Tea Tree Oil
| Best used : AM/PM Up to twice a day | Caution: Skin irritation common, allergic potential | Best for: Acne, some fungal infections |
| Comments: Essential, naturopathic skin care oil | Mode of action: Antibacterial & Antifungal | Science Score:***
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What is the science behind tea tree oil?
Tea tree oil, known as melaleuca oil, is an essential oil. It is derived from steaming the leaves of the Australian tea tree. When used topically, tea tree oil is believed to be antibacterial. Tea tree oil is commonly used to treat acne, athlete’s foot, lice, nail fungus and insect bites. It also has anti-inflammatory properties. Its use has been studied in several mainstream dermatology journals for the past 2 decades.
What skin conditions can be treated with tea tree oil?
Tea tree oil, also known as melaleuca oil, is an essential oil that comes from steaming the leaves of the Australian tea tree. This oil has powerful antibacterial & antifungal properties. This oil can treat-
- Acne – can be effective for blackheads, whiteheads, zits, & pimples
- Fungal infections or the skin & nails
- Athlete’s foot (tinea pedis)
- Lice
*Disclaimer: I am a procedural dermatologist; I do not treat any medical conditions. Most dermatologists will not use tea tree oil for first line therapy, nor second, nor third, nor any. The aim of this write up is to present what naturopathic options are possible. This gives patients a safe guide to ‘have a go’ at DIY OTC prior to seeing a dermatologist. I am indifferent towards alternative medicine, as I am to medical dermatology.
Can you put tea tree oil on a popped pimple?
Dermatologists discourage people popping pimples because in most cases it’s performed incorrectly. Precisely performed with a sterile needle you can gently apply pressure with cotton swabs but do not dig with your nails. Afterwards dab with tea tree oil which has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. You can also apply a pimple patch to help with healing. Do not overuse as this can lead to inflammation.
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What can I put on a popped pimple overnight?
In the ideal world, you can dab an antibiotic ointment & leave overnight. Treat your popped pimple-like an open wound because that’s basically what it is. An over-the-counter antibiotic ointment is your best friend. Dot a tiny amount directly on the popped pimple or scab. This will help speed up healing time. Cautious use of low concentration benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid can help dry out pimples. An acne patch or hydrocolloid dressing can also help.
Can tea tree oil make acne worse?
Tea tree oil may work wonders on some people’s breakouts, however oils in general can be comedogenic, meaning pore clogging. This can trigger acne breakouts. Bottom line? Use as directed, be precise in your application to acne spots only & not acne prone areas. For prevention of acne, consider retinol or retinoids as these are applied to acne prone areas.
Jessner TCA peel, one session
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👉This is a medium depth peel. Occasionally I prep with retinoic acid beforehand, but thin skin like this patient, RA is not needed. I scrub with acetone, then coat with 2-4 layers of Jesser. I then have a cup of coffee then come back to finish off with TCA at 35%
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😁Was having a friendly banter with my mentor & close friend @aprofphilipbekhor last night. Peels vs lasers. Why do I like peels? My chill out time. No loud noises apart from the patient's muffled screams 😱😱(joking). Despite the tech of lasers, I still like looking carefully at end points from peels. It is tactile, much like driving a manual car vs an automatic. Sure the latter is easier, but sometimes it’s the challenge to get the downshift perfectly matched, or the epidermis so evenly gray that the entire sheet slides from the dermis. It’s old school cool
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👊🏻Disclaimer: You do need to watch your peel patients more closely cf. NA laser patients, that is fact💯
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😎Davin Lim
Dermatologist
Brisbane🇦🇺
#tca #jessner #jessnertca #chemicalpeels #dermatologist #dermatology #drdavinlim #skinrejuvenation
TCA peels are a simple way to rejuvenate skin. This picture is over a decade old, but I still enjoy peels over lasers (more tactile). It’ much like driving a older vintage car, it’s slower to get to your destination but the drive is more enjoyable🚘
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🔬Skin science: TCA can be applied as a superficial, medium (most common) & deep peel. In this case I employed it as a medium depth peel, to the upper papillary dermis. In some cases I combine it with Jessner for deeper penetration
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👉Downtime: 5- 8 days depending on the strength and coats
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😢Pain: Tolerable with topical application of numbing and skin cooling. I do give oral conscious sedation if deeper peeling
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👍🏻Good for: Skin type 1-2+, pigment, freckles, sun damage, solar keratosis, mild to moderate wrinkles, lentigos/ age spots
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👎🏼Not good for: Darker skin, deep wrinkles, melasma
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😎Davin Lim
Dermatologist
Brisbane🇦🇺
#chemcialpeels #TCApeel #jessner #jessnerTCA #skinrejuvenation #skinlightening #skinbrightening #davinlim #dermatology #skinscience
How long does tea tree oil take to work on acne?
Tea tree oil works more slowly than benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid but seems to be less irritating to facial skin. Once study showed applied twice daily for 45 days, tea tree oil reduces acne severity such as lesion count & skin inflammation. There are other studies in the dermatology literature showing the efficacy of this essential oil.
Can you put tea tree oil directly on your skin?
Skin care experts consider tea tree oil to be safe as a topical treatment, and you can apply it directly to unbroken skin with intact skin barrier. When applied to the skin in its pure (100% oil) form, tea tree oil seldom causes allergic reactions (less than 2%), however irritation is not uncommon. As always conduct a patch test to a small area for several days prior to full field application.
What is the best way to use tea tree oil?
How to use: Depends on your formulation as it comes in oil, gel, creams, lotions & more. Be guided by the instructions. The most common forms of tea tree oil come in washes, moisturizers, and spot treatments.
For acne, zits, & pimples the usual guideline is to apply tea tree oil as a spot treatment once to twice a day. This formulation should NOT be used as a field treatment- as with retinol, retinoids. For more information on how dermatologist treat acne, browse the section on acne treatments, or visit @101.skin on IG.
Can I leave tea tree oil on my face overnight?
Studies have shown that tea tree oil reduces both inflamed and non-inflamed lesions associated with acne. Allow the solution to stay on your skin for a few hours or overnight then rinse your face with warm water. This treatment can be repeated daily & in some cases twice a day as tolerated.
Does Tea Tree Oil remove dark spots?
Tea tree essential oil is a superpower when it comes to prevention of inflammatory skin lesions which can lead to dark spots. This ability comes primarily from the TTOs ability to prevent and rapidly heal a blemish or a wound, rather than just fading the spots themselves.
How effective is tea tree oil against fungus?
Tea tree oil has antifungal properties. It kills fungi like the ones that cause ringworm. There have been very few well-designed studies on tea tree oil (TTO), however many patients’ report that TTO is effective in the treatment of fungal infections of the feet, body, nails & scalp. Discuss with your naturopath the risk benefit ratio of TTO. Most dermatologists will not elect to use this as first line therapy.
What are the side effects of tea tree oil?
In general, there are less side effects of TTO compared to say benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid spot treatments. The most common adverse event is irritant contact dermatitis or red, angry, inflamed skin when too much product is used. This is super easy to treat, namely give your skin a break for three to five days, then restart at half the application amount & frequency. This is very different from allergic contact dermatitis which can be seen in 2-5% of patients (depending on the literature you read). Patch testing by a medial dermatologist with a special interest in contact dermatitis can give you an answer.
How do I incorporate tea tree oil in my skin care routine?
A sensible skin care routine that involves TTO goes something like this;
AM: Gentle washes, make up, with the option of antioxidants (Ferulic acid, Ascorbic acid, Tocopherol)
PM: Cleanser, Tea Tree Oil, moisturiser
* Consider retinol or niacinamide as adjunctive management. If these are to be added to your skin care regimen, best use TTO in the am as a spot treatment. Alternatively, you can spot treat before or after field treatment of acne. Be guided by your skin care expert.
**Disclaimer: I am a procedural dermatologist, though I have some knowledge of skin care including the management of acne, my work is focused on the management of severe scars, procedures such as surgery, injectables, strong peels, & powerful lasers. Beyond a synopsis of skin care actives, I do not give general skin care advice as there are many variables that are required for an accurate management plan.
Davin’s ProTip on Tea Tree Oil
This is the number one naturopathic treatment for acne, followed by witch hazel. Tea tree oil (TTO) has been studied by dermatologists for the past two decades, so it is relatively new. There have been several studies documenting the effects of TTO for both inflammatory & non-inflammatory acne, & the results are good. There have been several studies documenting the allergic (as well as irritant) potential of TTO. These studies have shown between <2 to 5% of subjects can be sensitised to TTO. Regardless, the use of botanical extracts has seen a significant surge in the context of skin care, with more ingredients being every year.
Bottom line? If you must, give it a go. No real harm for the management of non-scarring acne, hell, it may save you a visit to the dermatologist. As always, start slow, test patch & increase as tolerated. For patients with recalcitrant or scarring acne, you may want to consider other treatment options including the use of retinol, retinoids, chemical peels or oral medications. Book in to see one of my colleagues @cutis_dermatology
*Disclaimer: I am a procedural dermatologist, though I have some knowledge of skin care including the management of acne, my work is focused on the management of severe scars, procedures such as surgery, injectables, strong peels, & powerful lasers.
