Cystic Acne

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Cystic Acne
« on: June 15, 2006, 11:32:16 PM » by StephTallent

A lady sent me an e-mail with this question and I thought that you knowledgable people would have some good ideas!

I suffer from cystic acne and am looking for natural remedies. Is there something you have or can find that will be safe to take (if pregnant or not) and will work?

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Re: Cystic Acne
« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2006, 10:19:23 AM » by running free

Hi!

She should probably first use herbs and diet/lifestyle changes to fix any internal problems that might be triggering the acne. These include abnormal hormone levels, weak immune system, or overworked liver. I’ve found that eating lots of garlic and yogourt and drinking lots of water and ginger tea daily, have really helped. Here are some other recommended herbs.
Burdock, yellow dock, and dandelion together all stimulate the liver and regulate bowel moverments, thus, helping the body to eliminate toxins. Research shows that the bitter compounds in dandelion root help the liver by increasing bile flow.
Lab studies show that calendula flowers can boost immunity and soothe inflammation.
Research shows that chasteberry helps balance female hormones, especially by regulating highher progesterone levels that herbalists believe may be a factor in acte. It is a remedy for skin problems that occur with PMS.
To take these herbs, combine ¼ ounce of each of your herbs of choice. Then steep 1 tsp of the mixture in 1 cup of boiling water. Drink 1-3 cups a day for one or two weeks before your period if acne is related to mensturation. Continue for 3 months to a year. OR take a total of 1 tsp of tincture diluted in 8 ounces of water 3 times a day.
She should wash her face with gentle, natural cleansers without dyes. Here are some recipes she can try herself.
Oatmeal Scrub – removes dirt and oil without stripping the skin
Grind old-fashion or instand rolled oats in a food processor or clean coffee grinder. Mix 1 tsp of ground dried lavender or rosemary leaves or cinnamon powder into each cup of oatmeal mixutre. To use, mix 2 tsp with about 1 tbsp of water to make a paste. Rinse with lukewarm water.
Calming mask – draws excess oils and debris, boosts circulation to tighten skin, unclogs pores
Make a tea with 2 tbsp of comfrey in ½ cup of boiling water. Steep for about 15 minutes, let cool, and strain. Then combine small amounts of the tea with 1 tbsp of bentonite clay or other plain facial clay, 1 tsp each of ground dried American elder flowers and strawberry leaves, and 1 drop of lavender essential oil to form a paste. Pat a thin layer of the mixture on face and leave on for 5-10 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water.
Benzoin toner – Soothes inflammation, fights infection, controls oil
Make a strong tea with 1 tbsp each of yarrow and calendula or chamomile in 2 cups of boiling water. Steep for 30 minutes and strain. Add 15 drops of tincture of benzoin and 6 drops of peppermint essential oil. Pour the mixutre into a plastic bottle with a tight-fitting lid and store it in the fridge.
Cabbage toner – contains sulfur, which dries blemishes and fights bacteria. Also normalizes the acidity of skin.
Combine 4 ounces of witch hazel and one 1-inch square piece of cabbage leaf in a wide-mouthed plastic bottle. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Let the mixture steep for 24 hours. You can leave the leaf in the bottle. Can be stored at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.
She should moisturize her skin, in order to prevent oil overproduction. Petroleum based moisturizers, however, smother and heat the skin, causing pores to enlarge. She can use jojoba, sunflower, or olive oil at night. Here is a recipe for herbal blemish cream:
To prepare the cream, mix together ½ tsp of powdered goldenseal, ½ tsp of green clay or bentonite clay, 12 drops of tea tree essentail oil, and 12 drops of grapefruit seed extract to form a paste. Add a little more liquid or clay to perfect the consistency. Apply the cream to blesmishes at night or any other time you can leave the mix in place for several hours.
Other suggestions:
Aloe: very soothing, good for inflammation, kills bacteria
Tomato and lemon: good for blackheads
Bee propolis: strengthens immune system
Burt’s Bees and Lush are 2 companies that sell all-natural skin products. Burt’s Bees parsley blemish stick is good for controlling breakouts, as is tea tree oil. Lush stores give very generous free samples. I’ve tried the Fresh Pharmacy cleanser and Enzymion moisturizer; both improved my acne.
Link to "The Green Pharmacy":
http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/41/104.cfm

Info from: Prescription for Nutritional Healing, The Woman’s Book of Healing Herbs

Good luck!

« Last Edit: June 16, 2006, 03:57:20 PM by running free »
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Re: Cystic Acne
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2006, 11:33:46 AM » by InEverything

I suffer from cystic acne and the only thing that helped me 100% was taking oregano oil internally (when not nursing or pregnant). It was a complete cure for me. Now I am nursing again and still breakout. I am just trying to keep my hair away from my face and that seems to help.
I was curious if taking oregano oil kills all good bacteria? Another benefit for me was not catching any colds while taking it. I hope you find something that works for you! It seems like I have tried everything!!!

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Re: Cystic Acne
« Reply #3 on: July 18, 2006, 11:54:56 AM » by Thyme2BeeHealthy

I read the below info from another message board. Different people on the board tried it and had the same results.

You might give this a try.
~~~~~~~~~~~

A friend told me about something she found at Wal-Mart (YES, Wal-mart) called "Nature's Cure", two part acne treatment. They have a formula for girls and a formula for boys. She SWORE that it had been a miracle for her children.

Well, I had just ordered pro-active (the infomercial skin care system) and was excited about it. After weeks of getting angry because my son always FORGOT to use It decided to just give thisother stuff a TRY!

Finally, last week I broke down and bought the boy formula and he is on day 4 or 5? His face has went from being really broke out to be almost as smooth as before he started having problems.

All he does is chew a pill in the morning and one at night AND this is the best part, it's HOMEOPATHIC!!!!

This is the best 8-10 dollars we've ever spen

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Re: Cystic Acne
« Reply #4 on: July 18, 2006, 12:07:45 PM » by Thyme2BeeHealthy

Oh yeah, here are some of the ingredients.

Calendula officinalis
maigold
Hydrastis canadensis
Juglans regia
Silicea
Antimonium crudum
Echinacea Angustifolia
Ledum palustre
Orchitinum
Sarsaparilla

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Re: Cystic Acne
« Reply #5 on: August 04, 2006, 04:06:10 PM » by 4myhoonie

Quote from: Thyme2BeeHealthy on July 18, 2006, 11:54:56 AM

so is this mainly for teenagers? sounds weird, but i might give it a try! thanks!

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Re: Cystic Acne
« Reply #6 on: August 04, 2006, 04:54:08 PM » by Christal

I never suffered much from acne as a teenager but now that I am almost 30, anytime I eat sugary foods for several days, I break out with painful pimples under my arms. I also get pimples on my face and legs at the same time, they are just not as painful. I stop the sugar immediately and they go away in 2 to 3 days. If I don't stop the sugar they will hang around for a week or even two weeks.

The sugary stuff that sets it off is when we eat lots of baked goods, cakes with lots of icing, rich brownies, cookies, or ice cream. My most recent outbreak was from some Huckleberry Taffy a friend brought us from their vacation. Fruit and honey don't seem to bother me at all.

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Re: Cystic Acne
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2006, 11:10:47 AM » by mom24boys

I mentioned in another thread what my son found worked so I'll mention it here, too.

Wash the face with Selsun Blue or Tegrin Shampoo. This really helped to deal with the results of an outbreak and gave us "breathing room" to work on adjusting diet and such.

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Re: Cystic Acne
« Reply #8 on: September 26, 2006, 02:14:42 PM » by flowergirl

Quote from: InEverything on July 18, 2006, 11:33:46 AM

I have a friend looking for something that would help her...
How much (and how) were you taking oregano oil? Right now she is on meds for cystic acne, and has even taken accutane. Have you taken any meds before? She is trying to wean herself off of the meds, and looking for a natural "cure."

Thanks!

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Re: Cystic Acne
« Reply #9 on: September 29, 2006, 07:25:22 PM » by flowergirl

Quote from: flowergirl on September 26, 2006, 02:14:42 PM

Quote from: InEverything on July 18, 2006, 11:33:46 AM

Bump

« Last Edit: September 30, 2006, 12:55:47 PM by healthybratt »
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Re: Cystic Acne
« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2006, 09:57:17 PM » by GreenWillow

Don't know specifically about cystic acne, but we have found that acne in general responds well to a home remedy taught to me by a friend from Guatemala:
At night before bed, pour about a Tbsp of sugar into the palm of your hand and add just enough lemon juice to make a paste. Massage the paste in a circular motion (not too hard, you don't want to abrade the skin!) over the affected areas to slightly exfoliate. Then, let the paste sit for about 30 seconds, rinse off and pat dry. Do this each night. For my son's very oily and football/baseball-sweat aggravated acne we switch the sugar to salt.
I can honestly tell you that he notices improvement the very first morning when he does this.
Hope this helps

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Re: Cystic Acne
« Reply #11 on: September 30, 2006, 12:27:08 AM » by InEverything

Quote

Hi flowergirl- I took Natures Way Oregano Oil- standardized- 1 capsule a day. 50 mg. It also had 25 mg flaxseed. It worked wonders for me, a 100% zit free-- I had taken lots of anitbiotics before---HORRID--- and it never worked. Now I have acne again because I don't want to try oregano while nursing.
Maybe I'll try the lemon scrub! I have always heard some people say they have great results when they don't even wash their face at all. So lately I have been just washing with Ivory to get dirt off without stripping the oils. May face does seem clearer but nothing definative yet.
I would definately tell your friend to try the oregano or yeast assassin( it has oregano in it).

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Re: Cystic Acne
« Reply #12 on: February 08, 2010, 08:00:02 AM » by vdubmama

How do I make oregano oil? Or where do I find it? Do I just take a tablespoon and swallow it? Or apply it to my face?

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Re: Cystic Acne
« Reply #13 on: February 08, 2010, 11:06:19 AM » by herbalmom

The oregano oil she's talking about is oregano essential oil- you DO NOT take any essential oil by the spoonful- it could kill you. The dose for ess oils in in drops & with oregano ess oil it's so strong that it's cut by about 75% with olive oil or some other food oil. Even at that, the dose is still in drops. Believe me, even with it cut with 75% olive oil take too much of it & you will be hurting. I did that once- a large dose of oregano ess diluted in olive oil that I put into water & drank. It hurt going down & it hurt for a long time afterward. I do take small doses sometimes in a liquid but I'll never take a large dose like that in liquid again.

Now if I need to take a larger dose I take it in a gelatin capsule. Even at that, the largest dose I ever take is 30 drops at a time. Keep in mind though, I weigh 240 pounds & have major yeast/fungus problems- that's why I take such a large dose. For clearing up acne you probably wouldn't need anywhere close to that.

Quote from: InEverything on September 30, 2006, 12:27:08 AM

I took Natures Way Oregano Oil- standardized- 1 capsule a day. 50 mg. It also had 25 mg flaxseed.

What InEverthing was talking about is a pre made, commercial, standardized dose in a capsule. Nature's Way is an herbal company. Here's a link to the product that InEverything is talking about:

Nature's Way Standardized Oregano Oil

Quote from: vdubmama on February 08, 2010, 08:00:02 AM

How do I make oregano oil? Or where do I find it? Do I just take a tablespoon and swallow it? Or apply it to my face?

HTH Blessings ~herbalmom

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Re: Cystic Acne
« Reply #14 on: February 27, 2010, 11:43:08 AM » by Mom2four

I have my teens currently using the plaintain tincture I found on the Bulk Herb Store's Herbal DVD - I made it with plaintain and apple cider vinegar. It seems to be working well for my son and I can't tell about my daughter so much yet, she has some hormonal issues as well. I think I will try the Nature's Cure as well, but looking at the ingredients there is Black Cohash in it - is that safe for teenage girls? Does it not have an estrogen effect? Maybe I am thinking of something else.

I am getting concerned about scarring, but I so want to avoid the strong traditional acne treatments. We have an extremely clean diet, I really don't understand why their acne is so severe.

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