Holistic Solutions to Your Acne Questions

Your skin is the largest organ of your body and yet people tend to think of our skin as a shield or covering such as clothes to make them more attractive and protect what is beneath this shield.

Being the largest organ of the body, the purpose of your skin to aid in the delivery of sebum which is an oily substance via hair follicles and open pores of the skin. This is a cleansing process for the body.

Sometimes the hair, sebum and cells associated with a particular hair follicle form a plug and then sebum can no longer reach the surface of the skin. When this oily substance is trapped, it is the beginning of acne.

Follicles become plugged when the mixture of oil and cells allow bacteria such as Propionibacterium acnes (P.acnes) that normally live on the skin to grow hence plugging the follicle even more. Your body responds to these bacteria as they produce chemicals and enzymes attract white blood cells to the area. Your body then attacks these bacteria and in the process your skin becomes inflamed.

When this wall of the plugged follicle begins to break down, everything spill out into the nearby skin. The sebum, shed skin cell and bacteria are everywhere causing lesion or what we call pimples to form.

What is acne really?

Acne is said by doctors to be a result of the increase in the male and female sex hormones. This increase causes the sebaceous glands to enlarge and make even more sebum or oil. Research shows that genetics can also affect the tendency to develop acne but this can also occur due to the use of certain drugs and or greasy cosmetics.

There is no time line for acne. Acne can occur during puberty which usually signals the one is entering such a stage but, also pregnancy or with the use of birth control pills. Again, acne usually signals the signs of puberty and can be most commonly found amongst teenagers and then tapers off or disappear by the time the teenager reaches their 20 or 30’s. In some cases however, acne is still present until age 60 in some people.

Although a bother, acne is usually not a serious health threat. Acne does however affect the emotional and physical well being of its victims. Permanent scarring can occur in severe cases of acne causing such emotional or physical discomfort.

So, how do you treat acne?

You should treat acne just like any other health problem. If a holistic and systemic approach is taken, you can control or even perhaps cure some cases of acne.

Focus on the existing lesions and try to heal those first then stop new lesions from forming. Also, you want to try to reduce scarring and minimize the psychological stress and embarrassment caused by this acne disease. There are drug treatments, skin treatments, diet and lifestyle choices that will aid you in your treatment plan. Be advised that all treatment should be conducted while under the supervision of your doctor.

When drug treatments are used, they help reduce several problems that play a role in causing acne production. These are:

* Abnormal clumping of cells in the follicles of the skin
* Increased oil production
* Bacteria growth
* Inflammation of the skin

Keep in mind that all medications can have side effects so, check with your doctor or pharmacist before beginning any treatment. If you notice any side effects, contact your doctor as soon as symptoms begin to prevent any further discomfort.

Tea tree oil is wonderful and has been proven to effectively kill acne bacteria while healing scars. Tea tree oil also does not clog pores however; many are sensitive to the oil itself. It is best to start off with a very mild dose and work up your tolerance from there. Add only a drop or two of pure tea tree oil to an ounce of pure Aloe Vera gel. The Aloe Vera gel is very soothing and aids in healing any irritated skin. Once a tolerance is built with the tea tree oil, increase the amount used ever so slightly over time.

Some research shows that when the tea tree oil is applied to the acne lesions on the skin, it tends to work slower and may cause fewer adverse effects such as skin dryness, itching, stinging or redness. The time it takes to treat the acne effectively depends on the strength of the teal oil when applied.

Aside from the irritation, there are no known side effects amongst those who use the tea tree oil, but the oil may cause excessive dryness of the skin to occur when used with other drugs to treat acne. These drugs include such as tretinoin, more commonly known as Retin-A or Renova. There is also isotretinoin or Accutane that can cause such symptoms.

Why dietary and lifestyle changes can help:

This article does not begin to cover fully the effects that a good dietary lifestyle brings to those with acne however; I will briefly touch on research-based information for you.

Let it be known that your diet will not cause or prevent acne from forming but, if you are predisposed to getting acne, what you eat certainly effects and sometimes encourages flare-ups. Other new habits will help your body fight the acne war as well.

First and foremost, eating refined carbohydrates and sugars will lead to an increase in insulin and the insulin-like growth factor called IGF-1. This leads to an increase of male hormones which causes an increased production of oil or sebum in the skin.

A diet rich in raw foods and antioxidants seconds the list as we consume more nutrients from them. When we eat these foods, fewer acne aggravating free radicals enter the body.

What we do to change our lifestyle eliminates other factors that may trigger or worsen acne outbreaks. Try to dismiss oily skin products in your skin care regime and also grease in the work environment. So in other words, don’t work in a kitchen surrounded by deep fried foods if you are prone to acne. Be mindful of the pressure from sports equipment and helmets, backpacks, tight collars or tight sport uniforms as well. There are also environmental irritants such as pollution, chemicals and high humidity that we ourselves cannot control. What you can control is how often you touch your skin. Excessive touching, squeezing, hard scrubbing of blemishes will only further aggravate the problem. Drink plenty of water as it is essential in helping to flush out any toxins from the body as well. When these things are done along with the avoidance of any undue stress, you can significantly decrease your risk of acne exposure.