Does Tea Tree Oil Help Treat Acne?
Tea tree oil has been clinically tested to treat acne and has been used as an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal remedy. It stops inflammation and dries up pimples and cystic acne without overdrying it.
What is Tea Tree Oil?
Tea tree oil comes from the Melaleuca alternifolia tree which is native to Australia. To obtain the therapeutic oil from the leaves of the plant, steam distillation is used. The essential oil is widely used by many for healing the skin and other ailments.
It is also effective against a broad spectrum of organisms as well as twenty seven of the thirty two stains of Propionibacterium acnes. Tea tree oil is mild to the skin and is good penetrating oil.
Uses of Tea Tree Oil
- Tea tree oil is used for a number of skin disorders and other maladies including acne, athlete’s foot, nail fungus, wounds, and infections.
- Additional applications for tea tree oil include use for thrush, cold sores, dandruff, lice, and skin abrasion.
- Tea tree oil is commonly used as an antibacterial or antifungal remedy.
Special role of tea tree oil in almost all skin disorders
Tea Tree Oil is deemed as a universal treatment for acne, wounds, warts, eczema, burns, insect bites and nail mycosis.
On a recent review on the use of plants in cosmetics, it was noted that tea Tree Oil is commonly utilized in skin care for the treatment of sores, blisters, spots, rashes, warts, burns and acne.
Clinical testing proving the effectiveness of tea tree oil in acne treatment
A clinical testing was done on 124 patients at the Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia to evaluate the effectiveness of the tea tree oil gel in the treatment of mild to moderate acne when compared with benzoyl peroxide lotion.
The results of the trial showed that both the benzyl peroxide and tea tree oil had a considerable effect in improving the patients’ acne by decreasing the amount of lesions (inflamed and non-inflamed). While the tea tree oil was slower in healing the lesions, it had fewer and milder side effects compared to benzyl peroxide.
This proves that the tea tree oil has the ability to perform just as well as a common over-the-counter acne treatment, without the harmful side effects.
Our thoughts
Although tea tree oil is effective in treating acne, it is not enough. You may need other treatments that work synergistically with it. Using topical solutions as well as other remedies that work externally and internally can also help significantly.
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