What can you recommend for bad acne ?

Posted by: Anonymous

Date Entered: Sep 14, 2009

Last Update: Sep 15, 2009 - 6:43 AM

My skin is ruining my social life. I have quite bad acne on my face and back, which never goes away. I tried some cream from the doctor but it made my skin red and dry. The spots were less but as soon as I stop using the cream, they come back again.

Herbal Remedies for Acne

Posted by: Deborah Grant

Date Entered: Sep 14, 2009

Herbal Medicine can help. Acne can be caused by hormonal imbalance or a problem with the elimination of toxins by your liver. There are herbs to balance hormones and also to boost liver function (your liver is a filter and if it isn’t working properly, the body tries to eliminate toxins through the skin).

Your diet also needs to be looked at in case improvements can be made.

Zinc levels are also important.

Aromatherapy and Acne

Posted by: Beverley Hawkins

Date Entered: Sep 15, 2009

Acne is a common skin condition. The pores in the skin become clogged and this leads to pimples and inflamed, infected abscesses. Acne tends to develop in teenagers due to an interaction between hormones, skin oils and the bacteria, which lives on and in the skin and hair. During puberty, the sebaceous glands in the skin become more active and produce excessive sebum. Often dried sebum, flaked skin and bacteria collect in the pores of the skin blocking them and preventing sebum to flow as it should. If the blockage is incomplete a blackhead will appear and if it is complete a whitehead appears. Bacteria will grow in the blocked pores and further irritate the skin. The irritated blackheads and whiteheads produce the skin eruptions that are commonly known as acne pimples. If the infection and irritation in the pimple gets worse an abscess may form.

The skin is an organ of elimination for the body. If there are too many toxins in the body and the kidneys, lungs and intestines become overloaded with more wastes than they can eliminate, some of these may be filtered out through the skin. Other factors which can make one more prone to develop acne include allergies; a diet high in fats; preservatives; sugar; pesticide and herbicide residues; dehydration; emotional problems; environmental pollution; too much exposure to the sun; heredity; hormones; oral contraceptives; poor hygiene; weakened immunity and stress.

When dealing with acne it is necessary to clear up any infection; stimulate lymph flow and blood circulation; reduce the amount of sebum as well as reduce the waste products and toxic substances deposited on the skin. A diet rich in fresh vegetables and whole grains; an adequate daily intake of water; plenty of fresh air and exercise and a skin care routine which incorporates essential oils and hydrosols can all be helpful.

When choosing essential oils to add to your skin care routine you would look for oils that have anti-inflammatory, astringent and balancing properties. Oils with anti-inflammatory properties that will help reduce painful irritation and swelling include Roman and German chamomile, clary sage, frankincense, helichrysum; lavender and patchouli. Oils with astringent properties to help control the oiliness of the skin include cedarwood, frankincense, geranium, juniper, lavender, neroli, palmarosa, and rosewood. Oils with balancing properties that may help to normalize oil production while they improve the condition of the skin include geranium, helichrysum, lavender, palmarosa, rosemary and sandalwood. Oils with antiseptic properties include niaouli, petitgrain, palmarosa, patchouli and tea tree,

It is important to keep the skin and everything touching it very clean. Cleanse the skin twice a day and have a facial once a week. After cleansing the skin use a toner made with essential oils or a hydrosol. To make a toner using essential oils add 25 drops of essential oil to 100ml distilled water or hydrosol. These can be misted onto the skin from a spray bottle or dab on the skin with a cotton pad and left to air dry.
In her book "Hydrosols, the Next Aromatherapy", some of the hydrosols Suzanne Catty suggests for acne include cedarwood, cypress, juniper, neroli, peppermint, Roman chamomile, rosemary, sandalwood and yarrow.

A facial oil can be made up using 30ml of Jojoba as a base to which you would add 6 drops of your essential oil blend. This is then applied sparingly to the face twice a day.

A stronger dilution blend can be made up to dab on individual spots. Add 8 drops of lavender and 7 drops of tea tree to 15 ml of jojoba. This should only be used for short periods of time.