Tea Tree Oil & Oily Skin

Skin and hair care manufacturers have marketed tea tree oil as a noncomedogenic and antimicrobial application. According to MedlinePlus, the public website of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, tea tree oil is an effective for athlete's foot, nail fungus and acne. Tea tree dissolves skin oils and kills bacteria -- two major factors related to acne.

History

MedLinePlus traces the discovery of the tea tree to the 1700s. Sailors who came ashore on the southeastern coast of Australia, near present day Sydney, would use leaves from a tree that grew in a swamp to make tea. The result was a brew that smelled of nutmeg but had a strong, menthol-like flavor.

Latest Research

The most recent study to measure tea tree oil's impact on acne was conducted at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Published in a 2007 edition of the "Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology," a double-blind study of tea tree oil on acne showed that the oil reduced lesions by 3.55 times and acne severity by a factor of nearly 5.75.

Alternative to Medication

The first large scale study of the oil was performed by dermatologists at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown, Australia. The single-blind random study offered 5 percent solutions of either tea tree oil or benzoyl peroxide to patients affected by acne. The effects were similar. Pimples and lesions were reduced in both groups, while those in the tea tree group showed less side effects.

Function

Tea tree oil is antimicrobial according to MedlinePlus. This means that the oil eliminates both bacteria and fungus on contact. The bacteria P.acnes, which lives on the surface of the skin, feeds on the skin's oils. According to AcneNet, a website maintained by the American Academy of Dermatologists, the bacteria grow rapidly in the skin's oils. When used as a skincare treatment, tea tree not only dissolve the oil, but kills the bacteria.

Warnings

People with sensitive skin are advised to avoid tea tree oils for skin care. The Mayo Clinic warns that allergic skin reactions to the oil can range from mild dermatitis to rashes with blisters. People with allergies to balsam should also avoid tea tree as it is closely related.