Acne – Alternative Remedies

Common Acne

Most of us can remember being mortified when waking up with these blemishes on our skin as teenagers!  What’s worse?  They don’t seem to go away!  And if we’re not careful, the severe cases can leave scars behind that will last into adulthood!

Acne is a common skin disease known as Acne vulgaris.  These blemishes can result from overly active pilosebaceous glands (which produce too much oil), a bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes (which loves to feed on that oil), and plugged follicles (because of the bacteria growing out of control).

You can find white heads, black heads, and even scars on the face, back, and chest.  And we want them GONE from these sensitive areas!  So where do we turn for help?

How Western Medicine Treats Acne

The main thought of attack is to kill the bacteria, melt away the bumps, and enhance collagen with topical creams.

Antibiotics are used when necessary to kill the bacteria causing the disease.

There are three different types of acne.  Treatment of acne depends on which type of acne you have.  These types are:

Comedonal acne

1. 1. These are vague bumps and random blackheads that appear on the skin.
   2. Doctors usually treat these with topical medications like retinoids (which are chemically related to Vitamin A, though they are not exactly the same) or salicylic-based compounds (which is made from the bark of willow trees and used to make aspirin).  These are used to dissolve excess keratin and improve collagen in the skin.

Inflammatory acne

1. 1. As the name implies, these bumps have now become inflamed.  However the bumps remain small.  So retinoids can still be used.
   2. Benzoyl peroxide is added to help break down the bumps and stop the growth of the bacteria.
   3. Topical antibiotics are added if the previous medications are still not enough (usually erythromycin or clindamycin).
   4. Oral antiobiotics are used to attack the bacteria from inside-out if the acne seems particularly severe.

Nodular/Cystic acne

1. 1. This is what most of us think of when we visualize acne on a teenager!  We see large red bumps, sometimes filled with pus.  They can be large enough to merge with other large bumps close by!  These shapes are medically called “Nodules” or “Cysts”.
   2. The same treatment is used as shown for inflammatory acne.
   3. Oral isotretinoin is added to the mix when severe.  This will help reduce the production of oil by the glands and therefore reduce the food supply of the bacteria.

For more information, see what the Mayo Clinic has to say on acne here.

Alternative Remedies

The main principle of these alternative remedies acknowledges the body’s response to toxin build-up and the need to eliminate them from the body.   Therefore these remedies work with the body to help eliminate toxins via natural means.

However please be aware that eliminating toxins from your body may take time!  It took a long time for toxins to build up to a level that can be seen on the skin as acne and other types of rashes.  Therefore these herbs may require consistent doses over the course of months or years!  So be patient!

If you need that acne gone as QUICKLY as possible, speak with your healthcare provider for the medications listed in the previous section of this article.

If you would like to add natural approaches to treating your acne, here are some herbs for you to consider.

Herbal Remedy

1.  Burdock (Arctium lappa)

– This herb is often used to treat skin problems as well as provide support to the immune system.

• • Used any time the body needs assistance clearing waste on the cellular level.
  • Ironically, you may experience a flare-up when you first use this herb.  Therefore it is usually combined with Yellow Dock.

2.  Yellow Dock (Rumex crispus)

– This herb works for people with mild constipation.  This makes sense because if you are constipated, you are not moving the poop!  And if you are not moving it out of your body, the waste products and toxins can accumulate in your body!  Acne forms with the accumulation of toxins according to herbal medicine practitioners.

• • • The roots are usually used if ingested.  However do NOT take a high dose.  Small but consistent doses will provide enough stimulation to clear the buildup of toxins over time.
    • Leaves are only applied on the skin and MUST NOT be ingested.  They are poisonous.  So speak with your healthcare practitioner.
    • Should be used in combination with other herbs (ie: Burdock).

3.  Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

– Another herb that moves things along with its laxative properties.  And again, moving things along will prevent uninvited toxins from lingering too long in the body.  It also helps clear the lymphatic system.

The lymphatic system collects excess fluids from surrounding tissues.  This fluid may have metabolic waste products from the cells (Even your cells have to go the bathroom somewhere!)  The toxins and other cellular waste products from the collected fluid will then get back into the blood stream and filtered by the kidneys for elimination from the body!

• • Often used in conjunction with Yellow Dock and Echinacea.
  • Cleans the blood of toxins.
  • Has phytoestrogenic effect.  Therefore people with personal or family history of breast cancer and endometrial cancer should avoid this herb.
  • Often used in combination with Echinacea for skin rememdies.

4.  Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia)

– Often used for preventing or treating viral infections like the cold or flu.  But this herb can address acne as well.

• • Supports the immune system in fighting toxic buildup and infection.
  • Also clears the lymphatic system.

5.  Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)

– Has great antiseptic properties as well as antifungal.  Apply a small amount of Tea Tree oil to the affected areas.

6.  Black currant (Ribes nigrum)

– The seed oil is often used to treat allergies and other issues that cause chronic inflammation.

• • Used instead of Evening Primrose Oil as a less expensive alternative.

7.  Oregon Grape (Berberis repens, Berberis aquifolium)

– This herb is mainly used for digestive disorders.  However digestive disorders can cause toxin buildup and therefore lead to chronic inflammation and skin rashes such as acne.

• • Has antibiotic and antifungal properties.
  • Should be used in addition to other remedies that treat chronic inflammation of the skin.

All these herbs have one thing in common: Detoxification.

Work with your healthcare provider to find the right combination and remedy for you.

Nutrition

Chronic inflammation and accumulation of toxins doesn’t just happen.  Your body is working to eliminate the inciting cause.  And if it cannot eliminate them from the body, then the body does everything possible to sequester the toxin to prevent further damage to the body.

When it comes to skin rashes and inflammation such as acne, you must ask yourself, “Why is my body trying to defend itself? And from what?”

Nutrition is one consideration when answering these questions.  Toxins and chemicals from what we eat can make it into our bodies and lead to inflammation.  How?

How Toxins Inflame the Body

Improper nutrition can provide a feast for yeast and the bad types of bacteria in your gut.  This allows them to proliferate and leads to Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO).

The immune system will spring to action to address these bugs.  However there can be collateral damage to the walls of the bowel.

In combination with the toxins of the yeast and bacteria, the wall of the bowel will be compromised.  This can lead to Leaky Gut Syndrome.

Everything in the intestines can now have direct access to the blood stream without restriction.

Toxins produced by the yeast and bad bacterial types can get into the circulation and affect organs all over the body.

Additional toxins from the food we eat such as additives, preservatives, and other chemicals can also make its way into our systems without being properly processed.

The liver must work to detoxify all these substances that make it into the blood stream.  However these foreign substances may overwhelm the liver’s detoxification capacity.

This can result in MORE inflammation throughout the body!  And outward signs begin to show up.  One of these signs includes acne.

Inflammatory Signs and Symptoms

The skin is an indicator of how deep the inflammation has occurred.  We know the inflammation is deeply set because skin is one of the last organs to show underlying chronic inflammation.

Other vague signs and symptoms include:

1. Fatigue/ General sense of tiredness
2. Brain fog/ Difficulty concentrating or focusing
3. Headaches
4. Diarrhea/ Constipation
5. Irritable Bowel Disease (Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis)
6. Skin rashes (ie: acne, eczema)
7. Joint inflammation and pain (arthritis)
8. General muscle aches and pains that are unexplained

Check with your food allergies and try an elimination diet to see which foods you may be sensitive.

For more information, check out my articles on The Beginners Guide to Food Allergies and Your Body’s Detox Plan.  

Foods that Cool Off Inflammation and Help Detoxification

What foods can help in the detoxification of the body, calm inflammation, aid the restoration of the colonic wall, and lighten the workload of the liver?

1. Water

   • This should be the #1 thing you reach for to cleanse your body on a cellular level!  Why?  Because you need to wash away the toxins that have built up in and around the cells.  The BEST AND ONLY way to do that is with water!
   • You can add a tablespoon or two of Apple Cider Vinegar for extra toxin-eliminating power!
   • Teas may also help and provide antioxidant advantages.
   • Although coffee is made from water, the caffeine in the coffee is a diuretic.  This means that it will make you pee more.  Therefore you will be dehydrated.
   • Fruit juices are NOT water.  They may not even have much water, if any!  Home-juiced may be a better option if you use water when making the juice.
   • Colas/sodas/pops have virtually NO water in them.  And they are full of additives, food dyes, and other chemicals we are trying to wash out of our bodies!

2. Sulfur rich foods

   • Foods with sulfur are important because they replenish the body’s Glutathione levels.  This is your body’s most important antioxidant!  And it is your liver’s secret weapon against harmful chemicals and toxins!  To learn more, see my post on Your Body’s Detox Plan.
   • Eggs – Having one or two of these guys for breakfast is like taking a multivitamin for breakfast!
   • Onions – Helps to decrease blood pressure and has anti cancer and antibiotic activity.
   • Garlic – Also helps to decrease blood pressure as well as having anticancer and antibiotic activities.

3. Fruits and Vegetables

   • The various phytochemicals of different fruits and vegetables have antioxidant powers that help the body detox!  Interesting side-note is that many of these have strong anticancer properties as well!
   • Some great options include:
     1. Grapefruit
        1. Beware of this one if you are taking medications!  This fruit has the ability to mess with your liver’s enzymes and therefore alter its ability to process your medications.
        2. Tell your doctor if you are eating grapefruit while on medications.  An adjustment to the medication regimen may be warranted.
     2. Cranberries
     3. Every thing that ends in “-Berry”
        • Strawberry
        • Blueberry
        • Black berry
        • Raspberry
        • etc.
     4. Garlic and onions make another appearance here.
     5. Cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.  A reaction occurs that creates sulforaphane when these guys are cut, chopped, and/or chewed.  Sulfurophane is a powerful anticancer agent because it helps the liver detox the body extremely well!  So eat this raw and chew your food well!

4. Do NOT feed the Yeast

   1. Yeast lives in your gut and thrives in an environment filled with:
      • Sugary foods
        1. Desserts
        2. Candies
        3. Sweets
        4. Sodas
        5. And More!
   2. Fried and High Fat foods
      • Donuts (which are sugary AND fried. A potent combination)
      • Greasy fast foods
      • Fries and onion rings
      • Fried chicken
      • Fried pickles or other fried vegetables
      • Anything battered with flour and fried (even healthy foods) will provide yeast with enough sugars to thrive!
   3. Baked goods, and other foods that feed the yeast in your gut.
      • Bread
      • Pasta
      • Rice
      • Flour
      • Pies
      • Cookies
      • Cakes
      • Any food composed of simple carbohydrates are easily digested by yeast in your gut microbiome which allows them to proliferate.
   4. Eliminating these foods will minimize the yeast and their toxins to help decrease the acne.

Tips for Addressing Acne Naturally

1. Listen to what your body is telling you.  See my post on how to Listen to Your Body for more details and tips on how to get started!
2. Consider your nutrition and food allergies.  Do you eat chocolate?  Dairy?  Soy?  Peanuts?  Wheat?  Gluten?  Seafood?  See my post on how to Be Aware of Your Food Allergies.
3. When using herbs, speak with your healthcare provider.  A Naturopathic physician will be able to recommend the appropriate herbs as well as the appropriate dosages and the most effective route for best results.  See my Introduction to Herbalism as well as Finding an Integrative Medical Doctor for more information.
4. Research all you can!  Be mindful that your healthcare provider is perhaps the BEST resource of information!  He/She can give you valuable and solid advice!

The Last Thing You Need to Know about Naturally Treating Acne

• You can approach acne in two ways.  Conventional medicine will address acne with drugs and antibiotics to resolve it quickly.  Alternative medicine will address acne by working with your body’s natural means of eliminating the toxins that caused acne to appear in the first place.
• Acne is a problem of bacteria and plugged follicles that can be handled with antibiotics and retinoids; AND acne reveals an underlying issue of chronic toxin buildup that the body needs help to eliminate.
• Conventional medicine is wonderful if you have an infection or need the acne gone quickly!  But do not overlook the value of taking the time to gradually eliminate the toxins from your body and to minimize the ability of toxins to enter your body.
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• If you have any questions or would like to suggest topics that you would like to read about, please post them in the comments below and I will do my best to read them!