ARE ESSENTIAL OILS USEFUL FOR ACNE TREATMENTS?
Acne is a common skin condition that can affect all age groups people. Several products on the market claim to get rid of zits, but some of them can be harsh or irritating on the skin, making your skin dull and irritated even if your pimples are gone. Others contain allergens that aggravate a skin problem.
Essential oils are a gentle and natural way to solve skin problems. We all tried to get rid of acne, but we didn’t want to harm our skin in the process. Essential oils treat various types of acne with no irritant components found in other skincare products. The correct essential oil, when applied correctly, can stop pimple outbreaks and treat outbreaks when they occur. Here are the most useful essential oils that can help you get rid of pimples.
Treat Acne with essential oils
- Tea Tree essential oil:
It is an ideal essential oil for acne because of its anti-inflammatory characteristics. It destroys any bacteria causing your skin to break out and aids in the drying out and gradual disappearance of pimples[1]. It is a strong antibacterial but uses it carefully on the affected areas and follows up with a moisturizer to prevent the area from drying.
- Peppermint essential oil
Peppermint oil can help to lessen the irritation and swelling of acne. Irked pores can lead to large blackheads, especially noticeable on fair complexion but are just as unappealing as pimples. Peppermint oil contains menthol, which helps to unclog pores on the skin and reduce inflammation[2].
- Rosemary essential oil
Rosemary oil is excellent for controlling sebum production, making your pores clear and skin less oily. Rosemary oil also has anti-inflammatory properties; it soothes acne inflammation and lowers redness without aggravating the skin[3].
- Frankincense essential oil
Dry and damaged skin is more prone to inflamed and erupts into a full-fledged pimple cluster. Thi oil acts more gently on almost all skin types, soothe dry, sensitive skin, and reduces spot formation from pimples[4].
- Eucalyptus essential oil
Acne boils and pimples with pus are very unpleasant. Eucalyptus oil aids in the safe burst and drying of these pimples[5]. Because eucalyptus oil is soothing, antimicrobial, and anti-infectious properties, pimples can cure without the risk of damage or spreading.
- Lavender essential oil
Cystic acne lurks deep beneath the skin and doesn’t respond to standard spot treatments. Lavender oil is a soothing, antibacterial solution that can be used to soothe painful acne and allow them to come to the surface slowly, so they don’t irritate the rest of skin[6].
- Lemon essential oil
Lemon oil high in antioxidants and Vitamin C can help clear your skin and unclog your pores, preventing breakouts[7]. It’s also helpful in promoting skin healing because it’s a mild natural exfoliator that keeps wounds free of bacteria.
Bottom-line:
When used correctly, essential oils offer far more benefit than damage but If you’re unclear about what aggravates your acne or it becomes a persistent problem, consult your dermatologist so he can figure it out and can help you identify your therapy correctly.
References;
- Hammer, K. A. “Treatment of acne with tea tree oil (melaleuca) products: a review of efficacy, tolerability and potential modes of action.” International journal of antimicrobial agents 45.2 (2015): 106-110.
- Happy, Afroza Akter, Ferdoushi Jahan, and Md Abdul Momen. “Essential Oils: Magical Ingredients for Skin Care.” Journal of Plant Sciences 9.2 (2021): 54-64.
- Fu, Yujie, et al. “Investigation of antibacterial activity of rosemary essential oil against Propionibacterium acnes with atomic force microscopy.” Planta medica 73.12 (2007): 1275-1280.
- Li, Xiao-Jun, et al. “α-Pinene, linalool, and 1-octanol contribute to the topical anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of frankincense by inhibiting COX-2.” Journal of ethnopharmacology 179 (2016): 22-26.
- Bhatt, Deepika, et al. “Studies on inhibitory effect of Eucalyptus oil on sebaceous glands for the management of acne.” (2011).
- Evandri, M. G., et al. “The antimutagenic activity of Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) essential oil in the bacterial reverse mutation assay.” Food and chemical toxicology 43.9 (2005): 1381-1387.
- ChunYan, Huang, et al. “Evaluation of antioxidant and antitumour activities of lemon essential oil.” Journal of Medicinal Plants Research 4.18 (2010): 1910-1915.