How to treat spots and acne

Many teenagers and young adults suffer with spots and acne and it can make life very miserable. Most cases of acne are driven by changing hormones within the body which is why teenagers are so susceptible. Some women suffer outbreaks of spots around the time of their period, especially around their mouth and chin, and this is also linked to changes in hormone levels.

Thankfully herbal medicine can treat spots and acne by helping to iron-out hormonal imbalances and improve the skin's ability to eliminate toxins.  A professional herbalist will make a medicine unique to each individual's particular needs.

But in the meantime there are some things you can do yourself, using natural products, to help reduce the severity of the acne. The condition is caused by an excess of sebum trying to get out of the skin's sebaceous glands. Its path is blocked by a build-up of dead skin cells. The log-jam that develops becomes infected by the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes and this leads to inflammation and the classic spot.

Clearly there are several points in this process where intervention can help to stop the development of spots. It is important to keep the skin clean but this does not mean strip the skin of its natural oils and acid mantle. Be careful, as some over-the-counter skin cleansers and facial washes developed for acne, do just that.

So use a soap that contains high amounts of glycerine (or even better, olive oil) and no sodium lauryl sulphate , which can irritate the skin.  Natural hand-made soaps are the best and in fact you can make your own soap!  Twice a week exfoliate your skin, to remove the build-up of dead skin cells. Simply add a small handful of oatmeal (available from supermarkets) to your soapy hands and rub all over your face. Rub it in using both hands (it is a bit messy!) and then rinse off with luke-warm water.  Twice a week is enough, any more can begin to irritate the skin too much.

Use a special herbal skin treatment, morning and evening. Simply apply with cotton wool and leave on your skin. This lotion is easily made.

Acne skin treatment

100 mls of Distilled Witch Hazel water (available from chemists such as Boots)

100 mls of Marigold infusion (see below)

20 drops of Tea Tree  (Melaleuca alternifolia) essential oil

10 drops of German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) essential oil. Unfortunately this is very expensive - but worthwhile if you can afford it.

Mix these together in a bottle and keep in the fridge. This will keep it nice and cool, which feels good on the skin, as well as help to preserve it. It probably won't last more than a month - but you should have used it up by then.

Marigold infusion

For this you need 10-15 Marigold flower heads. Make sure they are Calendula officinalis (see picture) and not the bedding-plant marigold (Tagetes spp).

Add the flowers to 200mls of water in a pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool and then strain liquid through muslin.

Calendula officinalis is very easy to grow. In spring scatter seeds on a patch of soil (or in a large pot) in a sunny place. You will have flowers from late June onwards.

If you can't get hold of fresh flowers to make the infusion, you can use dried petals.

Failing that you could use a tincture of Calendula officinalis (from herbal suppliers such as G.Baldwin and Co). But then add just 25mls to the Acne Treatment lotion, as the alcohol in the tincture may be too drying to the skin.