Research Paper on Acne Home Remedies

by Stephanie

Hi, my name is Stephanie and I am a junior in high school. For my senior exit project, which is a research paper, service project, and a presentation, I chose to research whether at home remedies (like eating the correct foods and getting exercise, etc.) are better for clearing acne than over the counter acne products and prescription medication. The side I have chosen to defend is that at home remedies are better for clearing acne. I found this article on your website to be very helpful in supporting my topic. I have to have a primary source of information so i was wondering if i could send a questionnaire to the author of this article. So please get back to me if you can let me know how i can get the questions to the author. Below i will list them for you in case you can forward them and get the answers. Thank you very much for your time!

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Our reply

Hi Stephanie, it is a pleasure to meet you! Thanks for your interest in our articles. I'm so glad that you're learning about home remedies for your senior project!

Home remedies for acne can include any number of things. Many people think of home remedies as something you whip up in your kitchen and apply to your skin; however they can also include whole body approaches such as using diet and exercise.

1. Who are you? What is your job?
   
   I am a healer and educator, and the owner of this website. I am not a doctor, dermatologist or an aesthetician. Rather, my expertise is helping people to get in touch with their own body's inner wisdom.
   
   I do have a graduate degree and worked for a number of years in private practice, helping individuals and small groups to become more attuned to their physical, emotional and spiritual health. You can learn more about me here.
   
   
2. Do you notice more people using at home remedies or over the counter prescriptions to clear their acne?
   
   I don't have any research studies or evidence to be able to evaluate how many people are using home remedies or over the counter medications, but most of my website visitors are very interested in finding healthier ways to clear their acne.
   
   I think as more people become aware of the effect of chemicals on our health, they are becoming more interested in finding safer and more natural solutions to their problems.
   
   Also, in today's challenging economic times, it can be very economical to use home remedies!
   
   
   
3. Do you believe at home remedies are better for your skin than prescription and over the counter medications? Why?
   
   If the home remedies include eating a healthier diet and minimizing your exposure to chemicals and processed foods, then I would say that this is definitely the best approach to start with, before you go heading over to the drugstore.
   
   I can't make general statements about this because there are so many different home remedies and medications, and each varies in their effectiveness. What works for one person may not work for another.
   
   Generally home remedies are safer, but not always because it depends on what you are using. Some can actually be irritating on your skin! For example some home remedies for acne include applying toothpaste to the blemishes, or crushing aspirin and making a facial mask.
   
   These kinds of home remedies can produce allergic reactions in some people because of their ingredients. Some people are allergic to even natural ingredients, and so it is important for a person to find out what works best for their skin.
   
   
   
   
4. What is the best food to eat that is the healthiest for your skin and clearing acne?
   
   This really depends on the individual. Each of us is so unique, and we respond differently to foods depending on our genetics as well as the foods we were raised with.
   
   I once visited a remote region of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil where there was very little to eat except rice and beans and what looked like a very unhealthy form of refined white macaroni. There were very few vegetables, but somehow the people there had adapted to this and were quite healthy!
   
   I don't recommend this kind of diet if you have access to other foods, but it is a good example
   of how we can adapt to different environments.
   
   I did not do well with that kind of diet ... I was there for 6 weeks and I dreamed about food, felt hungry all the time, and ended up developing some health problems. I was not adapted to that environment, having grown up in the chilly northeast United States, and my ancestors were from northern Europe.
   
   In today's modern world, we have a lot of choices and so in this situation, it is important to become attuned to our own bodies and what kinds of foods nourish us. Our food needs change over time, and can even change depending upon the environment we are living in.
   
   This being said, there are a few general principles of eating that I think can help clear up acne. This comes from my own experience, as I've always been interested in health. When I was in high school I developed acne, along with most of my schoolmates!! I learned about natural foods and nutrition and I stopped eating wheat, sugar, and processed and refined foods.
   
   It was a bit of a challenge in those days, as the school lunches were not very healthy. I remember one meal in particular served on Fridays was pizza, a chocolate and peanut butter brownie, milk and one celery stick!! :-)
   
   I ended up bringing my own lunches, but it was worth the trouble because my acne cleared up just from eliminating processed foods, and exercising more regularly.
   
   In terms of specific foods that can be helpful in clearing up acne, we have an article on our site about Diet and Acne that offers some helpful suggestions on foods that can help to reduce or even eliminate acne breakouts.
   
   
   
   
5. Have you noticed that using at home remedies clears the skin slower than prescription medication? If so, why?
   
   This depends on the individual, and also on the home remedies that are being used. Some home remedies for acne can be very powerful, for example using tea tree oil, or cider vinegar and salt. These may actually be too irritating for some people with sensitive skin.
   
   In general though, medications tend to be stronger, and that is their purpose. In my experience, drugs and surgery can be very useful when you have a condition that is severe enough that you need to intervene right away to clear up the symptoms.
   
   Problems can arise when using medications for chronic problems, because they can have side effects, and if you don't address the root of the problem, you may need to keep using the medication for a while, which can create other imbalances in the body.
   
   For example, some doctors prescribe antibiotics for acne, rosacea, or other conditions. This helps in some cases, but the antibiotics also kill off the friendly bacteria in the colon which help to keep the immune system strong. Long term use of antibiotics can create other problems like Candida yeast infections.
   
   In my experience, a holistic approach to acne treatment works best, as it helps the body to become more balanced as a whole, so that your skin is less likely to break out. Most people don't want to go to all the trouble of changing their diet and their daily habits, and so this is not a popular approach! :-)
   
   
   
6. Have you seen any negative side effects because of someone using at home remedies to clear their acne?
   
   Even natural ingredients can be irritating to some people with sensitive skin, which is why I encourage everyone to do a skin test before using any natural remedy, whether it is a home remedy or a medicine. In my own personal experience, a whole body approach to clearing up acne works the best, as it enables your whole body to work better and to be more in balance.
   
   Everyone's body is unique and will respond differently to different acne treatments. Our site focuses on acne treatments for sensitive skin and we try to encourage people to find the best acne treatments for their needs.

I hope these thoughts can be helpful to you Stephanie in your project! You are welcome to return to our site when you are done and share what you have learned. We do publish high quality articles and so if you would like to share what you've learned, please let us know!