Apart from traditional therapies, there are various natural treatments and alternative therapies available for treating acne. Often called as home remedies, these are alternatives to the common allopathic treatments. The ingredients used in these treatments are quite easily available. Moreover, many people are wooed by these therapies because there are no or negligible side effects of these treatments.
Some Alternative Ways To Treat Acne
One of the most common remedy for acne is tea tree oil. It has been used as a natural remedy for acne from ancient periods. The tea tree oil is obtained from a plant known as Melaleuca alternifolia, a woody shrub found in Australia. It is believed that tea tree oil kills the bacteria responsible for acne breakouts. Importantly, a study was conducted that compared tea tree oil with benzoyl peroxide. The results showed that though it took longer for tea tree oil to treat acne, it did not have side effects such as redness, peeling and flaking of skin.
Another popular home remedy for acne is zinc. In a comparative experiment with antibiotics, it was found that zinc was less effective in cases of severe acne. However, it showed satisfactory results in cases of mild to moderate types of acne. Still, zinc might not be the best option where scarring cystic acne is concerned. Moreover, intake of zinc imparts serious side effects, including anemia and decrease of HDL (good cholesterol).
Some people also resort to dietary changes and selective food supplements for treating acne. It has been found that a well balanced diet rich in fibers and zinc such as the raw foods, fruits and vegetables is helpful in diminishing acne. Moreover, alcohol, smoking, sugar based and junk foods are found to aggravate acne.
Herbal treatments are also quite popular in many parts of the world. The most common herbs that are used for acne treatments include burdock roots, red clover and milk thistles. In china, the traditional herbal methods for treating acne include cnidium seed (Cnidium monnieri) and honeysuckle flower (Lonicera japonica). In India, various herbs have been used traditionally to treat acne. Some of the most common among these herbs are aloe vera, cinnamon powder, gram flour and fenugreek leaves.
In recent times, yoga, acupressure and reflexology have also found profound importance in treating various diseases, including acne. Yoga helps in the proper circulation of blood, which results in disposing off the toxins from the skin. Acupressure, a Chinese therapy, uses pressure on specific parts of the body to treat many diseases. Reflexology uses various techniques to unblock any tapped energy in the body which helps in treating diseases. Although, the exact results are not proven, many believe that these alternative therapies are quite effective in treating skin diseases such as acne.
There is still some debate over the effectiveness of these alternative methods. However, the basic aim of these natural treatments and alternative acne therapies seem to be the cleansing of the body so that the skin can function normally.