Acne vulgaris is the most common form of acne. In fact, the word ‘vulgaris’ simply means ‘common’. It is caused by over active sebum or natural skin oils, that collect and form blockages in hair follicles. It is most common on the parts of the body where there are a lot of hair follicles and sebaceous glands (the glands that produce skin oils). This means the face, back and chest.

You may be surprised at this – most of us don’t have hair on our nose, and yet that is one of the places where acne can be most severe. But in fact, the nose is covered with hair follicles. The actual hairs may be tiny, so small and fine that they are invisible, but they do exist. In other parts like the forehead and cheeks, you may be able to see fine hairs if you look closely.

People with acne vulgaris usually have a mixture of whitehead pimples (closed comedones) and blackheads (open comedones) on their face, perhaps spreading to the neck, scalp, chest and back.

So if you have acne vulgaris, can you get rid of pimples overnight? Sometimes yes, you can. It depends on the pimple and its stage of development.

If you feel or see a red patch of skin or bump that tells you that a pimple is coming, there are a few things that you can do to try to prevent it showing as an unsightly pimple in the morning. First cleanse the area, then apply a layer of anti acne mask to the lump.

You may have a product that you like to use, or you can use a home acne remedy such as crushed aspirin or baking soda mixed with water (but not both together, and always test the skin for sensitivity first). Avoid touching the area and sleep in a way that does not crush it against the sheets. Cleanse again in the morning and with luck, your potential pimple will be much less of a threat.

The other kind of pimples that you may be able to remove overnight are those that can be treated with a blackhead extractor. This is a tool that removes blackheads but will also usually deal with whiteheads. It does this by popping them without damaging the surrounding skin. So you can get rid of pimples overnight by using the extractor in the evening, cleansing to remove any infection, and then applying a toner or lemon juice to close up the broken skin.

Avoid touching the area with your fingers and try to keep hair off it. If you also use a clean pillow case and again, sleep with the pimple exposed to the air, you will have a good chance of waking up to find that it is almost unnoticeable in the morning.

Cystic acne is a more deep seated issue. If you have cystic acne you may have red lumps under the skin that can last a long time and rarely come to a head. Cystic acne also causes longer lasting scars. Sadly, there is no way to get rid of pimples overnight if cystic acne is the cause: successful treatment takes several weeks, but the results are well worth waiting for.

Clearing acne is important, not only for right now but for the future too. In many cases acne produces scars that can last for a long time. If you have it severely, finding out how to cure acne can be important for your appearance for many years to come.

Of course, there are several types of medication that can be used to clear acne. These include gels and washes, antibiotics, hormonal treatments and prescription retinoids. However, some of these are more effective than others. Some have side effects, too.

If you have not found a drugstore remedy that works for you, you may want to consider how to cure acne naturally.

The good news is that there is a lot that you can do for your acne the natural way. You just need to make some simple changes to your lifestyle.

First, be sure that you are getting regular exercise and drinking plenty of water. Both of these measures will help to clear your skin by washing out impurities. Of course, you also need to keep your skin clean with an anti acne face wash. Do not forget to use this after exercising – the sweat needs to be washed away from your face as well as your body to prevent the ducts from becoming clogged, forming pimples or even cysts.

Second, consider your diet. As we said earlier, acne is found in around 90% of teenagers in the developed world: countries like the USA and Canada, western Europe, Australia etc. By contrast, it is rare in countries where the native population still follows an indigenous diet instead of eating western foods. Research has found that as a country like India becomes more developed, acne begins to appear more widely. It seems obvious that this is because the population has begun to adopt something more like an American diet, with higher quantities of milk products and sugar.

Research reported in the periodical Skin Therapy Letter (March 2010) showed that eating a diet with a lot of cow’s milk and a high glycemic load causes acne to worsen. So it seems clear that you may be able to discover how to cure acne naturally for yourself by consuming lower quantities of cow’s milk products and reducing the glycemic load of your diet.

What is glycemic load? It is the speed at which the food you eat causes a rise in your blood sugar levels. The food with the highest glycemic load is sugar in all forms (syrup, honey etc). After that come refined (white) grain products such as white bread, white rice and pasta. If you can cut these out of your diet and replace with refined grain products like whole wheat bread and pasta and brown rice, you would be taking a big step toward a healthier lifestyle that may have a beneficial effect on your acne.

The reason that whole grain products have a lower glycemic load is because the fiber that they contain slows down the process of converting their carbohydrates to blood sugar. The same is true of fruit. If you drink fruit juice, even freshly squeezed, there is no fiber and your blood glucose will rise quickly. It is much better for your skin if you choose to eat the fruit rather than juicing it.

It may not seem easy to make these changes and of course results are not guaranteed but it is well worth while. Not only might you see significant improvement in your skin, with fewer and less severe breakouts, but you are also likely to feel healthier and better about yourself if you follow these tips for how to cure acne naturally.

Some people think that popping pimples causes scars. In most cases, this is not true. Provided you do not keep picking at the scab that forms as a pimple is healing, there is no reason why it should not heal cleanly. Of course, if you do pick at the scab, then scarring may occur.

More often, scarring is caused by the skin’s own reaction to the inflammation of acne. As the lesion heals, collagen forms around it. Sometimes the collagen is deposited unevenly, leading to pits and bumps in the skin surface.

The most serious types of acne scars are ice pick (deep, narrow indentations) and box car scars (wider but less deep, like chicken pox scars). But it is also very common to have an area of redness with a slight lump that slowly fades – sometimes taking several months or even years to disappear completely.

So let’s look at how to get rid of acne scars. For serious scarring like ice pick, box car or rolling scars that leave the facial skin uneven, you will need to see a dermatologist or doctor. Depending on your individual case, you may be offered laser treatments, chemical peels or microdermabrasion. All of these treatments need to be carried out by a qualified professional. They are not things that you should attempt at home.

Perhaps you are interested in knowing how to get rid of acne scars naturally? One of the simplest things that you can do to reduce signs of acne scars is to apply lemon juice. This should be freshly squeezed from a lemon for maximum effect: bottled and other lemon juices have been heat treated and sometimes have other added ingredients. Lemon juice is most effective for superficial, red scarring, but it can help all pimples to heal cleanly.

The best way to prevent acne scars is to reduce the severity of your acne in general. This can be done with medications or by changing to a healthier diet, avoiding sugar and white carbohydrates, cutting down on dairy products and choosing organic milk products with lower hormone levels, and eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Most of us have diets that are nowhere near reaching the recommended levels of many vitamins. When you consider that some of the most effective acne medications are related to vitamin A, you will begin to see how important diet could be. Be aware, however, that an excess of vitamin A can be dangerous so random supplementation is not the answer.

You can check your own intake of vitamins and minerals by using a site such as fitday.com. Although designed for people losing weight, the calculators and diaries at sites like this can be useful for anybody wanting to improve the quality of their diet.

A diet that is healthy, balanced and high in vitamins and minerals can help to reduce acne breakouts, preventing more scarring. It may also help to the body to heal its existing acne scars. So diet, alongside treatment of existing scars, is of great importance in knowing how to get rid of acne scars.

However, before we begin to look at some of the most effective homemade acne treatments that have worked for other people, it is important to be aware that everybody’s skin is different. Something that works for your best friend may not work for you. Also, some people have an allergic reaction to some remedies, which can leave the skin looking worse. So before you try one of these remedies on your whole face, be sure to test in on a small area for a few days.

1. Baking soda

Baking soda mixed with water can be used both as a non-scrubbing exfoliant and for drying up pimples. You can make a wash using equal quantities of baking soda and water, and use this every day after cleansing.

You can also mix it more thickly and use as a mask once or twice a week. If you do this, be sure you have tested it before rubbing it onto your whole face. Rub gently with your fingers, do not scrub. Then leave the mask on your face for 15-30 minutes (less the first time you use it).

It is normal to have a tingling feeling while the mask is in place and the skin will be pink after it is removed. However, if you have any unusual symptoms such as redness that remains the next morning, you should not use it.

This thicker mix can also be used topically, which means you can use it to treat individual pimples. Users who find baking soda effective say that this can help to dry them up.

Since baking soda dries your skin, you will need to moisturize daily. Be careful to use a non-oily moisturizer suitable for acne-prone skin. Jojoba oil makes a good basis for anti acne moisturizers.

2. Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Note: this means lemon juice squeezed from an actual lemon – not the kind of lemon juice that comes in a bottle!

The benefits that users report from homemade acne treatments using lemon juice include reducing healing time of pimples, with less scarring; less redness; and in some cases, reducing older acne scars.

Lemon juice can be used as a wash or applied topically to individual pimples or scars. It is natural and most people find it less drying than many other washes. After testing, provided you have no reaction, you may want to leave it on your skin overnight.

Itching is normal and in some cases, there may be a stinging sensation (usually where the skin is broken). There is no need to be concerned about this if you have tested the lemon juice in the right way.

Warning: do not mix lemon juice and baking soda: you will get a chemical reaction that is bad for the skin.

If you have some juice left from your lemon, you can drink it. Mixing with warm water makes it less sour (but do not use boiling water or you will lose many vitamins from it). You may also want to try this if you do not like using lemon juice directly on your skin. Some people report good results in reducing acne from simply drinking the juice. Altogether, lemon juice is one of the most effective homemade acne treatments that you will find.

3. Egg White

You can make a simple facial mask with the white of one egg. Simply apply it to the skin and leave to dry. You will find it tightens the skin while drying and may be uncomfortable, but try to avoid the temptation to pick at it.

It is rare that people have a bad reaction to egg white masks but you should still test. Of course, if you are allergic to eating eggs, do not use this mask.

Reported results from users include glowing skin and tighter pores, plus less scarring and some reduction in acne breakouts if used regularly. For this reason it is one of the most popular homemade acne treatments.

Like any drugstore acne product, all of these homemade acne treatments need to be used regularly in order to be effective.

In order to understand how blackhead clearing works, we must first look at what a blackhead is and what causes some people to have them, while others seem to escape without a single one.

Blackheads (or comedones, to give them their medical name) are caused by excess natural oil or sebum which collects in pores and hair follicles. This mixes with another natural product of our skin called keratin, to form a plug that blocks the follicle. If one end is open to the air, which is particularly common on the nose, this material oxidizes and becomes dark colored at the surface. This is what makes blackheads appear black.

When the same thing happens in a closed hair follicle, the material does not oxidize. In that situation it remains yellow or white, and is called a whitehead. Whiteheads can also contain some infected pus, which is less likely with a blackhead.

The cause of blackheads is usually hormonal. It is your hormones that control the amount of sebum produced by the sebaceous glands. Anybody with oily skin is likely to get blackheads, especially at times of high hormonal activity such as puberty or, for women and girls, around the time of menstruation.

So how does blackhead clearing work? There are many methods that you can use to clear the clogged pores and prevent a recurrence.

One of the most popular products for getting rid of acne, including blackhead clearing, is benzoyl peroxide. Another is salicylic acid. Many of the most successful commercial acne products include this as the main active ingredient. Check labels on brands in the drugstore and experiment to see which works best for you.

Salicylic acid is the main ingredient in aspirin, so you may want to try this as a simple home remedy. If your blackheads respond to products containing salicylic acid, you may want to try using an aspirin mask on your nose or other affected areas. Test this first on a hidden area of skin to check that your skin is not sensitive to it.

The simplest way to do this is to mix some soluble aspirin with a little water and spread it over the area. Leave to dry or overnight (but not the first time, in case of a reaction) then wash off with warm water. Used once or twice a week along with blackhead clearing products daily, you may find that this has a good effect on your blackheads.

You will not be able to stop your glands producing sebum, and in fact you would not want to, because this is the skin’s natural protection from the weather. It moisturizes the skin and keeps it looking young and healthy. However, you can do things that will prevent sebum from solidifying in the follicles and causing blackheads.

Products that include an exfoliant can be very effective in blackhead clearing. To both remove and prevent blackheads you will need something that you can use every day. This means that it has to be gentle, in order to avoid damaging the skin.

If you have large blackheads that you want to remove with an extractor, the best method is to exfoliate first, then give the face a steam bath for 5 minutes to open the pores. Extract the blackheads, then use an astringent toner or lemon juice to close the pores again. Afterward, you will need to establish a daily preventive for permanent blackhead clearing.

Blackheads are not dangerous but they are unsightly. They can be treated in various ways including washes and masks, or they can be removed with blackhead extractors.

It is easier to remove blackheads if the pores are open. Therefore, before using any blackhead extractors, you can give your face a steam bath. Put some hot water into a bowl, bend your head over it and cover the head with a towel to keep in the steam. Be careful not to scald the skin with steam that is too hot – use water from the tap, not freshly boiled water.

Then you can move on to removing the blackheads. Some people do this with their fingers but you are very likely to damage the skin this way, especially if you use your fingernails to squeeze the area around the blackhead. In most cases it is better to use blackhead extractors.

There are two main types of blackhead extractors. The first is a tool that squeezes out the plug of sebum and keratin.

These tools come in various designs, but all have a circle or loop which fits around the blackhead. You press down and if necessary, drag slightly toward the blackhead. This should remove the plug.

You should only need to apply gentle pressure. If you have a lot of redness around the area afterward, you have pushed too hard.

Be sure to sterilize the tool between each use, so that if there was any infection, it is wiped off the tool and does not get back onto your skin the next time you use it.

The second type of blackhead extractors consists of adhesive strips which stick to the sebum deposit and pull it out when the strip is removed. Using one of these is a little like removing hairs with wax strips: you put the strip over your nose after cleaning, press it down well, and then pull it off. With luck, the blackheads will come with it.

Some people find adhesive strips very effective blackhead extractors and others do not. It probably depends on how your blackheads are formed. If they are raised up slightly from the surface of the skin, they are more likely to be extracted this way. But if the plug is more sunk in, they are less likely to stick to the strip.

Be aware that in some cases the adhesive can damage the healthy skin around the blackheads. Use with care the first time and if you have sensitive skin, you might want to try it on a less visible part instead.

Whichever method you use to remove blackheads, you may find that the area is a little red and bumpy right after you do it. For this reason, it is best to remove blackheads at night instead of in the morning. You can tighten up the pores with a skin toner after using blackhead extractors, or use an antiseptic wash or natural squeezed lemon juice.

Cystic acne is a kind of common acne or acne vulgaris which appears as nodules or cysts under the skin. The cysts are deeper below the surface than the whiteheads of other types of acne. This is because they often form in sweat ducts rather than hair follicles, although in some cases cysts can form in a follicle.

Adult cystic acne nodules are often found on the buttocks, groin and armpit areas as well as the face. They are inflammatory and can be painful as well as embarrassing. When they appear on the face, they can be disfiguringly large and difficult to treat. They also tend to form bigger and longer lasting scars than other types of acne.

So what can you do about adult cystic acne? First, let’s make it clear that you cannot pop the pimples of cystic acne and you should not even try. The inflamed matter is not close enough to the surface and you will only push it even deeper, making the problem worse.

If your acne is mild to moderate, the first thing to try is benzoyl peroxide cream which you can buy from a drugstore or on prescription. Benzoyl peroxide is also an active ingredient in many of the most successful acne creams and washes. It dries the skin and increases sensitivity to the sun, so you will also need to use an acne-friendly moisturizer such as jojoba oil and a sunscreen.

If you have severe adult cystic acne or if you find that benzoyl peroxide is not effective enough, you will need to visit your doctor or dermatologist for advice. Some years ago, it was popular to prescribe antibiotics for cystic acne, but unfortunately the bacteria that are involved in acne have now become resistant to most antibiotics. Therefore, doctors rarely prescribe these now.

You may be prescribed topical retinoids. These are gels and creams whose active ingredient is related to vitamin A. They regulate the cells in the hair follicle and prevent blockage. Retinoids include tretinoin which is marketed under the brand name Retin-A.

When you first use retinoid products on the skin you will probably find that the acne and redness gets worse before it clears up. Do not give up too soon, because the products can be very effective in the long term.

If you have a severe case of adult cystic acne and topical gels are not successful in dealing with it, your doctor may prescribe oral isotretinoin. This has several brand names including Accutane. Oral isotretinoin can be very successful, clearing or significantly improving acne in around 80% of patients. In most cases the acne is cleared permanently and does not return when the treatment is stopped, but in about one-quarter of patients, a second or third course of treatment is required after some months.

However, oral isotretinoin has some serious side effects, so it is only prescribed in severe cases. The most significant effect is that it will create birth defects if taken by pregnant women. For this reason, if sexually active women want to take it, they are usually required to use two different forms of birth control to be sure that they will not get pregnant. Other side effects include dry skin, nosebleeds and possible liver damage (although this has been disputed).

So there are plenty of treatments available for adult cystic acne. There is no need to live with it if it is causing you embarrassment or depression. If drugstore remedies are not effective, go see your doctor to discuss possible prescription treatments for your adult cystic acne.

If you need acne treatment during pregnancy you may not be at all happy about it! Unfortunately acne is one of the side effects of pregnancy for many women. It is unexpected in many cases and it can be depressing, especially as it often breaks out at a time when your hormones are giving you the emotional equivalent of a roller coaster ride.

Whether or not you suffered from acne before, you may need acne treatment during pregnancy. The cause is hormonal, just as it is during puberty. Some women do not suffer from it at all but others break out with every pregnancy – sometimes so early that it is one of the first signs for them.

Acne usually affects women in the first three months of pregnancy. In almost all cases it will improve or clear completely around the fourth month. But that can seem a long time if you are facing an outbreak of pimples from the beginning of your pregnancy. So what can you do about it?

Since acne in pregnancy is caused by changes in hormone levels, there is very little you can do to prevent it. However, you certainly can treat it. There are various options available for acne treatment during pregnancy and with luck, one of them will be effective for you so that you can wave goodbye to those pimples.

Many people find benzoyl peroxide to be an effective acne treatment during pregnancy. This is an ingredient that is found in many gels, washes and creams that you can buy at the drugstore. You may want to talk to your doctor for advice before trying anything, but if you do decide to pick something up at the drugstore, at least read the label carefully and tell the pharmacist that you are pregnant because there are some acne products that you must not use.

One treatment that you must not have if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant is oral isotretinoin (marketed under the brand names Accutane, Roaccutane, Claravis, Amnesteem and others). This product has been found to cause birth defects in babies. However, it is only available on prescription so you would not be likely to take it accidentally. Doctors are very careful before prescribing it to women but of course you will need to tell the doctor if you are pregnant or hoping to have a baby soon.

You can also help yourself to clear and prevent acne with some lifestyle changes that will probably also help you to feel better emotionally and physically during the early stages of your pregnancy. The first is to take regular exercise. This will help to regulate many of the body’s processes and keep sweat ducts active and clear.

Always shower after exercise and wash the face with an anti acne face wash. These can dry the skin so you may also want to use a moisturizer. Choose one that is designed for acne sufferers because your regular moisturizer may cause blockages in the ducts and follicles, leading to more pimples.

Be sure to drink plenty of water and have a healthy diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. All of this together can help to clear your skin and give you an effective acne treatment during pregnancy.