Acne vulgaris is the most common chronic skin disorder that has been affecting people around the globe
According to another survey, at an estimate 85% to 90% of all adolescent suffer from acne problems at one time. This breakout that they have in their teenage years may or may not persist on to their adulthood.
With time, a lot of new methods and medications have been developed which, if not completely cure, then certainly prevent the breakout of acne and is also effective in healing the skin of its marks and scars.
One such remedy is the use of lavender oil for its treatment.
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What is Lavender Oil?
Lavender oil is obtained by distilling the flower spikes of Lavandula Augustafolia, which is an evergreen plant found in the Mediterranean region.
It has a very high medicinal value and is used to treat conditions like insomnia, nervousness, depression, intestinal gas, upset stomach and various other ailments.
It also functions as a pain killer in conditions like migraine headaches, nerve pain and joint pain.
Apart from its medicinal value, it is also used as a cooking oil or flavoring agent in food and beverages. It also serves to keep the skin healthy when applied topically
How does lavender oil treat acne?
It primarily deals with that aspect of acne which is caused or rather increased in frequency due to stress as a reduction in tension is believed to have a calming effect on acne by decreasing the frequency of breakouts.
The ability of lavender oil in calming the nerves and soothing damaged skin is therefore the aspect which helps in acne healing.
In a medical journal published in 2003 in the Journal of Medical Oncology it was stated that even the inhalation of lavender oil has significant impact on relaxation of the muscles .
It is also believed that lavender oil can accelerate healing processes and is believed to heal the damaged skin tissues due to acne breakouts by inducing the formation of such tissues.
Further, lavender also exhibits antiseptic, astringent and analgesic properties. When applied on the skin, it penetrates to the skin pores and kills the infection also at the same time, reducing the pain caused due to inflammation.
Moreover, it acts as an astringent, tightening the pores of your skin to exclude the bacteria thus contained within.
It not only repairs the damaged skin but also makes it soft and evens out the skin tone. Thus it attacks the problem from all sides cleaning, relieving and softening the skin.
How to use Lavender oil for Treating Acne
Lavender oil works best on the skin when diluted with base oil and also facilitates easy spreading.
It should be mixed in the ration of 4:1 drops. The base oil can be any ranging from almond to olive.
Lavender oil and tea tree oil is a good combination for more severe kind of acne and should be mixed in the ratio of 1 tablespoon of lavender oil to four tablespoon of tea tree oil. In case of extremely sensitive skin the lavender oil must further be diluted in warm water.
It can be used in various ways. The first one involves using a cotton ball to apply this oil directly at the affected area.
A few drops of this oil can also be mixed into your bath in which you can soak your body for at least 15 minutes. The efficacy of lavender oil in skin treatment has however not been scientifically supported.
Health Benefits of using Lavender Oil
Lavender oil has numerous health benefits too:
- It has a calming effect on the skin and rarely causes dryness.
- It is helpful in dealing with anxiety as lavender oil contains a compound called linalool which naturally exhibits anti anxiety effects.
- Linalool also exhibits antiseptic properties which fight infections and accelerate the healing process. Lavender oil is therefore also used to treat wounds.
- It heals burns, scars, rashes, itches and any kind of irritation that the skin might be experiencing.
- It is also used in aroma therapy to deal with insomnia as it reduces tension and relaxes the muscle.
- Lavender oil helps in muscle relaxation and cramps as it contains esters, a compound that relaxes and relieves the muscles.
- Esters are also known to regulate the mood of people.
- Since it exhibits analgesic properties, it effectively heals migraine pains and any other kind of body pain.
- Lavender oil is also known to be effective in the prevention of hair loss and has been an ancient remedy for it.
Precaution while using Lavender oil
- In case of ingestion, lavender oil can be toxic.
- It is for external use only and any application or contact with the mouth, eyes and mucous membrane should be avoided.
- For people who are allergic to lavender oil, application may cause skin irritation.
- Do not use it on open wounds and severe sore without medical consultancy.
- Though there are a large variety of lavender plants present, healing qualities are exhibited only by Lavendula Augustifolia, Lavendula Spica and Lavendula Stoechas. Be sure to check for the content before buying it.
- It is very important to do a patch test before relying of its application for results in order to check for allergies.
- You must check for any signs of adulteration in the product that you are buying.
Possible Side effects
- In children it might cause abnormal disturbances and result in abnormal breast growth. It is therefore important that it should be administered to children only topically and in highly diluted doses.
- People who are allergic to lavender might experience nausea, headache and vomiting. In such cases, its use should be avoided.
- Lavender is known to slow the metabolism of the central nervous system and can therefore enhance the anesthetic effect. Its use must be stopped at least 2 weeks before undergoing any surgery.
- Increase in appetite as well as constipation has been reported by some people.
- Its effect on pregnant women and nursing mothers have not been scientifically studies and therefore it use must be avoided during any such situation.
Drug interaction
- The following drugs are known to interact with lavender:
Sedative medication: Lavender when taken along with sedative medications can increase its impact and therefore the use of both together must be avoided. These medications include amobarbital, mephobarbital, etc. - Chloral Hydrate might also react with lavender to cause extreme drowsiness.
Customer reviews for Lavender oil for Acne
Lavender oil is an extremely popular home medication. We did an online survey of people who use it and here is a summary of what they liked and disliked about it:
What they liked
Radiant skin: With its calming and anti anxiety effect, lavender oil relaxes the muscle of the face to give you a radiant glow and freshness. Many consumers experienced softer and healthier looking skin
Time effective: It has proven very time effective to a lot of consumers. In many cases signs of betterment in just 3 to 4 day and even one fortnight in some cases.
Helps with scarring and redness: Lavender oil is not only effective in reducing acne breakouts but also serve +to moisturize the skin. Moreover as said earlier it seems to be one solution to a whole lot of skin problems that you might have.
What they did not like about it
Expensive: Because of the nativity of the evergreen plant, lavender oil is quiet expensive to get and not very readily available in all places.
Smells bad: A few consumers complained that it emits a bad smells which makes its application on the skin for a long time quiet unbearable.
Summary
Lavender oil is a very popular cosmetic and medicinal component. It has a lot of skin and health benefits and deals with skin problems, attacking them from all sides and ensuring a quick healing process.
What more, it will also reduce the pain of the inflammation and those caused by the pimples that is such a topic of complain for most people experiencing acne breakouts.
It has been highly recommended by a lot of consumers and this treatment does deserve your attention once if all those tried chemicals are not suiting your skin.