Coconut Oil is every effective in the treatment of Acne. Let us find out what makes it so special for Acne.
Acne has been a really notorious and infamous problem through times, more so but not limited to, among teenagers, because it is they who suffer the most due to Acne. Although in most cases they disappear with age, but they give you a real bad time as long as they remain. Sometimes you get rid of them without having to spend a single penny (those very lucky ones) and sometimes you spend a fortune in their treatment and end up with nothing fruitful. Worse, if they go and leave some ugly spots all over your face! What if I suggest try using coconut oil in Acne? You might be wondering that when everybody else is advising you to keep away from oils and oily food in Acne, why the hell I am suggesting using it. That is because there are sufficient reasons behind it. Let us study them.
What causes Acne? Did you know what causes Acne? Acne is actually caused by infection of openings of sebum glands (now don’t tell me that you did not know that sebum glands secrete oily secretions on your skin to keep it moist to protect it from drying up and cracking) by bacteria and resultant obstruction in sebum secretion followed by inflammation, redness and swelling and pain. Now, you may ask then why Acne affects teenagers most. The reason is, during teens, due to certain hormonal changes, the sebum production is aggravated, giving an oily look. What teenagers do then is that resort to indiscriminate use of soaps which do no good but to rob the skin of its anti microbial acid guard, further making it prone to infections. Added to this, most of the teenagers suffer from constipation in this age which weakens their immunity.
Role of Coconut Oil in Acne treatment: So, what is role of coconut oil in Acne treatment? Coconut Oil is the source of two of the most powerful anti microbial agents found in any food substances. These are Capric Acid and Lauric Acid. They are the same acids that are found in mother’s milk and keep the baby protected from infections. When these are applied on skin, some microbes (good ones) present on skin convert these acids into Monocaprin and Monolaurin respectively, thereby replacing the protective acid layer on the skin. So, no microbial infection and no Acne! Not only external application, but internal consumption of coconut oil will give you the same protection, this time internally. Further, coconut oil is a rich source of Vitamin-E. This keeps your skin healthy and ensures proper functioning of sebum glands and clears blockage, thereby treating the very root cause of Acne. Finally, Coconut Oil is soothing on skin and highly penetrating. So, when applied on skin, it is absorbed readily and cuts down inflammation due to Acne to a great extent. It also helps heal any sort of wound on skin due to aggravated cases of Acne. And above all, Coconut Oil improves the rate of metabolism. This also indirectly affects proper secretion and balance of hormones and thus curbs out chances of Acne.
Choice of Coconut Oil: To use coconut oil in Acne, you need the very best one. Do not go for the unrefined, crude one, since it may be unhygienic and may contain dust particles. Go for the refined instead. The best choice will be Virgin Coconut Oil for this purpose. It is the all-good and no-bad coconut oil.
Finally: Results may vary from person to person, depending upon the skin type, age, profession, life style, eating habits, hygiene, sanitation etc. It should also be remembered that coconut oil is not a cure for Acne. It just aids healing in Acne. But indeed, it is far better than most of those creams and lotions available in market those claim to cure Acne. So, you can give a safe and cheap try by using coconut oil in Acne.
This article is contributed by Aparup Mukherjee.
Sources of Information:
- Reports of Coconut Development Board of India,
- Reports of KERAFED.
- Text books of various courses of agriculture.
- Various other reports on internet.
