Tuesday, May 15, 2012


Almost everyone has experienced a bad case of acne at least once in their lifetime. Though acne is common during a person’s puberty age where one is subjected to high hormone levels causing changes in the sebaceous glands, one in every five women with ages between 25 to 40 suffers from adult acne. Suffice to say that acne is the most common skin-care problem for people around the world regardless of a person’s gender, age, or race.

Acne may come in different forms. It may appear to be whiteheads or that simple blackhead, or the more severe form called cystic acne that would certainly leave behind acne scars when cysts eventually fade. The common places for acne to happen are on a person’s face, neck, chest, back and upper arms.

Traditional Methods of Treating Acne Scars

Traditional Chemical Treatments

There are very few traditional chemical treatments in the market today that have been scientifically proven to work. Two particular herbal treatments that have been clinically proven to help stop acne and treat its scars are the tea tree oil and the green tea cream.

The Tea Tree oil is a natural oil derivative from a Melaleuca alternifolia. This variety of tea tree is found exclusively in Australia and other subtropical regions in South East Asia. It has been a traditional aboriginal treatment of Australian natives who has been traditionally using this kind of medication practically for just about anything because of its anti-bacterial properties. Just applying several drops of the oil directly on the acne has shown to be the most effective way to diminish acne scars.

Another traditional chemical treatment is the Green Tea which is found to possess Catechins or  tea flavonoid that are natural anti-bacterials. According to a study carried out by Dr. Jennifer Gan-Wong in 2003, through regular use of green tea creams, a person’s complexion and appearance can lighten and improve. Its properties are similar to benzoyl peroxide based creams but have fewer side effects.

Traditional Alternative Method

For centuries, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners have used acupuncture to treat acne. A patient’s channel of energy is balanced by inserting needles in specific points in a patient’s body to relieve any imbalance that caused the acne outbreak. Acupuncture offers a holistic approach in treating acne while improving a patient’s overall wellness state. Each acupuncture treatment is customized according to a person’s need or pattern of diagnosis. In severe cases, a traditional medical practitioner would often require Chinese herbs to subdue the underlying causes of the acne outbreak in the patient’s skin and relieve the skin from scarring.

A well balanced diet is also required in traditional alternative medication.  When food is not properly digested in the body, a person’s spleen is overworked and it releases toxins that destabilize the body’s harmony. Eating greasy, spicy, and heavy foods disrupt the function of the spleen in digestion that can lead acne flare-up.

A diet that involves squash, cucumber, celery, carrots, lettuce, potato, papaya, cherries, dandelions, pears, raspberries, persimmons and watermelon would truly help alleviate acne while preventing toxic accumulation in the body.

Remember, a person’s food intake is reflected on the condition of his skin. By making healthy dietary choices, the body is nourished from inside out. So take that step to wellness to avoid acne problems in the future.

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