Acne vulgaris, the technical term for what most people call simply acne, is the most common skin disease in the U.S., affecting nearly 85 percent of everyone between the ages of 12 and 24. Rarely is it a serious medical condition, but it causes plenty of emotional distress and can lead to scarring of the skin.
Conventional medical treatment prescribes topical treatments and oral antibiotics for acne. If these don’t work well enough or if you prefer to use a natural approach, consider these five nutritional and herbal remedies with proven effectiveness in helping to clear up acne. https://lipo-sculpt.co.uk/non-surgical-facial-rejuvenation/
Five Natural Acne Treatments
1. Zinc. People with acne have lower zinc levels in their body than people without acne, and those with severe acne have lower zinc levels than those with milder cases.
In one scientifically rigorous study, patients with inflammatory acne who were treated with 200 mg. per day of zinc gluconate experienced a significantly greater reduction in inflammation compared to those not receiving the treatment.
Be aware that it may take up to 12 weeks before you see any improvement from taking zinc. Know also that long-term use of zinc requires 1-2 mg. of copper every day to prevent a copper deficiency.
2. Glycolic acid. This substance, often isolated from foods like sugarcane, beets, pineapple, cantaloupe and unripe grapes, speeds up the skin renewal process. In over-the-counter products, it may be listed as Alpha Hydroxy Acid.
Glycolic acid penetrates through the cell walls and stimulates the skin to make new, healthier collagen and elastin fibers in the deeper dermis. Glycolic Acid also weakens the “glue” holding dead cells on the skin’s surface. When these cells dissolve, smoother, softer skin is revealed. It also helps to unclog pores and thus decrease the tendency for acne to develop.
3. Niacinamide. In a controlled clinical trial, 38 patients with moderate inflammatory acne were treated with 4% niacinamide topical gel while an equal number received 1% clindamycin topical gel. Patients in the first group made slightly greater improvements than those in the second group. Because it is safe, effective, and without the antibiotic-associated risk of developing resistant strains of bacteria, consider 4% niacinamide topical gel as an alternative treatment for your acne.
4. Tea Tree Oil. When researchers compared the use of topical tea tree oil (5% gel) with benzoyl peroxide (5% gel) in the treatment of mild to moderate acne, both had a significant effect in reducing the number of inflamed and non-inflamed lesions, although the tea tree oil took longer to start working. Encouragingly, patients who were treated with tea tree oil experienced fewer side effects.
The 5% solution of tea tree oil is probably not strong enough for moderate to severe acne, however. Stronger solutions (up to 15%) should provide even better results.
5. Guggul. This is an herb that comes from a flowering plant common in North India. The extract from the resinous gum of this plant is called gugulipid. In a study that randomly assigned 20 patients to take either Tetracycline at 500 mg. twice a day for 90 days, or gugulipid twice a day for 90 days, patients in the guggul group had slightly better outcomes. In addition, participants with oily skin seemed to respond better to the gugulipid treatment.
Why Try Natural Treatments?
Antibiotics and many other prescription drugs often provoke unrelated symptoms as side effects. Where natural substances are equally effective, or where you cannot tolerate prescription drugs, it may make more sense to use the natural alternatives.