Acne Home Remedies – Overview

People have been developing ways to treat acne for thousands of years. Sulfur, one of the most effective ways to fight acne, was first used in ancient Egypt. The Egyptians probably tried hundreds of other ideas before finding one that worked for them. Today, we still find that people try to make their own acne treatments. Many of them are harmless acne home remedies. Others, however, can make skin problems worse. Understanding the differences between over-the-counter treatments, such as Proactiv, and acne home remedies should help you choose an option that can help you prevent breakouts and heal your skin.

Acne Home Remedies That Don’t Work

It’s hard to imagine how someone even thought of acne home remedies such as slathering your face with honey, drinking wheatgrass juice, and rubbing tomato slices on pimples. None of these acne home remedies can really protect your skin from pimples, nor can the countless other remedies that sound just as strange. But using these techniques isn’t going to cause you any harm either. If you think that rubbing honey on your pimple will help clear your complexion, then go ahead and try it out. You’ll be disappointed by the results, but the worst thing that will happen is that you’ll have to spend a lot of time scrubbing honey off of your face.

Troublesome Acne Home Remedies

Other acne home remedies, however, are much more troublesome. One of the most painful involves poking your pimple with a needle and then pouring alcohol on the puncture. This home remedy might actually help dry out your pimple, but it will also dry out your skin. This often creates dry, itchy skin that looks and feels much worse than a few pimples.

Another harmful acne home remedy is to rub your face with lemon juice daily. Depending on your skin, this could actually help you get rid of acne by exfoliating your skin. Unfortunately, lemon juice contains a strong acid that can burn your skin after prolonged use. Again, it’s not really a good trade.

Proactiv vs. Acne Home Remedies

Instead of using acne home remedies that don’t work and cause painful side effects, you should consider using a reliable over-the-counter treatment such as Proactiv. You know for a fact that Proactiv works for most people because it has been studied in laboratories. Scientific tests show that the active ingredient, benzoyl peroxide, is an excellent way to kill bacteria and remove impurities from skin.

With Proactiv, you also know exactly what you’re getting. Each product states what level of medication it contains. When you use acne home remedies, you don’t have much control over how strong your treatment is.

Even though Proactiv works well for most people, it isn’t completely without its faults. Some people with sensitive skin, for instance, might experience mild side effects such as dry skin and itchiness. When you use Proactiv, though, you know exactly what to expect. That means you know how to counter the side effects with an oil-free moisturizer. When you choose acne home remedies, though, you never know how your skin will react or how to treat the side effects.