Why Natural Acne Treatments?
The ingredients used in some commercial and pharmaceutical acne care products have been known to cause a long list of side effects for some acne sufferers. The most common active ingredients in commercial topical acne treatments are benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Recently, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid have been reported to cause severe allergic reactions for some users. Also, the trend of people becoming immune to antibiotics is an issue of concern. If commercial products are causing adverse reactions, natural products may prove beneficial. Severe acne sufferers considering transitioning to natural products should do so under the care of a dermatologist.
Medical Research
There are tons of online testimonies from acne sufferers who would recommend a sleuth of natural acne treatments. However, this blog is dedicated to medically backed acne solutions. Natural products do not have to adhere to any legal regulations. Therefore, there is limited medical research on the efficacy of natural products. This post only focuses on the treatments that have been clinically researched and applied.
Comedonal Acne Lesions
Comedo is the medical term for clogged pores. The comedo is a mixture of oil (sebum) and dead skin cells. The treatment for comedones should focus on unclogging pores.
Blackheads & Whiteheads
Blackheads and whiteheads are comedones. If blackheads and whiteheads aren't alleviated with a regular skin care regime as outlined in the “Skin Basics” post, manual extraction should be considered.
Comedone Extractor
A comedones extractor is a tool designed to manually remove blackheads and whiteheads. The tool has two ends. One head is designed to remove larger comedones. The other head is designed to remove smaller comedones. Application: Before using the tool, apply a warm towel over a freshly washed face to loosen clogged pores. Alternatively, the face can be steamed by covering the head with a towel and placing the face at a safe distance over a pot of steamed water. Or a face steamer can be used. After steaming, pat the face dry. Proceed to use the comedone extractor on stubborn blackheads and whiteheads. When the extraction session is finished, sanitize the extractor by soaking in rubbing alcohol.
Inflammatory Acne Lesions
Most inflammatory acne lesions (papules and pustules) start as blackheads or whiteheads. Therefore, the best defense against papules and pustules is to treat whiteheads and blackheads promptly.
Papules & Pustules
Inflammatory acne lesions originate from a clogged pore that has caused a break in the follicular wall. The break in the follicular wall will sometimes result in inflammation. Due to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, pure Australian tea tree oil (TTO) can be used to treat inflammatory acne lesions. TTO should be made into a 5% gel solution. A 5% gel TTO solution can be made by mixing 1 tablespoon of pure Australian TTO with 9 tablespoons of organic aloe vera gel. Application: Dip a Q-tip in the 5% gel solution and apply directly to the inflammatory acne lesion. Rinse off after 20 minutes.
Nodulocystic Acne Lesions
Nodulocystic lesions are nodules and cysts. Nodulocystic lesions lay deep within the skin and are prone to scarring. The difference between a nodule and a cyst is a cyst contains pus. Pus is a sign of infection. Depending on the severity of some nodules and cysts, it may be best to seek a dermatologist's care for removal. The dermatologist might prescribe antibiotics or perform a procedure to remove the nodule or cyst. The most popular procedure is injecting the cyst or nodule with a steroidal solution. If a dermatologist's visit isn't possible, the nodulocystic lesion may be treated at home. Application: Apply a warm towel to the lesion as this should reduce swelling. Next, apply a 5% Pure Australian tea tree oil gel as described above. Leave on overnight. Complete this regime nightly until the nodulocystic lesion disappears.
Dark Spots
It's important to know the difference between acne spots and acne scars. Scars are permanent demarcations that require treatment in a medical office. Spots often disappear without treatment. Stubborn spots can be treated with natural and commercial products. One natural treatment for acne spots is lemon juice. Lemons contain alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). AHA is the active ingredient in professional grade peels. Application: Dip a Q-Tip into freshly squeezed lemon juice. Apply lemon juice directly to dark spots. Rinse off after 5-10 minutes. Complete this procedure daily or every other day. Results should be noticeable in a few weeks.
More Tips
Preparing homemade natural acne treatments requires the right tools and ingredients. Be sure to check out the resources section of this blog for suppliers.
Don't have time to make your own products?
The ingredients used in some commercial and pharmaceutical acne care products have been known to cause a long list of side effects for some acne sufferers. The most common active ingredients in commercial topical acne treatments are benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Recently, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid have been reported to cause severe allergic reactions for some users. Also, the trend of people becoming immune to antibiotics is an issue of concern. If commercial products are causing adverse reactions, natural products may prove beneficial. Severe acne sufferers considering transitioning to natural products should do so under the care of a dermatologist. Medical Research
There are tons of online testimonies from acne sufferers who would recommend a sleuth of natural acne treatments. However, this blog is dedicated to medically backed acne solutions. Natural products do not have to adhere to any legal regulations. Therefore, there is limited medical research on the efficacy of natural products. This post only focuses on the treatments that have been clinically researched and applied.
Comedonal Acne Lesions
Comedo is the medical term for clogged pores. The comedo is a mixture of oil (sebum) and dead skin cells. The treatment for comedones should focus on unclogging pores.
Blackheads & Whiteheads
Blackheads and whiteheads are comedones. If blackheads and whiteheads aren't alleviated with a regular skin care regime as outlined in the “Skin Basics” post, manual extraction should be considered.
Comedone Extractor
A comedones extractor is a tool designed to manually remove blackheads and whiteheads. The tool has two ends. One head is designed to remove larger comedones. The other head is designed to remove smaller comedones. Application: Before using the tool, apply a warm towel over a freshly washed face to loosen clogged pores. Alternatively, the face can be steamed by covering the head with a towel and placing the face at a safe distance over a pot of steamed water. Or a face steamer can be used. After steaming, pat the face dry. Proceed to use the comedone extractor on stubborn blackheads and whiteheads. When the extraction session is finished, sanitize the extractor by soaking in rubbing alcohol.
Inflammatory Acne Lesions
Most inflammatory acne lesions (papules and pustules) start as blackheads or whiteheads. Therefore, the best defense against papules and pustules is to treat whiteheads and blackheads promptly.
Papules & Pustules
Inflammatory acne lesions originate from a clogged pore that has caused a break in the follicular wall. The break in the follicular wall will sometimes result in inflammation. Due to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, pure Australian tea tree oil (TTO) can be used to treat inflammatory acne lesions. TTO should be made into a 5% gel solution. A 5% gel TTO solution can be made by mixing 1 tablespoon of pure Australian TTO with 9 tablespoons of organic aloe vera gel. Application: Dip a Q-tip in the 5% gel solution and apply directly to the inflammatory acne lesion. Rinse off after 20 minutes.
Nodulocystic Acne Lesions
Nodulocystic lesions are nodules and cysts. Nodulocystic lesions lay deep within the skin and are prone to scarring. The difference between a nodule and a cyst is a cyst contains pus. Pus is a sign of infection. Depending on the severity of some nodules and cysts, it may be best to seek a dermatologist's care for removal. The dermatologist might prescribe antibiotics or perform a procedure to remove the nodule or cyst. The most popular procedure is injecting the cyst or nodule with a steroidal solution. If a dermatologist's visit isn't possible, the nodulocystic lesion may be treated at home. Application: Apply a warm towel to the lesion as this should reduce swelling. Next, apply a 5% Pure Australian tea tree oil gel as described above. Leave on overnight. Complete this regime nightly until the nodulocystic lesion disappears.
Dark Spots
It's important to know the difference between acne spots and acne scars. Scars are permanent demarcations that require treatment in a medical office. Spots often disappear without treatment. Stubborn spots can be treated with natural and commercial products. One natural treatment for acne spots is lemon juice. Lemons contain alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). AHA is the active ingredient in professional grade peels. Application: Dip a Q-Tip into freshly squeezed lemon juice. Apply lemon juice directly to dark spots. Rinse off after 5-10 minutes. Complete this procedure daily or every other day. Results should be noticeable in a few weeks.More Tips
Preparing homemade natural acne treatments requires the right tools and ingredients. Be sure to check out the resources section of this blog for suppliers.
Don't have time to make your own products?
- See this post concerning commercial acne products.
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