a healer. Lemon has a drawing affect and will help heal blemishes as well as prevent pores from becoming clogged. For abscessed pores apply a piece of lemon peel directly on the spot, skin side out. Can be left on up to three hours.

My sister and I had this favorite thing to use as teenagers.

Take 1 raw egg and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, whip until frothy and apply to skin, let dry then wash off with herbal wash and cool water. Egg is a great drawing healer. Do this two or three times a week, will help keep your face free of blemishes and blackheads. I have never experienced the black heads and acne others have, could it be due to this habit as a child and teenager and the fact that I don't ingest dairy foods?

Natural Preventions;

*Lotus Root tea two or three times a day will improve blemishes.

Take 30 to 45 mg of zinc a day and Antioxidants helps the regeneration of skin tissue!

If you, like me, tend to have very dry skin you have probably spent lots of $$$ on lotions and potents that don't give lasting effects. Well I live in a very arid part of the world, which does nothing to help my dry skin but rather made it worse until I discovered something to nourish and restore it:

Bath in a luxurious 15-minute bubble bath two to four times a week with 1/4 cup Life Transfusion Liquid Ionic 84 Minerals. Such softness and smoothness you can not imagine as well as the relaxation it does for my mind+ If you don't know where to obtain liquid minerals mailto:health@antibiotic-alternatives.com?subject=LocateIonicMin

Oriental medicine has a teaching+blemishes or pimples on the different body areas correspond to specific organs or parts of the body before they actually show up. Areas being: A) Forehead indicates a problem with the intestinal tract. B) Cheeks indicate lung or breast problems. C) Nose indicates heart area. D) Around the mouth indicate reproductively area. E) Jaws indicate kidney area. F) Upper back indicates lung area. G) Shoulders indicate digestive area. H) Chest indicates both lung and heart area. Not to panic anyone but this only indicates that people with blemishes/pimples should improve their overall health as the road to ridding the body of blemishes!

A good start is by eliminating some of the dairy products saturated animal fats and sugars, ad daily minerals and vitamins. The medical profession for the most part, says diet has nothing to do with it. Do you want to believe that? There are far more studies and histories that prove otherwise!

Take charge of your own life and treatments for your own optimum health.

*** Lena Sanchez Author of "Handbook Of Herbs To Health & Other Secrets," "Antibiotic Alternatives To Preventing Mega Bacteria," & "Dangers & Secrets Doctors Refuse To Tell You." Found online athttp://www.antibiotic-alternatives.com and Editor of "Natural Environmental Health Facts & Your Home Business Coach"

For years, scientists, doctors, biologists, dermatologists, and dieticians have searched for and studied all of the various causes of acne. Since the majority of the worlds population suffer from acne at some point in their lives, there is no surprise that such efforts are invested in finding out how to it. While there have been some definitive answers on whether acne is hormonally induced (yes), and what can be done to prevent it (prescription drugs, certain herbal remedies, etc), there are still many unknown factors that cause acne.

However, of all the many acne questions that science is yet to find answers to, the most controversial is whether or not diet has an effect on acne.

Historically, diet was thought to be linked to acne. Doctors and housewives alike believed that a high fat content in ones diet would cause an oilier complexion, and this in turn would create acne breakouts.

However, as time went on, science found no directly link between a diet high in lipids (fat), and acne. Since acne is caused by a bacterial growth in sebum trapped in clogged pores, there is no such thing as в extra oil secretionв . So, for at least the last 15 years, western medicine has claimed there is no connection between diet and acne.

However, a study conducted in 1997 has rekindled the flame in the в diet causes acneв argument, and this time, with a bit more heat.

This study, conducted by Dr. Lit Hung Leung, states that Acne breakouts are because the body cannot create enough of Coenzyme A to break down the fatty acids that create sebum. The reason is, Coenzyme A is probably the single most needed enzyme in the body. This Coenzyme-A is what synthesizes sex hormones, and what breaks down fatty acids.

The only part of Coenzyme-A that the body does not produce itself is vitamin B5. So, if there is a shortage of B5, there is a shortage of Coenzyme-A. And if there is a shortage of Coenzyme-A, the body will use it to synthesize sex hormones, not break down fatty acids.

So, you can see where this is going more fatty acids, more sebum production, more acne.

Now, the interesting thing is that Dr. Lit Hung Leung substantiated this claim by testing it on 100 people. The group took 10 grams or more per day of pantothenic acid ( B5 ), and used a B5 topical cream of 20% by weight. After 2-3, sebum production was reduced, and many people with acne noticed a reduction. For those with more extreme acne, a higher dosage of B5 was used (approx. 15-20 grams per day), and treatment was prolonged to see an effect, sometimes up to 6 months.

So, while one study does not definitively prove whether B5 can prevent or reduce acne, it may well be worth considering, particularly for those who want a natural or herbal cure for acne, and do not want to use chemicals such as benzoyl peroxide, or other prescription acne treatments.

As with any medical treatment, it is best to consult a doctor before trying a B5 regimine.

Greg Podsakoff is a former acne sufferer, and is the editor of acne treatments website,http://www.acne-treatments-guide.com

This article courtesy of http://acnefreezone.com

The problem with psoriasis is that there is relief but no permanent cure available. Modern science does not know exactly what causes this skin condition, even though it was associated with allergies, arthritis, and various dietary and metabolic factors. There are many topical treatments available for those who have psoriasis. Treatments made with chemicals, antibitics, hormone therapies and treatments based on all natural ingredients

There is an increased evidence that fumaric acid might help to keep psoriasis under control. This treatment involves the use of fumaric acid ester, commonly used in the food industry as a food additive in place of citric acid. In healthy individuals, fumaric acid is formed in the skin when it's exposed to sunlight. People with psoriasis appear to have a biochemical defect that requires prolonged exposure to the sun to produce it. Fumaric acid ester capsules have been used in clinical trials in Switzerland and the Netherlands with excellent results. In a recent study, 8O percent of the 285 patients involved reported marked improvement, and 52 percent of those patients were completely cleared of psoriatic lesions.

Treatment of psoriasis with fumaric acid is a long process it might take up to three months before one can see improvement. Eventhough the treatment is effective, it has not only severe side effects but as all oral medications, it also looses more than 75% of its strength in the process. Higher dosage of fumaric acid will lead to more side effects.

Eventhough, the technology of administration (oral ingestion) remained mostly the same till now. One well established, yet incompletely developed delivery mode has been topical creams and lotions, primarily utilized in cosmetic applications. The great barrier to wider application of such a pathway has been the structure of the skin itself, which has proven impermeable to a wide range of compounds, most notably the class of molecules know as "water soluble". This limitation has so strongly influenced perception of range restriction of compound delivery across the skin.

But now, through the research conducted by group of American scientists this border has been unlocked and opened to transdermal traffic of virtually all medicinal compounds. The mechanics of this invention allows to create a triple emulsion that creates an unusually stable matrix into which nutrient compounds can be fed. The emulsion was named "Liquid Crystal". This refers to the creation, through the "microencapsulation" of molecules of the active ingredients in the emulsion, of actual liquid crystals in a state of stable suspension. This special physical configuration has the effect of making large molecules behave, in relation to the skin barrier, as though they are "smaller", and allowed to cross what would otherwise prevent penetration.

An important aspect of this technology is the efficiency factor. Active ingredients can target the problem areas directly instead of going through digestive system, as oral medication, loosing more than 75% of its strength in the process. In other words, "Liquid Crystal" allows for great reduction in dose levels of any given substance compared to oral administration in our case - level of fumaric acid in psoriasis treatment. Reduction of excess compounds of any kind, even biologically compounds, is always the soundest medical approach, and becomes imperative when any substances that a person may have sensitivity to is being administered.

Read more about fumaric acid psoriasis treatment wich was made with use of this unique - patented technology.