Coconut oil and acne

If you've tried several beauty products to improve your skin unsuccessfully, coconut oil could help. Image credit: sarit chaiwangsa/sxc.hu

Coconut oil is believed to assist in acne relief. Image credit: TJ Fun/sxc.hu

If you've had a consistent battle with acne, some natural health experts are beginning to recommend using coconut oil to treat it.Why? Because it has anti-microbial properties that some practitioners believe could help lower acne bacterial count and restore the balance on your skin.Acne bacteria are actually good for us - but too much of it can cause inflammation, leading to blemishes and larger acne breakouts.Natural health practitioners also suggest that coconut oil is detoxifying and therefore beneficial.When your body has accumulated too many toxins from diets that include alcohol, preservatives, high refined sugars etc, a breakout can happen.The detoxifying effect of coconut oil also eases the load on your liver so that it doesn't go into overdrive producing sebum (skin oil). When the production of skin oil is better regulated, your skin is less acne prone. Additionally, applying the tropical oil to your skin can also help calm down the secretion of sebum since the oil carries fatty acids that are similar in characteristics to sebum.For some people, adding coconut oil into their diet may momentarily cause more breakouts as it encourages your body to purge toxins. However once your body is rid of what it doesn't need, the acne will gradually heal and there will be a significant improvement over time.Additionally, including coconut oil in your diet assists your body in processing and excreting toxins by creating a gentle laxative effect, and helping your body to rid itself of waste easier.Despite the fact that coconut oil can assist with acne, it's certainly not a complete cure. Like all things, a healthy diet that is low in toxins and sugar, and includes plenty of water is the best way to have great skin.While the oil can certainly help, you can enhance its effect by eating plenty of vegetables and fruit, and other natural whole foods that benefit your skin. These plant-based foods can help expedite your acne healing and may lighten or even fade current scars completely.