Milk of Magnesia is a milky type of liquid that is made from magnesium hydroxide. Most commonly known as a treatment as a laxative or antacid, some attention has been brought to it for using milk of magnesia as acne treatment. It is sold over the counter and is available in either liquid or capsule form in most pharmacies and health store venues.
Those who have used this home remedy for treatment before have had some success in using it, especially if their skin is very oily. Those with dry skin may want to avoid the treatment, as it will likely excessively dry the skin out and possibly cause itching, burning, or rash like results. (As can all possible acne cures may.)
The drying effect of using the product can help those with oily skin have some success in drying it out. Oily skin makes it most likely for bacteria to become trapped underneath the skin cells that can result in breakouts and pimples.
When you are using milk of magnesium for treating acne and pimples, you’ll want to make sure that you apply it topically only. This means do not eat it, unless you want to have a sick stomach! It is a laxative, so unless you need a laxative, it’s definitely not something you want to take! You will be spending most of the day in the bathroom most likely if you do that. Fortunately, using it topically as a treatment does not have the same effects.
To use it, you will want to take a small cotton ball and dip it into the milk of magnesia liquid. Make sure you shake it up before using. Then carefully apply it all over your face, taking care not to get any of it in your eyes. You will want to let it dry, which can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes and then carefully wash it off. After you rinse it off you will not likely need to do anything else, but you may add a moisturizer if you are prone to very dry skin.
If you are trying it for the first time, you will likely want to wait a few times before applying it to your skin to make sure you do not have any harsh reactions to it. If your skin is very dry, it is likely that it could make the problems worse or cause such dry skin the potential discomfort from that does not justify the small possibility of benefit available. Be sure that if you have any severe reactions to using it that you contact your physician.
If after a few applications your skin seems to be responding well to it and you have not noticed any side effects of using it, then you can increase the frequency of the amount of times you use it. You can use it up to once a day if it does not cause too much dryness. However, if it does cause too much irritation than you should reduce the amount of times you use it.
Using natural remedies is just one of the many possible ways to cure acne. The best treatment for severe cases is to usually pinpoint the exact cause and speak with a dermatologist. Treating skin conditions is often something that can be a process of trial and error, as everyone is different. While milk of magnesia as acne treatment may work for some people with much success, others may need to look into alternative ways to care for their skin.