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updated September 07, 2010

Herbal Acne Treatments

In the United States, we spend money on two things: weight loss products and acne treatments? So why acne treatments? Because an estimated 40 million people suffer from acne at any given time. It is assumed in some ways that just about everybody suffers acne at some point in their lives. So this leaves us searching for the best acne treatment, and unfortunately, you will generally find that the acne treatment that works for your best friend won't necessarily work for you. Moreover, most acne treatments are not only chemical based, they are potentially harmful to the body and skin.

This is why so many have turned to herbal acne treatments. Herbal acne treatments provide a viable alternative. They are of course all natural, and generally speaking they don't come with side effects as you would find with chemical based ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide. They can even nourish the skin in some cases, strengthening it and overcoming past damage in some cases.

This being said, herbal does not always mean effective or for that matter safe. There are herbal acne treatments that are just as bad as the prescriptions and other chemical based acne treatments. It is especially important to be aware of this fact rather than going in blindly. With this in mind, there are a few options to consider.

For starters, you could use herbal acne treatments that take an internal approach. These supposedly address acne from the inside out, helping you to effectively eliminate acne without causing further problems in general. They generally detoxify the body. However, some also supplement with vitamins and minerals and otherwise take varying approaches. This being said, one internal supplement to watch out for, though technically naturally based, would be Accutane, which uses a derivative of vitamin A. Pregnant women should be especially careful when considering any of these options.

The second option you would have are external products. These could be scrubs, masks, or essentially speaking just about any other kind of product. They generally use anything from bentonite clay to essential oils to hydroxy acids such as glycolic acids or salicylic acid. Hydroxy acids generally come from milk or otherwise, and they cause the skin to peel away at a higher rate. This being said, alpha hydroxy acids would present an example of natural and herbal acne treatments that could potentially cause side effects, even side effects similar to benzoyl peroxide.

Herbal acne treatments definitely have potential, and there are some that I would without question recommend to the average person suffering from acne. However, like any other set of treatments, you still have to be careful. You still have to do your research, and quite frankly speaking, you still have to be honest with yourself. If you have used one treatment, using another product based on the same ingredient wouldn't be the best idea if it didn't work. So be skeptical. But without a doubt, the best herbal acne treatments are far better than the best chemical based acne treatments.