Acme of Acne

I have been thinking about this one since quite some time, more than a year actually. I still remember the days in 2002-2003 when S and I used to discuss our daily issues of pepperoni-pizza-like faces and necks and backs and get frustrated. I remember we both were using Proactiv stuff regularly. And one would think that if something was making Jessica Simpson, Vanessa Williams and Jennifer Love Hewitt look like they were, it must be awesome!! Bad news was, it wasn't doing it for me or for him and I was sure there were many people in the same boat.

We would talk about the woes of using products that caused so many other side effects, dry skin, every day of applying something on your face/body with no significant results to get rid of the ever-crazy-acne, and not to mention waste of money, time and energy. He was so frustrated he actually went on to try the heavy-duty accutane (antibiotic) too! I had a coworker who had tried it too and I didn't like what I saw as a result of this product. Moreover, the side effects were dreadful. I didn't want to give it a try. I gave up on this whole thing altogether. R would come up with suggestions every once in a while, do this do that but I didn't want to do anything any more. I had had enough. I was sick and tired of it.

Until P aunty came over to visit us that summer... She was like "why don't you try some of the haldi-water thing that I suggested to D. She tried it and now is looking so pretty with clear skin. You should give it a try." I didn't like the idea of drinking a glass full of water with a tea-spoon or two of turmeric added in there every single morning, not for the taste, I can chew on the Zandu sudarshan ghanvati like a jolly rancher, but just the required dedication was holding me. I truly had given up on it. But since R convinced me, I decided to give it a try. There were days when I just felt like giving up again and I wouldn't drink it at all. There were days when I thought "I drink a huge glass of water as soon as I wake up any ways, and to top that I have to drink another one with turmeric in it? Nah! too much water." But R was very persistent and would remind me of it before I had that glass of milk.

After about one and a half years, I started seeing it. I was so pleasantly surprised what that daily dose of turmeric did, it was amazing! I did stop the regime after some two years as I didn't need to continue it any more, but I was happy and thankful to the lovely ladies I know who suggested and helped me keep up with this routine to help myself and the best part is, now I get to share the secret with everyone after my first hand experience. So the answer to getting rid of nasty acne is here! I also recommended it to S as soon as I saw my face glowing fair and bright with no pizza-like symptoms. Best part is, when people come up to you and ask you "wow! what did you do to your face?" in a pleasantly surprised tone. That brings a huge smile on me face. :D

Over the years I've learned that acne is caused by totally random reasons and they differ from person to person. There's too many of them but here are some of them:

too much stress/frustration (I think that's #1).

upset stomach/constipation.

oily skin.

hormonal imbalance.

lack of exercise.

lack of good sleep (7-8 hours every night).

...

(list continues)

But the answer to the problem is: patience, dedication and a daily dose of little bit of turmeric powder with water first thing in the morning. Indeed, any cleansing starts from the inside.

PS. I forgot to mention that in between, I also tried drinking like a gallon of water a day, which I have reduced to half a gallon now, but that helps a lot in general. Remember though, drinking too much water can cause life-threating conditions so do it in moderation and as much as your body can take.