When it comes to treating acne, whether teen acne, adult acne or inconvenient sporadic breakouts, people are willing to try almost anything and everything. In the age of natural treatments, it’s no surprise that more and more “natural acne treatments” are hitting the shelves on an annual basis. Big brands offering “natural” ingredients and a variety of options available for acne that is supposed to be better for the skin–but is it just another way to push a trend?

Natural Acne Treatment

It’s funny that the most recent wave of natural acne treatments has to do with derivatives from the willow tree. Age-old secrets that will aid in the treatment and prevention of future acne. What most people are unaware of—this ingredient from the willow tree is none other than the popular acne treatment ingredient known as salicylic acid. Sure, it can be an effective tool in offering the skin optimal health, has been used in treating upset stomachs for centuries but for the treatment of acne, this naturally occurring simply isn’t strong enough.

The very nature of acne is part of a natural process. Skin cells die, shed, and combine with bacteria from the skin’s surface and sebum from the skin’s sebaceous gland. Together these three components can clog a pore and follicle, creating a variety of acne types–everything from whiteheads to blackheads to severe cystic pimples. In terms of natural ingredients available to “fight” this natural process, there is simply nothing out there that is strong enough to get the job done.

Biologically, the skin is going to do its thing, and while ingredients such as salicylic acid from the willow tree can help the skin to shed more easily, they won’t do anything to really fight off the bacteria, or cleanse excess sebum that can cause the majority of acne problems.

A Quality Skin Care Regimen – Acne Treatments That Work

Stating that natural treatment methods don’t provide the strength necessary to effectively fight acne is not to say that natural ingredients can’t be used in a skin care regimen. In fact, several aspects of natural treatments can work to help calm the skin, or offer overall health to a complexion. Think vitamins and minerals. However, to rid a complexion of acne and fight to prevent it from reoccurring on a routine basis, something more is needed.

People generally want a quick fix for the skin from the outside through a face wash and a cream, but of all natural acne treatments that could be considered effective for overall skin health, it would be through proper diet, and the ingestion of more water. Most people don’t drink enough water—water is the key to flushing the body of toxins, keeping the skin hydrated and offering optimal health to all vital organs, including the skin.

In terms of acne skin care, a simple, quality regimen will more than suffice when performed consistently, and it will come in at a price point far below the natural acne treatments for sale at retailers and specialty shops. Not only will an acne skin care regimen help to treat current acne, but it will help to prevent future inflammations.

Knowing that acne begins with a natural process of shedding skin, it makes sense to help the skin in the process. A simple skin exfoliation will help to make way for the new skin cells, primed to become the outer layer of the epidermis. Following the cleansing with a good astringent or toner will help to constrict the pores from unwanted infiltrators, namely dead skin cells and bacteria. Completing an acne treatment with an acne cream with benzoyl peroxide will generally do the trick in treating current acne, while preventing future acne.

Benzoyl peroxide is actually an organic compound within the peroxide family, and while it can be harsh due to its drying nature, the skin will adapt to its usage. To combat any resulting dryness, an oil-free moisturizer can be used after the application of benzoyl peroxide.

Ultimately, it will help the skin to shed, much like salicylic acid, but it also creates an oxidized environment on the surface of the skin, which will kill active bacteria. This is why benzoyl peroxide is most effective when used liberally, all over the face, with the exception of the eye area.