At-Home Acne Treatments

When you are suffering from pimples, but you cannot afford an expensive trip to see the dermatologist, at-home acne treatments may be your only option. Luckily, the solution to your skin problems could be as close as your pantry or medicine cabinet.

Preventative Diet

You know what they say about prevention, and that is just as true when it comes to skin care. While you are in the middle of a breakout, it is easy to disregard preventive advice. This is a mistake, though. Even if prevention won't cure your current acne, it just might stop future pimples from forming.

One of the easiest steps you can take to prevent breakouts is to overhaul your diet. Although chocolate and fried foods may not cause acne in everyone, it is still true that your diet has an effect on your skin. A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables will contribute to healthy, glowing skin. Such a diet also lessens the likelihood of blemishes and breakouts.

Recommended Foods

For clear, beautiful skin, make sure your diet includes:

• At least eight ounces of water daily.
• At least five servings of fruit and vegetables. For the greatest benefits, eat a variety of veggies daily.
• Fiber, such as beans and lentils.
• Vegetable protein
• "Good" fat, such as fish and seeds

No-Nos on a Clear Skin Diet

Just as some foods contribute to clear, beautiful skin, others can lead to redness, blotchiness, and acne. For the clearest, smoothest skin possible, the following foods should be limited or eliminated:

• Animal fats
• Dairy products
• Sugar
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Processed foods

Supplements for Treating Acne

Many people have great success in treating acne with natural supplements and vitamins. Some supplements serve to help rid the body of toxins, clearing the skin the process. Others have antibacterial properties that rival even prescription antibiotics.

As each person's vitamin needs are different, it can be difficult to decide which supplements you actually need. You may need blood work or other diagnostics to determine your specific deficiencies. Still, the following vitamins and supplements are generally helpful in treating acne:

• Brewer's yeast
• Zinc
• Chromium
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin C

Even though many supplements and vitamins are available without a prescription, you should still treat them as medications. Following dosage instructions carefully. Natural drugs or not, overdose can be lethal.

Topical At-Home Acne Treatments

Now that you know about foods you can eat and supplements you can take to help prevent breakouts, what can you do about the pimples you already have? There are actually several items that you probably already own that can help in the fight against blemishes. For example, lemon juice is an acne fighter on several fronts: it acts as a natural antiseptic, cleaning pores and killing bacteria. It is also a drying agent and works to remove oil. Other natural topical treatments for acne include:

• Egg whites
• Cucumber
• Tea tree oil
• Witch hazel
• Mint

When At-Home Acne Treatments Don't Work

Although at-home acne treatments are helpful for many patients, there are some who do not see improvements with natural remedies. Patients with severe acne and cystic acne, especially, respond much better to the kind of care only a doctor can provide. If you are seeing no improvements with two months, it would probably be best to consult with a physician.