Acne vulgaris, the technical term for what many people today call simply acne, is the most common skin disorder, affecting almost 85 percent of everyone between the ages of 12 and 24. Rarely is it a severe medical condition, but it causes loads of emotional distress and may result in scarring of the skin.
Acne
Conventional medical therapy prescribes topical treatments and oral antibiotics for acne. If these do not work well enough or if you would like using a natural approach, consider these five supplements and herbal remedies with demonstrated effectiveness in helping to clear up acne.
Five Natural Acne Treatments
Zinc
People with acne have reduced zinc levels in their body than individuals without acne, and people with severe acne have lower zinc levels than those with milder cases.
In one scientifically rigorous research, patients with inflammatory acne that were treated with 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 utilization of copper daily to prevent a copper deficiency.
Guggul
This is an herb that comes from a flowering plant common in North India. The extract in the resinous gum of the plant is known as gugulipid.
In a study that randomly assigned 20 patients to take either Tetracycline in 500 mg) Twice per day for 90 days, or gugulipid twice per day for 90 days, patients in the guggul group had slightly better results. In addition, participants with oily skin appeared to respond better to the gugulipid therapy.
Niacinamide
In a controlled clinical trial, patients with moderate inflammatory acne were treated with niacinamide topical gel.
Because it’s safe, effective, and without the antibiotic-associated risk of developing resistant strains of bacteria, contemplate 4% niacinamide topical gel as an alternative treatment for your acne.
Glycolic acid
This substance, frequently isolated from foods such as sugarcane, beets, pineapple, cantaloupe and unripe grapes, accelerate the skin renewal procedure. In over-the-counter products, it might be recorded as Alpha Hydroxy Acid.
Glycolic acid penetrates through the cell walls and stimulates the skin to produce new, healthy collagen and elastin fibers in the deeper dermis. Glycolic Acid also weakens the”glue” holding dead cells on the skin surface. When these cells dissolve, smoother, softer skin is shown. It helps to unclog pores and thus reduce the dependence on acne to develop.
Tea Tree Oil
When researchers compared the use of topical tea tree oil (5% gel) with benzoyl peroxide (5% gel) in treating mild to moderate acne, both had a substantial effect in reducing the amount of inflamed and non-inflamed lesions, even though the tea tree oil took longer to begin working. Encouragingly, patients that were treated with tea tree oil experienced fewer side effects.
The 5% solution of tea tree oil is most likely not powerful enough for moderate to severe acne, however. Stronger solutions (up to 15percent ) should provide better results.
Why Try Natural Treatments?
Antibiotics and a number of other prescription drugs frequently provoke unrelated symptoms as side effects. Where natural substances are equally effective, or in which you cannot tolerate prescription drugs, it may make more sense to utilize the natural alternatives.
