For all the effort spent hunting for medications and remedies and all the dismay caused by skin eruptions and breakouts, acne ranks right up there with the most troubling common ailments.
Acne is, for many teens and young adults, a rite of passage. About the time girls and boys enter puberty, acne may strike. Acne (acne vulgaris) goes by many names: zits, blackheads, pimples, bumps, blemishes, and more.
Adolescence marks a time of hormonal, surges, including an abundance of male hormones from the adrenal gland. Among other actions, these hormones increase the skin’s oil production. If the pores to the oils glands become clogged, localized inflammation and infection – redness, swelling, and pus – can result. In severe cases, doctors sometimes prescribe oral antibiotics or synthetic vitamin A derivatives (Accutane, taken internally, and Retin-A, applied externally).
Part of the trouble in treating acne is that it can strike not only in the teen years but in adulthood as well.
In ancient Greece and Egypt, sulfur was used to treat acne. Abundantly available, sulfur was prepared by early alchemists in the form of a cream to improve conditions such as acne and other skin ailments. Though the mechanism of action is not clear, elemental sulfur oxidizes slowly into a sulfurous acid, which would have acted as a mild antibacterial.
Here you will find a list of popular home remedies to help deal with acne.
