Practicing yoga, a form of exercise that originated in ancient India, is another way people with acne relieve stress. Yoga exercises involve slow, controlled stretching and breathing, which relax the body while lowering cortisol levels. Because yoga is a form of exercise, it also improves blood circulation. Improved circulation brings more oxygen and bacteria-fighting cells to areas affected by acne. Yoga practioners say that specific yoga postures such as the lion, standing and seated sun, and cobra have distinct healing effects on the body, including relaxation, internal cleansing, and releasing blocked energy. Although there is little proof that yoga does all these things, it is so popular for reducing stress that many physicians recommend it to their patients.

Many acne patients find yoga to be effective in reducing stress as well as improving their complexion. They report feeling more relaxed and calm, along with seeing a noticeable improvement in the brightness and healthiness of their skin.

Aromatherapy is another popular alternative treatment for reducing stress. It is based on the theory that scent influences the way people feel. Aromatherapy uses candles scented with essential oils extracted from plants. It also uses aroma lamps and diffusers that spray the oil into the air in a mist. These oils are derived from plants such as jasmine, chamomile, vanilla, lemon balm, and lavender and are believed to have calming properties. Indeed, people report feeling calmer and less stressed after inhaling them.

Studies into the effectiveness of aromatherapy are limited. However, neurologists at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago have been conducting research on aromatherapy for seventeen years. Their findings support the theory that scent has a powerful effect on an individual’s mood and behavior. The reason for this, they say, is that inhaling certain scents alters brain waves and affects the pleasure center of the brain.

One study in particular investigated how aromatherapy can change an individual’s mood. In this study, which was conducted in 2002 at the University of Southampton School of Medicine in England, fifteen extremely nervous psychiatric patients inhaled lavender oil for two hours a day every other day for ten days. On these days, 60 percent of the patients were reported to be calmer and happier. On the alternate days, however, when the patients inhaled a mist of pure water, there was no change in their mood.

Many acne patients report that aromatherapy has a similar effect on their response to stress. A former acne patient explains: “Even now, I still get an occasional acne breakout. It seems to happen most when I’m under stress at work. One of the ways I handle stress is by filling my oil lamp with lemon balm, and lighting it up right beside my hot tub. The combination of the warm bubbling water and the scented oil drains away my worries. No worries means no frown lines, and no pimples.”

Although many people are turning to alternative treatments hoping to find safer forms of treatment, alternative treatments can also pose health risks. Vitamin B5, for example, is known to cause iron deficiencies in some people. This can lead to serious health problems such as anemia. Other side effects of the vitamin include fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and dry skin that easily wounds.

Other problems occur due to lack of regulation of alternative products. Herbal products, in particular, can cause serious problems. Herbs can be as powerful as prescription drugs. But, unlike in prescription drugs, the level of active ingredients in herbal products and the dosage is not monitored by government agencies. Often, herbal products themselves, as well as the recommended dosages, are too strong for patients. But many people are unaware of this. They assume that because herbs are natural and have been used for thousands of years, these products are safe. However, high doses of certain herbs can cause nausea, stroke, heart problems, and hypersensitive skin. In addition, patients are just as likely to have an allergic reaction to herbs as to conventional medications. Moreover, scientists do not know what the long-term effect is of treatment with these products. This is a special problem when it comes to treatment with phytoestrogen. As yet, scientists do not know whether long-term phytoestrogen treatment, like conventional hormonal therapy, is linked to cancer and heart disease.

In addition, due to the lack of regulation, herbal products may contain herbs, chemicals, and drugs that are not listed on the label. For example, a 1999 random sampling in London, England, of eleven different herbal creams used to treat acne found that eight of the eleven products tested contained dexamethasone, a powerful steroid drug that was not listed on the labels. A 2003 article in SKINmed, a journal for dermatologists, explains:

Guidelines concerning correct identification of the herb, the labeling of active ingredients, and establishment of purity are nonexistent. Lack of quality control too often leads to misidentification and contamination with toxic ingredients including pesticides, chemicals, heavy metals, and hidden drugs with their resultant ill effects.… From the reports of adverse reactions, it is becoming obvious that a history of traditional use is not a guarantee of safety.⁴¹

Yet these problems have not stopped millions of people with acne from turning to alternative treatments. “There are problems with every treatment,” an acne patient explains. “Personally, I feel like natural treatments are gentler. Even if I’m wrong, when prescription products make your acne worse, and you can’t look in the mirror without wanting to cry, you’re willing to take a chance and try something different.”

Treatment with vitamins and minerals, in particular vitamin B 5, is another widely used alternative treatment for acne. Also known as pantothenic acid, vitamin B 5 is believed by some experts to be as effective in reducing the production of sebum as isotretinoin.

Treatment with vitamin B 5 is based on a theory developed by acne expert Dr. Lit-Hung Leung in 1995 in Hong Kong that a deficiency of vitamin B 5 leads to the development of acne. According to Leung, the body needs vitamin B 5 in order to process fat. When there is a shortage of vitamin B 5, fat that is normally burned for fuel or stored in cells for future use cannot be processed properly. Page 43 Instead, it accumulates in the bloodstream. Since excess fat in the bloodstream can damage the body by clogging arteries and veins, the body tries to eliminate it. One way the body does this is by producing excess sebum, to which fat binds. In this way, excess fat in the form of sebum is eliminated through the skin. Thus, according to Leung’s theory, the presence of excess fat in the bloodstream causes the body to increase sebum production in an effort to eliminate fat. This causes or worsens acne lesions. Therefore, when acne patients increase the level of vitamin B 5 in their bodies, they improve the processing of fat. This insures that fat is burned for energy or stored for future use instead of being used to produce excess sebum.

To test his theory, Leung sponsored a clinical trial in which he treated one hundred acne patients in Central Hospital in Hong Kong in 1997 with vitamin B 5 . The patients, who had various severities of acne, were given ten grams of vitamin B 5 per day in capsule form. Although vitamin B 5 is present in many foods, including beans, nuts, oatmeal, and brewer’s yeast, Leung says that some people with acne are so deficient in vitamin B 5 that they cannot get enough of it through food alone.

The study proved successful. Within six months, 90 percent of the subjects’ acne had cleared. These results suggested to Leung that vitamin B 5 is an effective acne treatment. Many people concur with Leung. An acne patient who is currently using vitamin B5 describes the results: “Though my skin isn’t 100 percent clear yet, it’s made excellent progress in that direction over the past five weeks. Far fewer breakouts overall and the oiliness of my skin has definitely decreased.”