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Acne Alternative
Treatments:
Your Best
Choice for Stress Acne
When
your acne flares from stress, use acne alternative treatments instead
of harsh chemicals. You can improve your skin without adding toxins to
your system.
When you
are under stress,
your body's chemical balance is
disrupted. Among many imbalances, your body increases
inflammation (an overactive immune response). Toxins of all kinds
create the same response and so adding toxins to an already overloaded
immune system just makes your body's health worse.
Acne is caused when the follicles, or pores, of the skin get blocked
and the sebum, or oil, inside the follicle is blocked from
draining. Once this happens, bacteria begin to grow in the
blocked follicle. This blockage can remain un-inflammatory (a
whitehead or blackhead) or it can become inflammatory acne (papule or
pustule). In either case, the acne is the result of the
follicle being blocked from properly draining the sebum.
There are several factors which some believe contribute to
acne. Poor diet may exacerbate it, as can stress.
Some people believe that heavy or greasy makeup can make it
worse. Some people mistakenly believe that acne is caused by
not washing the skin frequently enough. In fact, washing the
skin may increase the acne. While all of these causes are
sometime disputed, the one cause I found most frequently agreed upon is
that acne can be caused by hormone imbalances.
Natural Acne Cures
Organic essential
oils can be a boon to people with acne.
Alternative treatments using essential oils can help dissolve sebum,
and can help kill the bacteria that start to grow. And
because our bodies have a natural symbiosis with plants, the organic
essential oils are more supportive to our bodies than artificial
chemicals.
- Tea Tree
oil is one of the
first oils to think
of for natural acne
cures. In fact in a study published in the Medical Journal of
Australia
,
tea tree oil was found to be as effective as benzoyl peroxide in the
treatment of mild to moderate acne, and although it took longer to
work, it also had fewer side affects. You can dilute tea tree
oil 50-50 with an organic vegetable oil and apply it over the oily
areas, or you can take a drop on a cotton swab and put it directly on
an inflamed pore.
- Other essential oils which
have anti-bacterial
affects are clove, and
the blends Thieves, Melrose, and
Purification.
- Oils which have the effect
of reducing sebum
production (drying skin)
are bergamot (remember that this oil is
photosensitive and should not
be applied before going out in the sun), geranium, vetiver, and
lemongrass.
- Oils which soothing to the
skin are lavender,
rosewood, and patchouli.
All of these essential oils can help acne problems, but they can also
be drying. If you notice that your skin is getting too dry,
just combine them 50-50 with and organic vegetable oil. When you apply
the oils, rub them in very gently; do not irritate the skin.
And for maximum effectiveness, alternate your oils every day.
Hormone Balancing
The other way to use essential oils in your acne alternative treatment
is to use oils which help balance your hormones. Essential
oils have homeostatic intelligence--they work to
balance natural
functions. This means that the same oil may stimulate in one
circumstance and calm in another. Using oils which have
hormone regulating effects will support your body finding its normal
hormonal balance.
To use the oils, rub a few drops on the soles of the feet or crown of
the head 1-3 time/day.
Oils which balance female hormones include fennel, anise,
clary sage,
sage, geranium and the blends Dragon Time,
SclarEssence and Lady
Sclareol.
Detoxing and Cleansing
- Eat a healthy
diet for both
your stress levels and
for your skin. Avoid dairy products, fried food, chemical
additives and sugar.
- Avoid chemical
make-up.
Try some pure
mineral make-up to
reduce the toxins on your skin.
- Avoid plastics.
Some plastics exude
estrogenic chemicals and
may cause more hormonal imbalance. Drink water from glass or
ceramic containers. Do not eat food that has been heated in a
plastic container.
- Begin a cleanse.
Increase your fiber
to cleanse your colon
and consider a short fast. Like your colon, your skin is an
organ of elimination. If your colon can't do its work, your
skin works overtime.
When stress increases your acne, alternative treatments are the best
way to clear your skin and support your overall health at the same time.
For more information on stress acne:
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