Herbal for Acne Remedies

Are there any natural acne remedies that REALLY work?

As anyone living with a bad case of acne can tell you, they will try most anything to get rid of it!
Although not dangerous in any way (execept for the very rare bad infection complication), it can be painful, and is always a source of embarrassment or awkwardness for the acne sufferer.

I myself dealt with bad acne in my teen years, and my wife still has breakouts from time to time. This is not to mention the 60 million people in the United States who suffer from acne at any given time. Many people "grow out" of acne breakouts after the teen years, but many women have reoccurances over their lifetime, and hormonal change acne (read: pregnancy and menopause) is quite common.

And of course, there are the usual barrage of chemical treatments. Now, some of these work extremely well. Accutane does the best...but it also is highly regulated because suicide is actually one of the side effects. Talk about a health hazard! Retin-A works as well, but can permanently damage skin or increase risk of skin cancer.

Even benzoyl peroxide can seriously damage the skin and leave more irritation than before the acne breakout.

So here is a list of natural, organic compounds that will help treat acne, without many of the serious side effects.

Herbal care for acne are:

Tea Tree Oil -

In my opinion, by far the best herbal acne treatment available.
Tea tree Oil is derived from the Melaleuca Alternifolia plant, which is native to Australia.
It is an essential oil that is first diluted then applied to the skin, usually by "dabbing" it on with a cotton ball or tissue. It is applied directly to the acne breakout area.

How does it work? Well, tea tree oil actually has an antibacterial agent called terpinen-4-ol. It is thought that this agent is what kills the acne causing bacteria that lives in the skin, called Propionibacterium acnes. It's these bacteria that cause acne, and tea tree oil kills it. Various studies have been conducted that demonstrate tea tree oil is an effective topical antibiotic.

Zinc -

This one isn't as ancient as tea tree oil use is, but it has some studies that find zinc is somewhat effective in reducing acne. When tested against a placebo, daily zinc supplements were more effective than a placebo in preventing breakouts. However, prescription medication was better than zinc.

The issue with zinc is it does have some side effects. Basic side effects are upset stomach and a metallic taste. Higher dosage can cause more serious effects, such as copper deficiency, heart problems, anemia, and possibly more.

Zinc also can interfere with proper mineral absorption from minerals such as magnesium and iron. It
can also have complications when used in combination with other medications...so as always, consult a doctor before using a zinc supplement of any sort.