Cleveland, OH. —Benzoyl Peroxide — the ubiquitous chemical present in a lot of acne treatments—offer little health benefits over natural antimicrobial essential oils in treating acne. In fact, studies worldwide have shown that Tea Tree Oil (TTO) to be just as effective with indications that there are less side effects.

What are the side effects of Benzoyl Peroxide?

All medicines may cause side effects, and many people have no, or minor, side effects. Still, in many cases the most COMMON side effects reported when using products containing Benzoyl Peroxide are: Dryness; feeling of warmth; irritation; itching; peeling; redness; stinging; swelling of the skin. This is particularly ironic considering the purpose of an acne treatment is to promote healthier skin.

Tea Tree Oil Is It A Better Solution for Treating Acne?

Acne Vulgaris is essential a series of infections caused by the natural secretion of Sebum. Sebum clogs the pores creating the perfect environment for bacteria to proliferate. The active ingredient in TTO— terpinen-4-ol — is a known natural anti-inflammatory agent with powerful natural antimicrobial properties. The studies indicate that Tea tree Oil accomplishes everything chemical treatments can without many of the side effects mentioned above.

The studies that were conducted span several continents and include clinical research from Europe, India, and Australia

Because of the way benzoyl peroxide kills the bacteria, mutations can happen at the targeted site. In addition, Benzoyl Peroxide and other synthetic chemicals can destroy most of the healthy skin bacteria. Our healthy bacteria are the heart of the body’s natural immune system. It’s our first line of defense so any impact on that opens the door to continued infections.

It appears that using natural essential oils in the treatment of acne can circumvent this. Natural antimicrobial essential oils like Tea tree Oil and Eucalyptus Oil work by creating an extremely hostile environment for offensive pathogens, making it hard for them to survive, but not so harsh as to kill off all the skin’s natural healthy bacteria. In sense, they work in tandem with the skin’s natural immunities to fight infection.

The simple solution: By incorporating natural antimicrobial essential oils like Tea Tree Oils and Oils of Eucalyptus in a soap bar, companies like Natracil help you control the spread of skin infections on his team, avoid antibiotic resistance and minimize re occurring outbreaks.

The evidence showing the effectiveness of essential oils are widely known. The risks of using natural oils as a component of good hygiene are practically non-existent.

Millions of adults are experiencing acne for the first time. In fact, the average age of acne patients has now increased from 20 to 26 years old. (1) And acne rates are rising — contradicting the belief that this condition is caused by genes.

Eight million people see the dermatologist every year for acne. Today we spend more than $1 billion a year on prescription acne treatments and millions more rely on over-the-counter products that total $100 million in sales every year.

But no medication or over-the counter remedy treats the causes of acne — they just cover up the symptoms.

The key to healthy skin isn’t just treating symptoms with lotions or drugs. You have to treat the underlying causes of the condition if you want to solve your acne problem. And no matter
what health problem you face, the root causes can be traced back to the same underlying factors, because the body-including your skin-is one whole integrated system. The real causes of acne (and all disease) include nutritional status, stress, toxicity, inflammation, and hormonal and gut imbalances.

There’s a better way to treat acne, and today I’m going to show you how to get clear, vibrant skin, without drugs.

Good Skin Comes from the Inside Out

Before I explain the connections between what you eat, how you live, and the health of your skin, I want to tell you about my own experience with acne.

I never had it-until I got chronic fatigue syndrome.

This is a disease of toxicity, gut damage, inflammation, hormonal imbalances, and stress, among other things. The trigger that tipped me over the edge was a severe intestinal infection on top of mercury toxicity and a load of stress. When I got the infection, my skin changed right away.

It turned gray and I developed dark circles under my eyes. I got pimples all over my face (at age 36) and rashes around my eyes whenever I ate certain foods. And I developed itchy red patches on different parts of my body. All of these skin symptoms correlated with a worsening of my gut symptoms and the irritable bowel syndrome that I developed.

To heal this problem, I knew I couldn’t resort to creams, gels, or lotions like benzoyl peroxide, retinoid acid, salicylic acid, or topical antibiotics (all of which slightly help symptoms). I
didn’t need oral antibiotics (which can cause long-term gut complications, immune problems, and yeast overgrowth) or Accutane (which can cause liver damage and increase the risk of depression and suicide), or oral contraceptives (which I may have been offered had I been a woman).

Instead, I needed to heal my gut, correct my food allergies and nutritional deficiencies, detoxify from mercury, reduce inflammation, and rebalance my stress hormones. When I did that, my pimples vanished, my eyes cleared up, and my rashes went away (along with my chronic diarrhea, disabling fatigue, and more).

This is hardly a miracle. I have seen the same thing happen for thousands of my patients. The reason is simple: Clear skin comes from the inside out. You have to treat the causes of the
condition and rebalance your health if you want to resolve your acne problem.

So here are the real causes of-and solutions for-acne. Address these areas and you can have clear, healthy skin once again.

Poor Diet

* Skin health and acne are tied strongly to diet.

* Acne is caused by inflammation and oxidative stress (two keys
of UltraWellness).

* Sugar raises insulin levels, which promotes the production of
testosterone in women, and inflammation in general, causing acne.

* Saturated and processed fats increase arachidonic acid levels
and compete with omega-3 fats in the body, leading to more
inflammation and acne.

* Milk and dairy consumption is closely linked with acne (and
many other problems) because of the hormones and saturated fat in
dairy.

* High-sugar milk chocolate can increase inflammation-and acne-
but dark chocolate does the opposite.

Nutritional Deficiencies

* Deficiencies of zinc, omega-3 fats, and anti- inflammatory
omega-6 fats like evening-primrose oil promote acne –
supplementing with them can help reduce inflammation and acne.

* A topical form of vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) reduces
inflammation and improves acne.

* Acne patients have low levels of vitamins A and E, which are
critical for skin health.

* People who eat more fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants
and anti-inflammatory compounds have less acne.

* Certain foods have been linked to improvements in the
underlying causes of acne and can help correct it, including fish
oil, turmeric, ginger, green tea, nuts, dark purple and red foods
like berries, dark green leafy vegetables, and eggs.

Hormonal Imbalances

* Hormonal imbalances of testosterone, IGF-1 (insulin-like
growth hormone), and insulin promote acne.

* The biggest factor affecting hormones is the glycemic load of
your diet (how quickly food increases your blood sugar and
insulin levels).

* Eating omega-3 fats, soy foods, and fiber (to reduce
testosterone in women) and exercising and cutting out sugar (to
reduce insulin) help balance hormones.

Leaky Gut and Food Allergies

* Delayed food allergies are a common cause of acne. Gluten,
dairy, yeast, and eggs can be problems if you have a leaky gut.

* Probiotics like lactobacillus can improve acne.

* Even serious cystic acne can resolve when the gut is fixed.

Your Brain

* Stress causes acne flare-ups by increasing inflammation and
oxidative stress, raising cortisol, and depleting zinc,
magnesium, and selenium, which help control acne.

* Stress causes poor dietary choices.

* Manage stress through meditation, yoga, saunas, massage,
biofeedback, aromatherapy, and more.

Getting to the roots of illness using the strategies above and
the 7 Keys to UltraWellness can help you uncover the source of
your health problem, wherever you may find it — even in a pimple
on your nose!

Mark Hyman, MD

References

(1) Cunliffe, WJ and Gould DJ. 1979. Prevalence of facial acne
vulgaris in late adolescence and adults. British Medical Journal.
1, 1109-1110

———————————————————-
Mark Hyman, MD is a pioneer in functional medicine, practicing physician and best-selling author. Dr. Hyman is now sharing the 7 ways to tap into your body’s natural ability to heal itself -

See The UltraWellness Blog for more on acne, eczema, and other skin problems -

http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/acne-pimples-and-other-skin-problems

———————————————————

Try Acne Soap as precaution and avoid the chances of having Acne .

Acne Treatment

Millions of adults are experiencing acne for the first time. In fact, the average age of acne patients has now increased from 20
to 26 years old. (1) And acne rates are rising — contradicting the belief that this condition is caused by genes.

Eight million people see the dermatologist every year for acne. Today we spend more than $1 billion a year on prescription acne
treatments and millions more rely on over-the-counter products that total $100 million in sales every year. But no medication or over-the counter remedy treats the causes of acne — they just cover up the symptoms.

The key to healthy skin isn’t just treating symptoms with lotions or drugs. You have to treat the underlying causes of the condition if you want to solve your acne problem. And no matter what health problem you face, the root causes can be traced back to the same underlying factors, because the body-including your skin-is one whole integrated system. The real causes of acne (and all disease) include nutritional status, stress, toxicity, inflammation, and hormonal and gut imbalances.

There’s a better way to treat acne, and today I’m going to show
you how to get clear, vibrant skin, without drugs.
Good Skin Comes from the Inside Out Before I explain the connections between what you eat, how you live, and the health of your skin, I want to tell you about my own experience with acne.

I never had it-until I got chronic fatigue syndrome.

This is a disease of toxicity, gut damage, inflammation, hormonal imbalances, and stress, among other things. The trigger that tipped me over the edge was a severe intestinal infection on top of mercury toxicity and a load of stress. When I got the infection, my skin changed right away.

It turned gray and I developed dark circles under my eyes. I got pimples all over my face (at age 36) and rashes around my eyes whenever I ate certain foods. And I developed itchy red patches on different parts of my body. All of these skin symptoms correlated with a worsening of my gut symptoms and the irritable bowel syndrome that I developed.

To heal this problem, I knew I couldn’t resort to creams, gels, or lotions like benzoyl peroxide, retinoid acid, salicylic acid, or topical antibiotics (all of which slightly help symptoms).  I didn’t need oral antibiotics (which can cause long-term gut complications, immune problems, and yeast overgrowth) or Accutane (which can cause liver damage and increase the risk of depression and suicide), or oral contraceptives (which I may have been
offered had I been a woman).

Instead, I needed to heal my gut, correct my food allergies and nutritional deficiencies, detoxify from mercury, reduce inflammation, and rebalance my stress hormones. When I did that, my pimples vanished, my eyes cleared up, and my rashes went away (along with my chronic diarrhea, disabling fatigue, and more).

This is hardly a miracle. I have seen the same thing happen for thousands of my patients. The reason is simple: Clear skin comes from the inside out. You have to treat the causes of the condition and rebalance your health if you want to resolve your acne problem.

So here are the real causes of-and solutions for-acne. Address these areas and you can have clear, healthy skin once again.
Poor Diet

* Skin health and acne are tied strongly to diet.

* Acne is caused by inflammation and oxidative stress (two keys
of UltraWellness).

* Sugar raises insulin levels, which promotes the production of
testosterone in women, and inflammation in general, causing acne.

* Saturated and processed fats increase arachidonic acid levels
and compete with omega-3 fats in the body, leading to more
inflammation and acne.

* Milk and dairy consumption is closely linked with acne (and
many other problems) because of the hormones and saturated fat in
dairy.

* High-sugar milk chocolate can increase inflammation-and acne-
but dark chocolate does the opposite.

Nutritional Deficiencies

* Deficiencies of zinc, omega-3 fats, and anti- inflammatory omega-6 fats like evening-primrose oil promote acne — supplementing with them can help reduce inflammation and acne.

* A topical form of vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) reduces inflammation and improves acne.

* Acne patients have low levels of vitamins A and E, which are critical for skin health.

* People who eat more fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds have less acne.

* Certain foods have been linked to improvements in the underlying causes of acne and can help correct it, including fish oil, turmeric, ginger, green tea, nuts, dark purple and red foods like berries, dark green leafy vegetables, and eggs.

Hormonal Imbalances

* Hormonal imbalances of testosterone, IGF-1 (insulin-like growth hormone), and insulin promote acne.

* The biggest factor affecting hormones is the glycemic load of your diet (how quickly food increases your blood sugar and insulin levels).

* Eating omega-3 fats, soy foods, and fiber (to reduce testosterone in women) and exercising and cutting out sugar (to reduce insulin) help balance hormones.

Leaky Gut and Food Allergies

* Delayed food allergies are a common cause of acne. Gluten, dairy, yeast, and eggs can be problems if you have a leaky gut.

* Probiotics like lactobacillus can improve acne.

* Even serious cystic acne can resolve when the gut is fixed.

Your Brain

* Stress causes acne flare-ups by increasing inflammation and oxidative stress, raising cortisol, and depleting zinc, magnesium, and selenium, which help control acne.

* Stress causes poor dietary choices.

* Manage stress through meditation, yoga, saunas, massage, biofeedback, aromatherapy, and more.

Getting to the roots of illness using the strategies above and the 7 Keys to UltraWellness can help you uncover the source of your health problem, wherever you may find it — even in a pimple on your nose!

———————————————————————————-

Copyright (c) 2009 Mark Hyman, M.D.
The UltraWellness Blog

http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/