My Acne Story Part III - Making the Dermatologists Richer

Once I realised that my acne is not going to go away by itself, I had to consult a dermatologist. Along the way, I have changed many doctors for one reason on another before I finally found a doctor who had a prescription which worked.

While I was spending my time trying different doctors and trying to see which one of them actually works, I couldn't stop going out or living in general. I have never allowed the way I look affect my opinion about myself (which has always been high, by the way!). I am not saying that acne didn't bother me but it is not a big enough issue to put your entire life on hold. People have come up to me with suggestions like, " Why don't you go to a doctor?" or "You should do something about this!". Well, I felt like screaming,"What else do you think I am doing?" [However, this was usually followed by few adjectives which are very guess-able.] You cannot get rid of such people so, the only choice is to ignore them.

Now, let us continue with the list of things that I have tried-

My Acne Story Part II - Some More Hits and Misses

I have this weird habit....when I am talking to people, at times, my mind is involved in a different conversation altogether. Hence, I come up with pieces of info and facts that very few or nobody cares about. Hmmm some waste of talent, I say! Anyway, in the previous post I mentioned some of the weird and not so weird suggestions I received from people. I have a history of doing research about everything....you know somebody who would Google 'Google'. I came across some more treatments and home remedies and I was game for anything so, I went on to try as many as I could.

Clove Essential Oil- Uses

Traditionally, Chinese used cloves for for treatment of hernia, diarrhea and bronchitis. It was also used for intestinal parasites, skin infections, digestive upsets and toothaches. Today, I think using clove oil for toothache is the most widespread use. Clove oil has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. I have personally used it for toothache and acne. 

For acne, take a q-tip and dip it in clove oil.Squeeze out the extra content and dab it on top of the pimple.But don't use too much of the oil because it will irritate your skin. You can mix olive oil and clove oil if you want to avoid irritation.

via Taj Agro Products

          

There are three types of clove oil:

• Bud oil is derived form the flower-buds of S. aromaticum. This is supposedly the best  variety of clove oil.

• Leaf oil is derived from the leaves of S. aromaticum.

• Stem oil is derived from the twigs of S. aromaticum.

Uses of Clove oil:

• Clove oil is good for numbing the pain of a toothache and can be used in place of conventional numbing agents before dental work. The chief constituent of clove oil is eugenol, and it has been shown to be as effective as the commonly used benzocaine in numbing the gum.
• Using clove oil topically spreads warmth and numbs pain. Use it after diluting it with some olive oil as it can irritate to the skin.

                  

                                  

                             Figure 2 That just looks big, it is only 2ml in reality.

• Taken internally, therapeutic-grade essential clove oil is helpful for treating the gas discomfort that often comes with peptic ulcers. However, it doesn’t reduce the gas, it only numbs the pain.
• ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) is a method used to measure the anti-oxidant capacity of a food item. Clove has a ORAC rating of 1,078,700 which means it will reduce the risk of age related conditions.
• You can use it on small cuts to clean it and it also numbs the pain. It acts as an antiseptic and analgesic.
• It eases the pain in arthritis and rheumatism.
• It provides relied in case of cold and bronchitis.
• In case of fungal infection, apply the diluted clove oil on the affected area.
• For acne, you can either apply the oil over the affected area or use it as a face pack. Lot of ready to use face packs are also available in the market.

                 

                                                     Figure 3 Clove oil

Directions for use:

 Use about two drops in 5ml of olive oil. You can use any other oil if you want.

This diluted oil can be used directly on the skin or can be diffused( in case of cold).

In case of toothache, take a small cotton ball and put one drop of clove oil on it and hold it above the tooth which is giving trouble. It’s antibacterial property will act on the microbes causing cavities as well.

In case of cold- Add two drops of clove oil in water, heat it and inhale the steam. It will open the blocked nasal passage.