Tea tree oil for pimples

Pimples don’t have to be a problem. Once you understand why they occur, you will be able to banish them forever. There is a very real relationship between bacteria and the formation of pimples. Thoroughly cleansing your skin is therefore the most important step to take. Tea tree oil has been shown to be highly effective in eliminating the presence and the persistence of pimples.

How Do Pimples Form?

It’s a relatively simple process, but once the skin is prone to developing pimples, you need to get at the root cause of the problem. Pimples involve a hair follicle and a sebaceous gland. The glands produce a substance called sebum, which is the body’s own moisturizer for the skin and hair. That’s a good thing.

The bad thing is that during adolescence, the hormones run a bit wilder, which causes the sebaceous glands to enlarge and to produce more sebum. Instead of maintaining and moisturizing the skin, the excess sebum spills over the skin’s surface and makes an oily appearance.

Everyone’s skin has bacteria on it, and under normal conditions, that doesn’t cause much of a problem. However, once the sebaceous glands become enlarged, this bacterium enters the hair follicle. In fact, this type of bacteria needs sebum for its nutrition and grows rapidly with the excess sebum being produced. Once bacteria sets up housekeeping in the follicle, white blood cells come to the rescue, as the body tries to cleanse this area. The result is seen in the inflammation, pain and pus that make up the pimple.

Tea Tree Oil for Pimples

Pimples form when a normal bodily process, carried out by the sebaceous glands, is exaggerated by the commands given by the hormones. The presence of bacteria is the catalyst that creates this situation and if this is controlled, the pimples will diminish.

Washing your face with soap and water is good, but not all soaps can destroy the bacteria. Tea tree oil is highly effective in cleansing your skin because it has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Once you reduce the presence of bacteria on your skin, the pimples won’t form so often or so fast. The anti-fungal properties of tea tree oil are also important because fungal infections often develop alongside or in combination with bacterial ones.

How to Use Tea Tree Oil for Pimples

You won’t need much; literally a few drops are more than enough. There are a couple of ways to use tea tree oil for pimples. You can add a few drops to whatever face cleanser you are already using. In this way, the anti-bacterial properties of the tea tree oil will enhance your favorite cleanser.

You may also apply tea tree oil directly to the pimples. This is often best done in the evening right before bed. Moisten your skin with a damp washcloth and apply several drops right on the pimples. In the morning, rinse your face but don’t use any makeup or any other type of treatment. Repeat the evening application and you will begin to notice a significant difference.

With diligence and determination, pimples can be eliminated by first attacking the problem of bacteria. Tea tree oil is an excellent way to kill the bacteria and start the healing process.

Tea tree oil for acne

What is Tea Tree Oil?
Tea tree oil is an essential oil obtained by steam distillation of the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, a plant native to Australia.

Pure, undiluted tea tree oil is found in health food stores and online. Tea tree oil is also an ingredient in a number of commercial products, such as gels, lotions, creams, toothpaste, mouthwashes, and shampoos.

Why is Tea Tree Oil Used for Acne?
Tea tree oil contains a constituent called terpinen-4-ol that is thought to be responsible for most of tea tree oil’s antimicrobial activity. Because tea tree oil can kill bacteria, applying topical tea tree oil to acne lesions has been thought to kill Propionibacterium acnes, the skin-dwelling bacteria that is involved in causing acne.

In a study comparing tea tree oil gel to benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil had fewer side effects than the benzoyl peroxide, which was associated with itching, burning, stinging, and dryness.

What is the Evidence for Tea Tree Oil and Acne?
Although tea tree oil is a popular remedy for acne, there has only been one older study on tea tree oil and acne.

A single-blind randomized trial by the Department of Dermatology at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia compared the effectiveness and tolerance of 5% tea tree oil gel with 5% benzoyl peroxide lotion in 124 people with mild to moderate acne. People in both groups had a significant reduction in inflamed and non-inflammed acne lesions (open and closed comedones) over the three month period, although tea tree oil was less effective than benzoyl peroxide.

Although the tea tree oil took longer to work initially, there were fewer side effects with tea tree oil. In the benzoyl peroxide group, 79% of people had side effects including itching, stinging, burning, and dryness. Researchers noted that there were far fewer side effects in the tea tree oil group.

Double-blind, randomized controlled trials are needed before we can determine whether tea tree oil can help acne.

Should Undiluted Tea Tree Oil be Applied to Acne Lesions?
Undiluted tea tree oil may cause skin irritation, redness, blistering, overdrying, and itching when applied directly to the skin.

The concentration used in the only study to date was a 5% tea tree oil gel, which was applied to acne prone areas.

A 5% tea tree oil solution can be made by mixing 5 parts tea tree oil to 95 parts water (e.g. 5 mL tea tree oil and 95 mL water).

What About Commercial Tea Tree Oil Products be Used?
There are a number of new topical acne products that contain tea tree oil. Have a look at the skin care aisle of the health food store. The company Kiss My Face just introduced a new topical tea tree oil gel that also has other herbal antiseptics, such as witch hazel.

Another place to look would be the drug store or a cosmetics store such as Sephora. DDF has a benzoyl peroxide gel with tea tree oil.