Acne is perhaps the most common chronic skin disease caused by bacteria, which flourish on greasy scales. It is an inflammatory condition of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles usually found on the face, the neck, chest and shoulders. Nearly eight out of ten young people between the ages of 12 and 24 suffer from some degree of acne. It is closely related to the disturbance in the hormones experienced at puberty.

The majority of patients recover between the ages 20 and 30 years. But it is still common in men over 30 years. In women, it rarely lasts beyond the early thirties and is normally worse before each menstrual period. All skin diseases, including acne, are the outcome of malfunctioning of the body as a whole. The disease causes a great deal of embarrassment at an age when people tend to be sensitive about personal appearance.

Symptoms of Acne:
Acne is characterized by the eruption of blackheads, pimples, small superficial sebaceous cysts and scars mainly on the face. There are over half a dozen forms of acne, which are concerned with sebaceous glands or the glands connected with hair follicles. The most common form of acne is a blackhead, which chiefly affects the forehead, temples, cheeks, chin, chest and the back area. In rare cases, almost the entire body may be covered with blackheads with extensive scarring.

Causes of Acne:
All forms of acne have their origin in wrong feeding habits, such as irregular hours of eating, improper food, excesses of starches and sugar, excess of fatty foods. Chronic constipation is another major cause of acne. The blood stream becomes surcharged with toxic matters, if the bowels do not move properly and the waste matter is not eliminated as quickly as it should. The extra efforts of the skin to eliminate excess waste result in acne and other forms of skin diseases.

Yet another important cause of acne is a devitalized condition of the skin resulting from unhygienic living habits. There is also a general tendency among young persons to break and squeeze out the eruptions, which can only worsen the condition and help the infection to spread. Other causes of the disorder are excessive use of tea, coffee, alcohol or tobacco, strenuous studies, masturbation and sedentary habits, which lead to indigestion and general debility.

Treatment of Acne by Nature Cure:
Diet:
In nature cure, the main emphasis is on diet and certain water applications. To begin with, the patient should resort to an all-fruit diet for about a week. In this regimen, there should be three meals a day, consisting of fresh juicy fruits, such as apples, pears, grapes, grapefruit, pineapple and peaches. Unsweetened lemon or plain water, either hot or cold, should be drunk. During this period, warm-water enema should be taken daily to cleanse the bowels and all other measures adopted to eradicate constipation.

After a week of all fruit diet, the patient can gradually adopt a well-balanced diet. Emphasis should be on raw foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds, raw nuts and whole grain cereals, especially millet and brown rice. Further shorter periods on the all-fruits for three days or so may be necessary at a monthly interval till the condition of the skin improves.

For complete recovery strict attention should be paid to the diet. Starchy, protein and fatty foods should be restricted. Citrus fruits, bananas, dried, stewed or tinned fruits should not be taken. Meats, sugar, strong tea or coffee, condiments, pickles, refined and processed foods should all be avoided, as also soft drinks, candies, ice cream and products made with sugar and white flour.

Acne can be treated successfully with two vitamins, namely, niacin and vitamin A. The vitamin therapy, which may comprise niacin, 100 mg. three times daily and vitamin A in large doses upto 1,50,000 units per day should not exceed one month. Vitamin E is also vitally important to prevent scarring from acne and in removing old scars. Zinc is another effective remedy in the realm of nutrition and it should be taken in therapeutic doses of 50 mg. three times a day. After noticeable improvement it can be gradually reduced.

Water Treatments:
The patients should wash the face and other affected parts with plenty of hot water and soft soap to remove the excessive grease. Hot fomentation should be applied to open up the pores and squeeze out the waste matter and then it should be rinsed with cold water. A hot Epsom-salt bath twice a week will be highly beneficial in all cases of acne. This bath is prepared by adding one and half kg of Epsom-salt to 50 liters of water having a temperature of about 100F. The patient should remain in the bath for 25 to 35 minutes till he perspires freely and after the bath; the patient should cool off gradually.

Home Remedies:
The healing packs made of grated cucumber, oatmeal cooked in milk, and cooked, creamed carrots used externally, have been found to be effective. Even the orange peel, pounded well with water on a piece of stone, should be applied to the affected areas for the treatment of acne. The lemon also applied regularly has also proved beneficial in removing pimples and acne.

A teaspoonful of coriander juice, mixed with a pinch of turmeric powder, is another effective home remedy for pimples and blackheads. The mixture should be applied to the face after thoroughly washing it, every night before retiring. The juice of raw potatoes has also proved very valuable in clearing skin blemishes. This cleansing results from high content of potassium, sulphur, phosphorus and chlorine in the raw potato. Apart from the home remedies, even local remedies by the use of the sun and the air should be used. The sun and air baths by exposing the whole body to sun and air are highly beneficial.

Treatment of Acne by Aromatherapy:
Essential oils that are particularly effective on problem skin for anti-bacterial, antiseptic and healing properties are:
Oil regulators: Bergamot, Cedarwood, Geranium, Lavender, Lemon, Rosewood, Sandalwood & Tea tree.
Cleansing Oil: Patchouli & Lemongrass.

To Treat Acne: