Posts Tagged “tea tree oil”

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Eighty-five percent of the teenage population battles acne in some form and in most cases, there will be significant improvement of the outbreak when treated with a combination of medication including antibiotics.

However, dermatologists are now warning that a new strain of acne is resistant to antibiotics.

CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton sat down with Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith to talk more about this disturbing trend.

According to Ashton, super acne has probably been around for a while, but more dermatologists are starting to see more and more of it now — “because just like with a lot of forms of resistant bacteria, it’s becoming more refractory or difficult to treat.”

Super acne, which is a bacteria, can be classified as a “bug.” Read the rest of this entry »

Tea tree oil, also known as melaleuca oil, is often used as an essential oil for a variety of ailments. Extracted from the leaves of a plant native to Australia, the pure form of the oil is very strong and usually diluted for use in cosmetics and medicines. Historically, tea tree oil got its name because the leaves of the melaleuca alternifolia plant were first steeped as a tea. Traditionally, the leaves were used topically for treating burns, lacerations, and infections.

Tea tree oil has been effective in helping or healing many maladies from athlete’s foot and acne to dandruff, nail fungus, eczema, ringworm, and even annoyances like lice and mosquito bites. This antiseptic, antiviral, and antifungal oil is wonderful for stopping pain and irritation while providing a soothing disinfectant for your skin. For acne sufferers, tea tree oil has been proven great for killing the bacteria and flushing out the toxins while keeping the skin’s natural oils without over-drying. For helping coughs and colds, tea tree oil helps to break up mucus.

As an essential oil used in aromatherapy, tea tree oil is found in many face and body creams, soaps, lotions, hair products and candles. Even though tea tree oil is a natural product, there have been studies done to prove its effectiveness as a treatment for certain ailments.

A controlled trial investigated three groups with athlete’s foot. Out of 158 sufferers, one group used 25 percent tea tree oil solution, the second group worked with 50 percent, and the final group was the placebo. Used twice daily for four weeks, the 50 percent solution group showed 64 percent cured in relation to only 31 percent in the placebo group. Another trial used tea tree oil to fight acne and it was tested against benzoyl peroxide and had fewer skin side effects overall but both groups showed significantly less skin irritations, inflammation, and breakouts. Read the rest of this entry »

There are several acne scar home remedies that you will find discussed online, but are they just old wives’ tales or do they really work?

Many people these days are looking for home remedies. If the worst of your acne is behind you, but you have been left with bad or even minor scarring, you probably want to get rid of those acne scars.

The mainstream dermatology solutions can be very harsh. Chemical peels remove a layer of your skin. If well done and if your skin is not too sensitive, a chemical peel can give lasting benefits. But for some people, something goes wrong and they are left with worse scarring than before.

Laser resurfacing uses light to remove or blur the signs of acne scars so that they are less noticeable. This can be a successful way to minimize scarring but it is expensive.

When it comes to home remedies, these are more effective on relatively light scarring. Natural remedies rely on the body’s own healing process to heal the scars. The actual remedies that we use are therefore intended to help the body to get back to its normal condition in which it can heal itself.

This is a gentler and often slower way of removing scars but it can be more effective in the long term. It involves considering how you will look and feel in 20 or 30 years time, not only right now.

Many natural remedies for acne scars rely on food products. The nutrients that they contain can nourish the skin and help it to regain its natural beauty. In this respect you can either take the nutrients internally or externally, or both.

Taking a long hard look at your diet is one of the best things that you can do for your skin. Cut out refined sugar. Do not cook with oil or eat fried foods, because cooked oils contain free radicals that will suck up all the good antioxidants you are taking in, and stop them getting to your skin.

Add into your diet all foods that are high in antioxidants. These include raw vegetables, salad and fresh fruits. Try eating ‘all raw’ for breakfast and lunch – for example, a big fruit smoothie for breakfast, fresh fruit for snacks, and a big salad with nuts and avocado for lunch. Do this for 6 months and you should see an improvement in your skin.

You can also use face packs made with sliced or blended vegetables that are high in antioxidants. Tomatoes and cucumber are a good combination. Cucumber is well known as a skin remedy as it tightens and tones the pores. Tomatoes have a very high antioxidant component. However, do not use tomato on your skin if you are allergic to it.

Fresh aloe vera juice can be a very effective way to treat acne scars. Aloe vera is a succulent plant that you can keep in a pot indoors. You will need a leaf about 2 inches wide. Remove it from the plant and peel it. Put the flesh in a blender and puree it. Then apply it as a face pack twice a day for at least 5 minutes each time. The puree will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but take it out an hour before using it to let it revive to room temperature. This is great for scars and also for healing and preventing pimples.

Tea tree oil is an antibacterial that can help prevent scarring and clean the skin to give it the best chance of healing scars that are already present. Use this in addition to other acne scar home remedies.

There are several acne scar home remedies that you will find discussed online, but are they just old wives’ tales or do they really work?

Many people these days are looking for home remedies. If the worst of your acne is behind you, but you have been left with bad or even minor scarring, you probably want to get rid of those acne scars.

The mainstream dermatology solutions can be very harsh. Chemical peels remove a layer of your skin. If well done and if your skin is not too sensitive, a chemical peel can give lasting benefits. But for some people, something goes wrong and they are left with worse scarring than before.

Laser resurfacing uses light to remove or blur the signs of acne scars so that they are less noticeable. This can be a successful way to minimize scarring but it is expensive. Read the rest of this entry »

Acne is the medical term for common acne. Acne is widespread among teenagers, although a smaller percentage of adults in their 30’s and 40’s still get acne. Common acne is characterized by the presence of one or all of the following: whiteheads, blackheads, papules, pustule or pimples that are seen on the face, chest, back, shoulders, even neck.

Thousands of oil glands can be found in the skin. The oil glands produce sebum, needed to help the skin stay moisturized and effective in its duty as the body’s protective barrier. The face, especially the nose, the mid -cheeks and the forehead have the highest density of oil glands. The back and mid-chest are the parts of the body where the largest oil glands are located. This explains why acne is mostly found in the greatest concentrations on the face, chest and back

Acne begins with clogged skin pores. The early, not-so-noticeable lesions are called comedones Comedones are either open like blackheads or closed like whiteheads. An open comedo is called a blackhead because of the blackish appearance of the skin pore clog. Likewise, a closed comedo is called whitehead because its pore plug is white or skin colored. In terms of openings, blackheads have distended opening around the follicle while a whitehead has a very narrow one, close to the hair follicle. While it’s very tempting, never squeeze your whiteheads or blackheads. Read the rest of this entry »