Baking Soda for Acne Treatment

The most common skin condition, acne is the one that most of the people experience in their lifetime. When skin pores become clogged from due to natural oils, bacterial growth can occur which can cause pimples or acne. Bacteria which commonly is involved in acne is Acne vulgaris. Acne is not dangerous skin condition, but it can influence self-esteem, cause skin annoyance, and is occasionally slightly painful due to inflammation.

Signs of Acne

Acne is much more than pimples. Person with acne can have any of the following blemishes:

• Blackheads

• Whiteheads

• Papules

• Pustules (what many people call pimples)

• Cysts

• Nodules

Acne can erupt on the back, chest, neck, shoulders, upper arms and buttocks.

Acne symptoms

More than blemishes acne can cause effects like:

• Low self-esteem

• Depression

• Dark spots on the skin

• Scars (permanent)

Benefits of baking soda

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is an alkaline constituent supportive in dealing with pH levels. It helps counteract acidic matters in and external of the body. Since baking soda drops the amount of acid in the stomach, it is classically used for soothing an upset stomach or treating heartburn.

Baking soda also has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties which makes it an ideal ingredient in over-the-counter creams for skin irritation, bug bites, and mild rashes. Brushing your teeth with baking soda can aid in decreasing the amount of harmful bacteria in the mouth and whiten your teeth and fight the bad mouth odor and freshens the breath.

For acne eruptions, baking soda can help calm inflammation and mild pain. It acts as an exfoliant or added to current acne treatments to enhance the effects. However, regular use of baking soda is not recommended.

Dangers of using baking soda acne treatments

Scientific and medical experts strictly recommend using clinical treatments for acne eruptions and other skin conditions, in spite of presence of some success stories with the baking soda. While there is scare research on the effects of baking soda on the skin specifically, it can do more harm than good.

Some side effects of baking soda include:

• Over drying of the skin

• Early onset of wrinkles

• Worsened acne breakouts

• Skin irritation and inflammation

• This is because baking soda can cause a grave disturbance with the skin’s pH level.

The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A pH above 7 is alkaline, and below 7 is acidic. A pH of 7.0 is neutral. The skin is a naturally acidic with pH of 4.5 to 5.5 which is also the healthy pH range when it comes to skin as this it maintains the moisture levels of the skin thereby preserving healthy oils and also protects the organ from bacteria and pollution. Disrupting this pH or acid mantle of the skin can have destructive side effects, explicitly to the skin.

Baking soda with a pH of 9 has a strong alkaline base and can strip the skin of all its natural oils and leave it defenseless from bacteria. This can cause the skin to become more sensitive to natural elements like the rays of the sun. Constant use of baking soda on the skin can affect how rapidly the skin can recuperate and rehydrate.