When you suffer from frequent and chronic acne breakouts, you may find yourself struggling to find the right ways to treat and overcome your acne. There are a myriad of facial cleansers in drugstores that promise to rid you of your acne once and for all and a wide variety of prescription facial lotions and even antibiotics that your doctor or dermatologist can prescribe and recommend. However, sometimes the problems that are causing your acne are more than skin deep. If you are doing everything you should with your skin but still struggling with acne, you may want to consider more holistic approaches to treating your acne.

Meditation and Massage For Stress Relief

For many people, high levels of stress and the stress hormones that come as a result of their stress and worry can be triggers for acne breakouts. If you are under a great deal of stress or pressure at school or work, you may need to put relaxation techniques to use. These methods could potentially reduce the frequency and severity of your acne breakouts.

Two ways to help reduce your overall stress and anxiety are meditation and massage. Massage therapy is a form of manual muscle manipulation that helps relieve the physical tensions that are caused by and can contribute to stress. A massage therapist will find the areas of the body where your muscles are knotted (stuck in a contracted state) and use controlled pressure and motions to get rid of those knots. The effect of this technique is a more relaxed body and mind.

Meditation is a technique you can use on your own to help relieve stress. It involves focusing your mind on a single object or phrase (known as a mantra) or on your breathing itself to help clear the mind and think only about the present moment. Meditation promotes mindfulness and a clear mind which in turn helps with calm and relaxation. These techniques can be put to use any time you are feeling overwhelmed by worry or stress.

Acupuncture For Restoring Internal Balance

While you may not think it, acupuncture is another possible alternative medicine treatment that can be used to help you with your acne. Acupuncture is a medicine technique that focuses on the flow of energy throughout the body and the balance of those energies.

If a person's energy is blocked or out of balance, they may find themselves suffering from a myriad of health conditions including acne. An acupuncturist will insert tiny needles into energy points associated with such conditions or disorders to get the body back into balance.

When it comes to acne, this can include acupuncture points related to hormonal imbalances as well as other issues.  Acupuncture points around the face and neck as well as throughout the abdomen may be used to treat acne as well as others on the hands and arms. Another excellent benefit of acupuncture for acne is that it can also relieve stress and promote calm.

Now that you know a few of the ways that you can incorporate holistic approaches into your acne treatment, you can try to treat your acne at skin level as well as beneath the surface to improve your overall health and well-being.