I don’t normally write articles about acne, but I had to share this amazing natural acne remedy that I discovered rather serendipitously. In this article, I share the best probiotics for acne and tell my story of how the probiotics cleared up my case of forehead acne that had been lingering for months.
The best part is the probiotics worked overnight, and I know for sure that it was the probiotics that did the trick.
My Forehead Acne Horror Story
I’m 34, so when I developed acne on my forehead almost three months ago, I felt perplexed by it. I never really had acne as an adult, a few pimples here and there, but nothing major.
At first, I noticed several zits appear on my forehead. They were painful and turned into whiteheads.
The acne didn’t affect my confidence like it would have when I was a teenager. What did irk me was the fact that the worst acne I’ve ever had appeared at age 34.
How did it start?
It started after I took a mass gainer with high creatine content. I couldn’t find the brand I like and got stuck with the creatine brand.
Since creatine causes muscles to store water, I believe it dried out my forehead skin which led to my skin compensating by producing more oil.
To this day, I don’t know exactly what caused my forehead acne problem. The creatine seems like the culprit.
Here’s what didn’t work for me:
- Facial cleansers made no difference. I think they made my forehead acne worse because they dried out my skin.
- Eating fewer dairy products (which worked for me in the past for minor acne)
- Washing my hair more – I have long hair and figured the oil from my hair could have caused it.
- Keeping my pillowcases clean
- Avoiding touching my face
- Eating less sugar
- Omega 3 fish oil
After a while, my acne did get somewhat better because I began misting my face with tea tree essential oil mixed with water.
At this point, I had no clue how to get rid of it and just accepted that I had adult acne.
The Best Probiotics for Acne: My Story Continued
I’m a huge fan of probiotics and try to take them as much as possible. Since I’ve been out of the US for an extended period and living in Asia, I haven’t been able to order my favorite probiotics.
I’ve been rationing the few capsules I have left.
Yesterday, I moved to a new apartment. After moving all my stuff, I remembered that I still had some probiotics in the refrigerator in a blister pack. Months had passed since the last time I took some.
So last night, I poured myself some water and noticed the probiotics sitting there. I figured why not take one since it’s been a long time.
The Following Day
This morning I woke up, and the skin on my face felt different – like normal. I touched the spot where a big whitehead popped up yesterday next to my nose, and it was already completely dried up.
Later when I got out of bed, I looked in the mirror, and the skin on my forehead and the rest of my face looked much better. It appeared normal again with a healthy amount of oil.
I have the same skin type as my dad, who had thick olive skin. The only thing I did differently was the probiotic.
There’s nothing else I did that could have made such a drastic difference overnight. Keep in mind, this acne was seriously the worst acne I’ve had in my life.
The Probiotics I took for Acne
Click Here to check out the exact brand I took.
The probiotic strains in this brand:
- Lactobacillus acidophilus and several other Lactobacilli strains
- Bifidobacterium lactic and several other Bifidobacteria strains
My conclusion: Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli are the best probiotic strains to get rid of acne.
At this point, I feel as though my facial skin is back to normal. I plan to take 2-3 more capsules every few days since I only have 4 left and can’t order more until next month.
I’m just glad that I finally figured out how to get rid of pimples on my forehead overnight because it was starting to gross me out, especially since I’m 34.
I don’t like washing my face too much either, so finding a better alternative to a facial cleanser that works makes me happy as well.
Before today, I didn’t know that probiotics worked so well to get rid of acne. Next time, I’ll skip over the months of acne by taking the probiotics immediately. Plus, I’ll avoid future breakouts by taking the probiotic at least once a week.
Bonus Acne Tips
The probiotics I mentioned in the previous section are strong. They are 100 billion CFU. I’m unsure if probiotics with a lower CFU will get rid of acne overnight as the 100 billion CFU did for me.
If for some reason you can’t purchase those probiotics, there’s a second brand I consider to be the best probiotics for men. Click Here to check them out. They contain several additional Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli strains and are 50 billion CFU.
Here’s how I use tea tree essential oil to get rid of my forehead acne:
- Buy some tea tree essential oil (iHerb) and an amber fine mist spray bottle to make a facial spray
- Add 1-3 drops of tea tree oil to the bottle and fill the rest with water
- Instead of washing your face, mist your face with this mixture several times throughout the day
- Allow it to air dry on your face and be careful around your eyes
The tea tree essential oil treatment works well to clear up the acne scars while the probiotics do a great job of drying up the pimples.
I didn’t notice a major difference in my skin until I took the probiotics. The tea tree mixture did a decent job of keeping it in check, but the probiotics really did a great job of clearing my forehead acne.
Final Thoughts
Keep in mind, the probiotics I linked to do work great to get rid of acne overnight, however, you still have to wait for the minor acne spots and scars to clear over time.
Nothing will get rid of acne scars overnight. It’s best to use a gentle cleanser such as Cetaphil or the tea tree mixture while you wait for the acne spots to fade.
I’m going to continue taking the probiotics to avoid future breakouts. I just wish I had more so I could take one every day for a couple of weeks to ensure the probiotics flourish in my gut.
Be Careful with Facial Cleansers
Another key takeaway is to avoid drying out your skin by washing it too much with facial cleansers, especially the skin on your forehead. In my experience, this made my forehead acne a lot worse because my body produced extra oil to hydrate my dry skin.
My skin became red, and the zits that appeared were big, painful, and eventually turned to whiteheads. It wasn’t fun.
Stick with the probiotics, the tea tree mist, and/or Cetaphil in moderation to give yourself the best chance of getting rid of your forehead acne and other acne.
One last thing, I also noticed that several zits I had on my upper back and shoulders cleared up after taking the probiotic. So if you’re fighting bacne and shoulder/chest acne from taking creatine, probiotics could be your answer.
Recap:
- Click Here for the probiotics I used to clear my acne
- Remember to consider the tea tree mist (it also works great to use as an aftershave to avoid ingrown hairs and razor bumps on the face and neck)
- Take one probiotic per day until you get your acne problem under control, then cut back to maintenance doses 2-4 times a week
- An internal approach to get rid of acne is more effective than an external one
- Eat more probiotic foods and yogurt containing Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli strains
The table below includes each of the strains in the probiotic:
Lactobacillus acidophilus (La-14) |
Bifidobacterium lactic (BI-04) |
Lactobacillus rhamnosus (Lr-32) |
Bifidobacterium plantarum (Lp-115) |
Bifidobacterium longum (Bl-05) |
Bifidobacterium breve (Bb-03) |
Lactobacillus casei (Lc-11) |
Lactobacillus salivarius (Ls-33) |
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always consult a certified medical or healthcare professional for guidance.
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