Home Remedies for Acne - Is Tea Tree Oil Effective?

Tea tree oil has been used for many years for a wide variety of conditions including acne, athlete's foot, dandruff, boils, periodontal disease, lice, eczema and other bacterial and fungal infections. It has been used as a home remedy for acne for many years and although there have been very few clinical studies of its effects in this area many people have found it very useful in controlling outbreaks of whiteheads and pimples.

What is Tea Tree Oil?

Tea tree oil is an essential oil that is obtained by steam distillation from the leaves of the Australian plant Melaleuca alternifolia. It has antiseptic and antifungal activity attributed to the terpenoids that it contains. The most abundant of these, terpinen-4-ol, is thought to be mainly responsible for these properties. Used on the skin it can kill the bacteria, Propionibacterium acnes, which causes acne.

Clinical Studies With Tree Tree Oil

That has been only a limited number of studies of the effect of tea tree oil in the treatment of acne. One study at the Department of Dermatology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia compared it's effects with those of the more popular remedy for acne, benzoyl peroxide. [Lancet, December 8, 1990; p.1438, Medical Journal of Australia, 1990;153: pp.455-458]. In this study a gel containing 5% tea tree oil was used by some patients while others used a similar preparation containing the same concentration of benzoyl peroxide.

Patients using tea tree oil found that it was effective in treating acne and had very few side effects compared to the group using the benzoyl peroxide preparation who experienced dryness, itching, stinging and burning of the skin. Tea tree oil however took longer to give the same benefits as the benzoyl peroxide. Other studies are really needed before it can be positively said that tea tree oil is effective for the treatment of acne. If you have mild to moderate acne, especially if you react badly to benzoyl peroxide, it is worth trying tea tree oil, although you will have to persevere for two months or so before you will see the most benefit.

Using Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree or should never be used undiluted on the skin as this can cause side effects such as redness, blistering, or burning especially if you have very sensitive skin. In the study performed in Australia a 5% concentration proved effective and this would be a good starting point. This can be made by diluting tea tree oil with water in the ratio of 5 parts oil to 95 parts water. It should be applied only to the affected areas and not all over the face. Use it twice a day and if you do not react to this concentration and you are not seeing sufficient benefit you could use a slightly increased concentration (up to 15%). It would not be a good idea to use concentrations higher than this. It does have a strong smell so you may want to just use it at night and wash thoroughly in the morning. You also need to change your pillowcase nightly as tea tree oil will rub off onto the pillowcase and can be transferred back to your face the next night transferring dirt with it.

Conclusion

It appears that tree oil is a good alternative to benzoyl peroxide and does not have it's known side effects such as stinging, burning, redness and irritation. As a home remedy for acne it is cheap and easily available, and although it does not work as quickly as benzoyl peroxide it is much milder on the skin. It is less drying and causes much less irritation, especially for those with sensitive skin. You will need to persevere with this treatment for a few weeks as it may take up to two months before you really feel the benefit.

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