Face washing is an important home treatment for acne. Especially if your face is oily, A mild soap can be very helpful used once or twice a day. If your work or other activities cause your face to get sprayed with chemicals dirt or dust, face washing is also very important.
It is also very helpful to wash after workouts and sweating. If your face tends to be very dry and gets worse with washing, there are non-soap cleansers on the market which will not dry out your face. Also, if blackheads are a major problem, gritty soaps may help.
When bacteria are a big part of the cause of new acne pustules, application of essential oils such as tea tree oil or oregano oil can be very helpful for temporary relief. Dabbing a tiny bit of the oil onto just the area of the pustule, or pimple as it is commonly known, can be very helpful in calming down the lesion.
Unfortunately, these oils cannot be used for long periods of time because repeated use may cause an allergy to them. In addition, almost any antimicrobial product used on the skin whether natural or medication, is likely to result in resistant bacteria that will no longer respond. For that reason this kind of treatment should only be used for a short period of time.
Be sure to stop if either the oil is not working, or if you develop any itching or information or other signs of allergy.
A warning: If the lesions are hot and tender, painful, or if there is any sign of fever, see a physician to make sure you do not have a dangerous infection on the face. Infections on the central part of the face, in rare instances, can migrate to the vessels in the brain, and cause those vessels to thrombosis.
Aside from that, these oils can be a good short-term option.
One of the simplest treatments for new acne lesions is to apply a thick paste of clay to each of the lesions. The Clay will help dry out the fluid and inflammation.
Do this only on new pimples that have not been squeezed or open or have open skin nearby. If you apply it to open skin, there's a possibility that you will create irritation if the clay gets into the skin.
A secondary benefit of this treatment is that it gives you something to do to reduce the lesions instead of squeezing them, which can force the contents to break out underneath the skin and cause the formation of large cyst. Some clays are more effective than others, And some custom combination clays may be far more effective. Be sure to stop using clay if you get too much dryness or irritation or itching.
It is of note that the author is a pediatrician–but not either a dermatologist or holistic/integrative practitioner. He is still stuck in the "disease model" and seems to have no idea about the conceptual basis for the application of alternative medicine to atopic dermatitis.
Use of alternative therapies and diets must varyaccording to each person, using an understanding of the specific patient, our culture, and the pathophysiologic syndromes understood in alternative and functional medicine. Treatments that work with some people may not work with others. For example, giving probiotics without understanding and addressing the factors in yeast overgrowth will lead to less than desirable results.
As a practitioner of Holistic and Integrative Dermatology, I can attest to the number of variables involved in controlling atopy, and the difficulty in getting patients to co-operate with their protocol and success with patients in a manner that meets their time expectations. It takes time and more exchange of information than conventional care.
Speaking as a health professional, I'll share that from behind-the-scenes, it requires a good understanding of dermatology, immunology, and alternative medicine, in order to avoid one or two omissions or errors that negate the benefits of the rest of the protocol, and to understand the meaning of various responses to exposures and treatments.
For example, it has taken me years to be able to use natural methods to successfully clear patients with severe acne who have seen multiple dermatologists and alternative practitioners. I can't imagine how the author of this article could have the perspective to make any meaningful pronouncement on the effectiveness of alternative medicine in Atopic Dermatitis. I do agree that more studies are necessary. However, they need to be designed with an understanding of the healing systems being applied, beyond the disease model.
__ As always, the content of this blog is for information and education purposes only, and should not be used to prevent, diagnose or treat illness; please see your physician for care.
