By: Sarah Rhodes


Not only is acne a physical condition, a psychological component is present as well. Acne sufferers can experience, behavioral problems, academic decline, social isolation, substance abuse, depression, even suicide. Teenagers are more vulnerable in this respect because both acne and depressive disorder have a peak incidence during adolescence. Although acne is not a life-threatening disease, appropriate management is vital to its successful resolution.

Other ingredients you may see in acne medications include resorcinol and sulphur. Resorcinol causes the top layer of skin to peel -- including the dead skin cells which clog the pores. It is often combined with sulphur. It is not known how sulphur affects acne conditions, but it has been used effectively for more than 50 years. Sulphur is often combined with other ingredients besides resorcinol like salicylate acid and benzoyl peroxide. It is not usually used by itself because of its strong, unpleasant odor.

So how can you deal naturally with acne? First of all, cleanliness is vital, and you must always keep your skin washed and clean. Do not be tempted to apply any oils or moisturizers to the affected areas. Instead, use freshly-squeezed lemon juice 3 times a day as a natural antiseptic face wash. Grease from your hair can also exacerbate the problem, so shampoo your hair regularly. Diet also plays a role in acne, so stay off the junk (saturated fats in fried food, go carefully with dairy products, carbonated drinks, caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco). Instead, eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Sleeping soundly will also help, as will regular exercise.

Prescription topical medicines can result in side effects, the skin may look worse for a while before hopefully improving. Other side effects include stinging, burning, redness, peeling, scaling or discoloration of the skin. Similarly some prescription oral medicines can have side effects such as increased tendency to sunburn, upset stomach, dizziness or light-headedness & changes in skin color. Also some drugs decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills making it necessary to use a backup birth control method.

Acne patients will benefit from toners that contain salicylic acid or alpha hydroxy acid. However, when starting a retinoid treatment, temporarily discontinue using a toner or astringent since the combination may make the retinoid more irritating. Acne patients must also limit or abstain from excessively rough cleansing and washing. Julie Harper, M.D., who directs a clinic to treat acne at the University of Alabama at Birmingham laments, "Teenagers think they have acne because they do not wash enough, but usually they are washing too often with harsh scrubs that make their symptoms worse."

You have a zit and you want to hide it. So what do you do? Dip your consealer applicator in the bottle and apply the liquid cover directly to the inflamed zit, right. No. Reapplying consealer to your face with the applicator provided by the manufacturer does one thing only, spread more bacteria. Once you apply the consealer to your face with the applicator wand, you simply return it to the bottle where the bacteria have a whole container in which to flourish. Giving bacteria a breeding ground is what causes acne in the first place, so don’t give them new real estate in which to reproduce.


The author, Sarah Rhodes, suffered from acne for many years before finally discovering a cure that works. You can read about her and learn the secret home acne treatment that is guaranteed to work without doctors, prescriptions, or over-the-counter products. Please visit Sarah's blog: natural-acne-cure.info