Guest Author - Rebecca Lee Graf
Acne is one of the most common problems men and women as well as young and old experience. Some people are blessed with mild outbreaks while others want to hide their faces for the next few months or even years. As there are many different ways to experience an acne outbreak, there are just as many ways to deal with them.
Slight Myths
Before we get into the serious discussion of treating acne, lets get the myths out of the way. Every generation has its own set of myths about everything. Some of these have not been completely proved wrong, but some are just out right myths.
100% Hormonal Many believe that acne occurs due to hormonal changes in the body. This is because most acne outbreaks are seen during puberty and menopause. Though this sounds logical, this is not always the case. Hormones do affect the skin as well as other parts of the body and stands to reason that it affects acne. Yet, just because you have an acne outbreak this does not mean that it is completely hormonal and cannot be treated. Dismissing it as hormonal usually means dealing with it which is not the answer.
Diet Many of have been told that soda, chocolate, greasy foods, and junk food in general cause acne. In some, this might be the case but it has yet to be 150% proven. Unless you have an allergic predisposition to a certain food item, this is generally not the case at all, though this should not stop you from making healthy changes in your diet.
Skin Care Mothers have drilled in us that acne can be cured by just washing our face. Yes and no is the answer to that. Yes, keeping our skin clean helps to minimize the effects of acne. Yet, too many times we take it too far and scrub it too much which in turn damages the skin. In addition to that, we miss out on other aspects of skin care that will help.
Stress - Stress has been known to bring out skin blemishes. Many personal testimonies can be found to support this. Scientific proof can be found on stress causing acne outbreaks, but not every acne event is stress related. If you truly feel like stress is your culprit, practice sound relaxation techniques and treat the acne appropriately.
Internal Herbal Treatment
Not all treatments for acne are used directly on the skin. Many can be taken internally to attack stress, hormonal, and even bacteria related acne causes. Taken in the forms of teas and tinctures as well as capsules, these can help you fight the acne.
The following herbs can be used internally for the treatment of acne:
Oregon Graperoot
Echinaecea
Vitex
Calendula
Burdock Root
Dandelion
External Herbal Treatment
External herbal treatments of acne can be found in face washes, astringents, toner, and facial creams. The following herbs are ones to consider using externally.
Tea Tree Oil
Grapefuit Seed Extract
Gum Guggul
Rose/Rosewater
Aloe Vera Gel
Chamomile
Calendula
Oregon Graperoot
Lavender
Kombucha
Walnut Leaf
Milk Thistle
Witch Hazel
Goldenseal
In experimenting with different ways to fight acne, never try more than one at a time. If you have an allergic reaction, you will have a hard time determining which herb is the cause. Introduce one treatment at a time. If you are pregnant, be careful in ingesting any herb. Consult with your obstetrician before taking any herb.
NOTE: Always consult with your physician, pharmacist, or certified herbalist. Herbs are natures drugs and should always be treated with respect.
