For those looking for a more natural acne treatment, nature has provided perhaps the strongest product on the market. Unlike many “alternative” acne treatments that you have to sacrifice quality and effectiveness in order to go the all-natural route, Tea Tree Oil is more effective than most other acne treatments on the market. It is also the only one that will not bring negative side effects. Tea Tree Oil comes from the tea trees of Australia, where it is harvested and, as the name implies, steamed to bring out the oil in the leaves. The oil was a very popular antiseptic previous to World War II and began to see a resurgence as science has discovered its true value. Thus, finally, validating the traditional uses of the tea tree oil.
One of the most famous studies on Tea Tree Oil, conducted by the Department of Dermatology at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia, compared the effectiveness and tolerance of two different products: lotion containing 5% tea tree oil and lotion containing 5% benzoyl peroxide lotion in 124 people with mild to moderate acne. People in both groups had a significant reduction in inflamed and non-inflamed acne lesions (open and closed comedones) over a three month period.
In the benzoyl peroxide group, 79% of people had side effects including itching, stinging, burning, and dryness. Researchers noted that there were virtually no side effects at all in the tea tree oil group.
Tea tree oil is a known antifungal agent, antiseptic, and antimicrobial that starts working to clear the skin as soon as it is applied. It can be used for everything from treating dandruff, insect bites, minor wounds, sunburns, poison ivy, bee stings, and of course acne. Tea tree oil comes in serums of 5% concentration (recommended for acne treatment) and as an ingredient in many facial scrubs. If using a serum, just apply a few drops to the affected area and let stand. If you are using a face scrub with tea tree oil, it will be more effective if you keep it on your face for half a minute to a minute, to give the tea tree oil time to act.
And if you are one of millions and perhaps billions of people that are not getting all they want out of their synthetic acne treatment or if you had it with all the side effects, perhaps it is time to go to something more natural, something tells me that your skin will appreciate it.