Whether you realize they’re not, acne may not be a disease in itself. The simple fact of the matter is, doctors are unaware of what really causes acne although they have some theories that they tend to believe. Naturalists tend to think that acne is more of a symptom that something is wrong rather than a disease in and of itself. Therefore, it is often possible for you to clear up your acne or any other skin problems that you may be having by cleansing your body.

There’s no doubt that we ingest a lot of toxins on a daily basis due to the things that we heat and the things that we drink. Even the air that we breathe contains a lot of toxins and it is difficult for our body to clean them all whenever it is constantly bombarded by these things. They tend to store up in places such as our liver and our colon which can cause a variety of different problems within our body. That is why it is important to cleanse ourselves on a regular basis in order to remove these toxins from our body and to possibly get rid of problems, such as acne.

Although it is possible for you to target specific organs, such as your liver, it is also a good idea to go through a full body cleanse on a regular basis. One of the most popular of these cleanses that tends to work well with acne is the master cleanse. Although there is a lot of information available about this on the Internet, the basic way that you do it is to drink pure water which contains two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, two tablespoons of pure, organic maple syrup and some cayenne pepper. You will also need to do a saltwater flush on a daily basis in order to clear your colon as you will not be taking in any fiber.

One thing that you should be aware of if you plan on doing the Master cleanse is that things may get worse before they get better. The effect of your body detoxifying may show up in the form of problem skin but if you are able to stick with the cleanse for long enough, your skin will eventually clear as the toxins are removed from your body. Of course, you will notice other things happening as well but the acne is certainly something that is worth cleansing for.

­Acne is a condition that many people consider just to be skin deep. The fact of matter is, acne goes much deeper than your skin and if you’re only cleansing yourself on the outside, you may be missing an opportunity to get rid of it altogether. Of course, cleaning your skin is a very important part of making sure that you keep your acne under control but you need to clean under the surface as well so that you can cure the disease that is causing the acne to show up.

Something that you certainly would want to do if you plan on cleansing in order to get rid of acne is to do so naturally and gently. The last thing that you would want to do is cleanse harshly and release a bunch of toxins into your system. What this would end up doing is bringing the acne to the surface more and making the problem worse before it makes it any better. It is a much better idea if you cleanse over a period of time and allow your body to remove the toxins slowly so that you do not have any negative side effects that are visible.

One of the best ways for you to do this is to go on a raw food diet for a few weeks to begin the cleansing process before you switch over to something a little bit more radical. Eating raw fruits and vegetables and staying away from anything that is processed or cooked is going to do a lot to help to get rid of some of the acne that you have. As a matter of fact, you might find that this is enough in order to remove your acne altogether and no further cleansing will be needed.

Once you have been eating raw food for a while, you might want to step it up a notch and do an internal cleanse. This would only be the case, of course, if you were willing to follow that cleanse through to its completion. If you do, you would be surprised with the amount of difference that you will see in your skin almost immediately. It is really the preparation for the cleanse that is most important and will keep you from removing all of the toxins immediately and making your acne worse. Take these things one step at a time and watch your skin clear before your eyes.

Good nutrition is the foundation for healthy skin. A well-balanced diet will ensure that your body receives the vitamins and mineral it needs to support and maintain the health of the skin. Foods rich in sulphur, such as onions and garlic, may be particularly helpful to those who suffer from acne. There are also several nutritional supplements that may be helpful in the maintenance of healthy skin. Supplements of b-complex vitamins as well as vitamin C, and A are very important for the strength, growth, and vitality of the skin.

Vitamin E and the mineral zinc orotate are also useful supplements as they both contain antioxidants that can help protect the skin from damage. And don’t underestimate the power of water. Water helps to hydrate the skin, plump up the glands, and move waste and nutrients through the system. Plan on drinking at least six to eight glasses of purified water each day to keep skin healthy and deter the development of acne.

Cleansing

In order to prevent or alleviate acne, you need to keep you skin nourished from the inside and clean on the outside. People who suffer from acne need to be especially careful about the methods and products used to cleanse the skin.

Choose gentle herbal facial cleansers and moisturizers, and use them at least twice throughout the day to remove debris, oil, perspiration, and pollutants that have built up on the skin. There are several products on the market that are made exclusively for acne-prone skin. These products are designed to reduce the incidence of acne breakouts. The best product available is Oxy-Skin™. A non-oily face wash that contains tea tree oil or echinacea can also help to slow or halt the development of acne.

Excessive washing will not help reduce acne, and in fact it can actually aggravate it. Rather, wash your face twice a day in the morning and evenings and rinse thoroughly with warm water.

Moisturizers and Cosmetics

As with facial cleansers, be sure to choose moisturizers and cosmetics that will work well with your skin type. Avoid oily cosmetics or any facial products that contain socetyl stearate, isopropyl isostearate, isopropyl palmitate, isopropyl myristate, parabens and sodium chloride, as these ingredients can cause acne. Cosmetics are a major cause of acne breakouts for adult women. Wear the least amount of makeup you feel comfortable with, to avoid irritation to your skin and allow your skin to receive an ample supply of oxygen.

Hands Off!

As hard as it can be to resist, picking or squeezing at pimples or blemishes will really only make them worse. In fact, it can cause open sores that lead to infection. Normally, a pimple will last any where from one to four weeks. But it will go away on its own. And picking or squeezing it will not make it go away any faster.

Herbal Acne Remedies

Herbal remedies can be very useful in the treatment and prevention of acne. Chamomile, lavender, juniper, bergamot, dandelion root, and burdock root can all be used to reduce toxicity in the skin and improve its overall condition. Other herbs like echinacea and poke root have anti-inflammatory properties that can help to reduce the swelling and reduce of the blocked oil gland.

Red clover may be beneficial for its estrogenic action and witch hazel has excellent astringent properties and may be very effective for cleansing acne prone skin.

Homemade Acne Remedies

In addition to store bought herbal and conventional acne preparation. There are several recipes that you can make at home to treat your acne prone skin.

Poultices: You can make a poultice out of several natural ingredients and apply it to the affected area. Here are a few poultice combinations that are useful in the treatment and prevention of acne.

Unless the directions state otherwise, apply these poultices directly to the acne affected area and wash off thoroughly after twenty to thirty minutes.

** Ginger and milk
** Honey and cinnamon (Use this poultice at night and remove it the next morning with warm water.)
** Ground orange peel and water
** Salt and vinegar
** Turmeric and vinegar
** Lemon juice and cinnamon
** Ground sesame seeds and water
(This poultice is especially effective at reducing inflammation.)

Topical Acne Treatments: You can use the following treatments to target specific acne related problems like swelling or redness.

** Rub fresh garlic on acne at frequent intervals to acne to reduce both redness and swelling.
** Use the juice of a fresh, raw papaya to relieve swelling acne.
** Rub fresh mint juice over acne to shrink inflamed acne.
** Drink wheat grass juice to prevent and cure acne.