Using Coconut Oil on Acne

Can you use coconut oil on acne? Will it make pimples disappear and give you healthy acne-free skin?

If you've ever had acne, you know how frustrating it can be it can be. No matter where those annoying red bumps and blemishes appear, you may feel that the whole world is focused on them when they look at your face.

There are a number of factors that may cause acne; genetics, diet, hormones and stress may all play a part.

Having very dry skin and not moisturizing may also trigger acne as your oil glands may be over-producing sebum to compensate for the dry skin.

Four Ways How Coconut Oil May Stop Acne

Coconut oil may stop acne due to the following:

1. Coconut oil contains lauric acid, a powerful antimicrobial that kills acne-causing bacteria.

2. Coconut oil moisturizes dry skin

3. Coconut oil reduce inflammation

4. Coconut oil softens skin

Research Studies on Coconut Oil and Acne

Food scientists have found coconut oil is a natural source of lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain triglyceride found in high amounts in coconut oil and is also found in human breast milk.

When lauric acid is digested it's converted in monolaurin, a powerful monoglyceride that has antimicrobial effects against bacteria, lipid-coated virus and protozoa.

The following research studies look at possible anti-microbial effects of lauric acid against bacteria responsible for causing acne.

1. Antimicrobial Effects of Lauric Acid against P. Acne

California - A study published in the April 2009 edition of Journal of Investigative Dermatology compared the antibacterial effects of lauric acid against benzoyl peroxide, a popular over-the-counter medication for acne.

Incubation of acne-causing bacteria, Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermis) with lauric acid yielded over 15 times lower bacterial counts than benzoyl peroxide.

Lauric acid was also not cytotoxic to specific skin cells and animal studies shows it reduced inflammation and swelling.

Researchers concluded that lauric acid has stronger anti-bacterial powers than benzoyl peroxide and may be an effective alternative treatment for antibiotic therapy for acne.

2. Effects of Liposomal Lauric Acid for Acne

San Diego, California - Researchers at Department of Nano-Engineering, University of California looked at the antibacterial effects of lauric acid, palmitic acid and oleic acid against Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), the bacteria responsible for inflammatory acne.

Scientists demonstrated lauric acid has the strongest antibacterial effects against Propionibacterium acnes.

Lauric acid was found to exert the strongest antimicrobial effects when delivered in a liposome formula; the fatty acid was able to effectively kill the acne-causing bacteria by penetrating into the cellular membrane.

Researchers concluded that lauric acid has great potential as a safe and therapeutic treatment for acne.

Personal Reviews of Coconut Oil and Acne

Can you use coconut oil to treat acne?

The above research appears to indicate that lauric acid (found in coconut oil) may have potential as an effective antibacterial treatment for acne.

While there is presently a lack of human studies using coconut oil on acne, you can read testimonials from people that used coconut oil on acne at Dan Kern's popular acne website, Acne.org.

The following information summarizes some user's experiences with coconut oil on Acne.org:

• Coconut oil appears to have excellent moisturizing and skin softening effects.

• Coconut oil seems to help soften acne scars and cystic acne.

• Using too much coconut oil may make the skin greasy.

• Some people experienced a temporary increase in whiteheads after the first few applications of oil. Some users believed this is part of the 'cleansing process' that coconut oil may do to the skin.

• A small sample of people found coconut oil made their acne worse and stopped using it.

My Personal Experience with using Coconut Oil on Acne:

I experienced similar positive results when I tried using coconut oil on my acne; it initially made my skin greasy and then I found it really softened my skin in the problem areas. Coconut oil also reduced the redness and dryness that I would get from using Oxy-5.

I don't suffer from cystic acne, so I don't know how well coconut oil would work for that particular type of acne. For treating uncomplicated acne, I think virgin coconut oil appears to be an effective natural treatment.

Everyone's skin is different and individual causes of acne can vary. Optimizing your diet by increasing dietary intake of omega 3 fatty acids, controlling stress and getting regular exercise may also help balance your body and help normalize sebum production and acne flare-ups.

Research Studies on Coconut Oil and Acne