Some of us continue to have acne well into our adult hood, even though we are long past our teens and even though we long gave up on binging on chocolates, fried food and spicy snacks. Adult acne is a common problem and one or more of these could be its precipitating causes:

• Stress - Bust that stress. Skin is one of the first body part to show the effects of stress. Make sure you have your to-do list ready when stress strikes. A few minutes of deep breathing and other meditation exercises in the morning can help you keep your cool during the day.
• Pollution is a common cause of adult acne - Make sure you use a good protector against pollution. Calamine acts as a good defense against pollution and is also soothing for the skin.
• Seasonal changes can cause adult acne - Well, can’t really help this one :-) 
• Allergic reactions could also cause a break-out. For example, my daughter is sensitive to heat and standing next to a heat source makes her skin break out into a rash. Sometimes, it isn’t too difficult to figure out what is causing the allergic reaction. If you are prone to an allergy, try figuring out if there is a pattern every time your skin develops acne/rash.  Once you have identified the cause, its easy to tackle it. Well, almost! I know of a friend who underwent some allergic tests and was found to be allergic to plants. Nothing much you can do in that case unless you decide to stay indoors all the time!!
• Using wrong make-up is another big cause of a break out in adult women. What suits one person’s skin may not suit another. Its as simple as that. Make sure you do a patch test before you use it on your full face. And steer clear of any brands or products that don’t suit your skin. 
• Avoid greasy creams and lotions. Products containing lanolin, propyl myristate sodium lauryl sulphate can be too greasy for some skin types.
• Keep your face clean. Make sure you wash your face when you get back home with a good cleanser. If you use make-up remove it thoroughly before you retire to bed. Let your skin breathe.

Once you have pimples, make sure that you 

• do not keep touching the pimples.
• do not squeeze the pimples.

In terms of dietary habits,

• Drink lots of water. Can never over-emphasize this!
• Have a fibre rich diet.
• Include fruits and salads in your daily diet.
• Keep your stomach clean.
• Have some aloe juice or pulp every morning. 

You can also try some of these home remedies* for acne:

• Rub garlic paste on the pimples. Helps tackle acne scars as well.
• Mix rose water in fullers earth and apply every evening. Wash off gently when it dries.
• Mix one tsp. turmeric powder, one tsp. honey, a little bit of curd(just enough to cover your face), one tsp. lemon juice. Apply and leave on the face till it dries. Wash off.
• Take a tsp. of gram flour and add half a tsp. of turmeric powder. Make a paste with rose water. Apply on face and leave till it dries. Wash off.
• Use a paste of fenugreek (methi) leaves on your face.
• Wash acne with this leaf infusion. You can make it by boiling some finely chopped neem and guava leaves in water for 10 minutes.

* Do a patch test with these before you apply them on your face. It is common to be allergic to honey, lemon juice and other common ingredients when applied on face. A lot also depends on the condition of your skin at that time.

Tags: ayurvedic remedy, fruits and health, home remedies, natural cure, Natural detox, Natural healing, natural health