Acne or acne vulgaris is a skin problem, very widespread among teenagers and youngsters. When a person attains puberty, his or her sebaceous glands or oil glands become proactive, secreting excess sebum or oil that clog skin pores and inflame hair follicles, resulting in a series of skin problems collectively named as ‘acne’. The pores are congested not only by sebum, but also by dry skin and dirt and a build up of bacteria that worsen acne conditions.

Acne lesions throng the skin of the face, neck, shoulders and chest, and may be a cause of embarrassment because the age-group prone to acne break-outs are usually very conscious about their looks. Acne is chronic in nature and may lead to severe scarring. Acne may be of the following types: black heads or open comedo, white heads or closed comedo, pus-filled yellowish bumps or pustules, firm large swellings underneath the skin or nodules and cystic acne. The causes of acne may be listed as follows:

1. Consumption of fatty and fried food and excess starch intake
2. Inadequate water intake
3. Unbalanced eating hours
4. Heredity
5. Nutritional deficiencies
6. Irritant cosmetics
7. Use of steroids
8. Hormonal imbalance
9. Chronic constipation
10. Inactivity
11. Improper skin cleansing
12. Stress
13. Inadequate sleep
14. Alcoholism
15. Tobacco intake
16. Intake of caffeine.

Home Remedies for Acne

1. One may pound orange peel with water and apply the paste on acne break-outs to get rid of acne.

2. Application of lemon juice is an effective home remedy for acne.

3. Intake of 2-3 seeds of raw garlic daily purifies blood and prevents acne. Rubbing raw garlic on acne heals them up.

4. One may apply a paste made out of coriander leaf juice or any other mint leaf juice and a pinch of turmeric powder on acne. This is a beneficial acne remedy.

5. A paste of fenugreek leaves may be applied on acne before retiring to bed at night and washed off with warm water every morning. This treats pimples effectively.

6. Application of grated cucumber is an effective pimple cure.

7. Blackberry or strawberry or raspberry leaves may be boiled in 1.5 liters water and the strained water may be applied on acne to heal them up.

8. A paste of turmeric powder and neem leaves is very helpful in treating any kind of skin infection including acne.

9. A mixture of cinnamon powder and honey may be applied frequently to get rid of acne permanently.

10. A paste of sandalwood and black gram along with rose water may be applied on skin, kept over night and washed off with cold water the next morning. This soothes skin inflammation and irritation due to acne.

11. Massaging acne affected regions with a paste of grounded almond and honey, and then rinsing off with cold water helps to cure acne.

12. Using egg yolk mask frequently checks acne by removing excess sebum or oil from skin.

13. Un-boiled milk mixed with gram flour may be applied on skin to get rid of acne.

14. Aloe Vera extracts are valuable for treating acne.

15. Ripe tomato pulp may be applied on skin to prevent acne.

16. Wheat grass juice may be drunk daily to relieve acne symptoms.