Fight Cystic Acne The Natural Way

Cystic acne affects deeper skin tissue than any other common acne. When inflammation occurs a little deeper in the skin, the acne becomes a cyst and takes on the form of deep, tender, large rubberlike balls filled with pus. This is a more severe form of acne vulgaris and may cause scarring.

Acne can be a debilitating and disfiguring condition that can affect anyone of any age, gender or ethnicity. Most times the emotional and physical scarring that can result from acne stays with people for a long time and serves as a painful reminder of the agony they went through.

Causes Of Cystic Acne

Acne vulgaris, is the umbrella that shades different types and manifestations of acne that plague about 70 million people at any given time. Acne is classified by grades according to its severity and they can either be classified as common or severe grade. Common acne is evidenced by blackheads and whiteheads, whereas cystic acne falls into the severe grade because it is intense, pervasive and active.

Just like all the other forms of acne, cystic acne has no particular reason behind its occurrence other than the same underlying cause of excessive production of sebum or oil from the sebaceous gland, hormonal changes, obstruction or clogging of the skin pores, overgrowth of bacteria in the follicles and leakage of bacteria fats into the surface of the skin.

Other studies are citing this type of acne as genetic, and claiming that if one parent has it, there are higher chances their children might suffer from it as well.

Treating Cystic Acne

Although acne is rampant, a lot of people do not understand the nature of the disease and what treatments are available. If you have acne, you must understand the following facts:

1. Acne is a chronic disease, meaning that it can last for many years;

2. If you have acne, you must be prepared to stick and follow a remedy regimen for some time before it will clear up;

3. Whatever medication you use must be applied to the whole face or affected areas of the body and not just on the bumps and spots. The reason is although other parts of the skin may appear normal, there may be acne lesions developing underneath;

4. Not all remedies work for everyone and what might probable work for you will take a little while so you must have patience.

Cystic acne is a more severe form of acne so doctors mostly prescribe Isotretinoin (Accutane) as an oral medication for treatment. Accutane is a naturally occurring derivative of vitamin A and it is a potent medication that is very effective for severe acne where the acne has not responded to other medications.

Be aware though, that Accutane does carry some serious side effects which includes depression and suicidal thoughts, birth defects, liver damage, inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn's disease.

If you have severe acne, your doctor might also recommend microdermabrasion, a non-surgical procedure of mechanical exfoliation treatment that removes the outermost layer of dead skin cells. You might also be given a course of topical or oral antiobitics.

If you must use antibiotics for your cystic acne, be sure to eat some live yogurt every day. Yogurt replaces the good health that antibiotics typically tend to destroy.

Using Natural Remedies For Cystic Acne

In a lot of cases, acne can be cured if efforts are made to clean and improve the digestive tract. It is always best to clean acne from inside out because technically, topical creams and antibiotics only work temporarily, and do not go the root of the problem. They only control acne for as long as you continue to use them. It's also been proven that most acne drugs disrupt the natural balance of intestinal flora, causing you to contract yeast infections or diarrhea.

Instead of these complications and dangerous side effects, you might want to try a natural treatment plan that emphasizes dietary change, detoxification, stress reduction, natural hormone balancing and identifies all possible food allergies.

The following are all proven cures for cystic acne. You don't have to use all of them at same time, you can adopt a few of them and see how they work for you.

Beta Carotene: This form of vitamin A helps protect bacteria which contribute to acne. Recommended dosage is 15 mg. a day.

B Complex Vitamins: Take this supplement to help you cope with stress, a major factor associated skin problems. Suggested intake is 50 mg. daily.

Vitamin C: This essential for the health of collagen, a component of the skin. Aim for 1,000 to 3,000 mg. daily.

Vitamin E: Helps the body assimilate Vitamin A. 400 IU is recommended daily.

Zinc: This mineral has anti-inflammatory benefits is very important for the skin's general health. Take 15 mg. daily.

Using Herbs To Cure Cystic Acne

Herbs are medicinal and can be used to cleans the lymphatic system. The cleansing helps heal acne and also prevent recurrences. One effective regimen of herbs that has helped a lot of sufferers is a combination of equal parts of tinctures of red clover, burdock, yellow dock, dang gui, milk thistle, cleavers, schisandra, echinacea and licorice. These herbs cure acne by supporting the liver, cleansing the lymphatic system and fighting infections.

How to Use the Combination of Herbs
Boil one quart of water and add an ounce of the combined tinctures. Turn off heat and let it stand and steep for 30 minutes. Drink two cups of mixture a day for up to 3 months. Unused portions can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.

Tea Tree Oil: Is a topical anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial that can reduce the number of lesions. Apply it on affected areas. It is also good for eliminating the bacterial infection and reducing the inflammation.

Aloe Vera: This is an anti-inflammatory agent and works by moisturizing and healing the skin of wounds, scars and burns. The extract of this plant is very effective in treating acne. The gel or lotion can be applied directly on the skin or you can drink the juice to give you an internal cleansing.

Echinacea: This is another natural herb that can be used as treatment for this severe acne. It is anti-inflammatory and therefore helps to reduce inflammation of the skin. Use only products from echinacea root and be sure to avoid all products made with the leaves. Recommended dose is 500 mg. of tablet dried root taken three times a day.

Green Tea: Green tea lowers levels of the hormone that pumps up sebum production. Drink up to six cups a day to help regulate the oil production from your sebaceous gland.

Chasteberry: This herb alleviates hormone related acne. Recommended dosage is 160 mg daily.

Homeopathic Silica: This reduces pus formation which is typical of cystic acne. It is particularly beneficial for very severe acne that tends to leave scars behind. Silica can help minimize acne scars.

Detoxify Your Body To Clear Acne

*Drink a glass of water upon waking up every morning. This helps flush toxins out of the body.

*Embark on a 3 day vegetable juice fast. This will sweep away all toxic build up in your system. For the fast, drink a variety of optimal juices such as carrot, apples and beet juices. You may also opt for green juices such as spirulina, wheatgrass, barley greens and chlorella which are very good cleansers for acne.

Do not be alarmed if you find your acne worsening when you start this detoxification process. The reason is that your skin is eliminating toxins at a faster rate. Once all the toxins are out, the acne should all be eliminated.

*Use Hydrotherapy to promote blood circulation and detoxification. Add Epsom salt to a tub of hot water and soak your body. You may add aromatherapy oils like lavendar to calm the skin and also for fight bacterial infections; Germanium to regulate oil production or Bergamot for astringent cleansing.

Applying a lotion made of lavender, orange blossom and water will help reduce acne scarring.

transparent graphic
Return from Cystic Acne to Acne Page

Return to Natural Remedies Home Page
