Has anyone tried peppermint tea to help reduce cystic acne? I've read about it lowering the body's free testosterone but I don't know much else?
I've been drinking it for the past month and a bit and have noticed I have not had as many appearances of new cysts which is crazy! Currently I have none! I'm wondering if its a placebo type effect.... I currently drink around 500mL - 1L a day.
I do still have alot of inflammatory acne however.
Research has shown that peppermint teadoes relieve the symptoms of IBS and SIBO and has many other potential health benefits.
SIBO can cause an acne like skin condition that does not respond to bacterial acne treatment. SIBO is Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. SIFO is Small Intestinal Fungal Overgrowth. SIBO and/or SIFOhavebeen shown to cause skin issues like Rosacea Subtype 1 and Rosacea Subtype 2 with papules and pustules. Rosacea Subtype 2 is frequently misdiagnosed as acne, especially for those whose skin isn't particularly red. SIBO suppresses the immune system which results in an overpopulation of demodex skin mites on the surface. There are 2 types of demodex mites, both feed on skin oil. Demodex live and die on a 2 to 3 week cycle. When a die off occurs they can form pustules. The larger Demodex folliculorum live in the pores around hair follicles. The smaller demodex brevis live in the oil glands. Both types of demodex can cause any or all of the following symptoms: large blackheads, pustules, red cysts, papules, red dry eyes, itchy skin, scalp acne, body acne, etc. Due to the cycle nature of the demodex life cycle, the condition may be misdiagnosed as hormonal acne.
There are medical test for SIBO and SIFO. SIBO and SIFO can occur separately or together. There is a 3 gas breath test that can screen for SIBO but not SIFO. The breath test does not identify the specific bacteria causing the problem, just whether you likely have some type of SIBO. The endoscope test is the gold standard as it can identify the exact type of bacteria and/or fungus causing the skin issues. Once the specific bacteria or fungus species is known, the doctor can select the best drug(s) to treat the condition. Treatment with drugs takes about 1-3 weeks to clear the intestinal condition.
Some people prefer to use natural treatments and dietto clear the condition. This approach can work but takes much longer. Sugar tends to make the skin oilier and alsofeeds the bacteria or fungal overgrowth. The additional oil feeds the demodex on the surface which increases the demodex skin population. In either treatment approach, a healthy well balanced diet with plenty of fiber and probiotics, and low in sugar will help maintain good gut health and clearer skin.
Here are 2 published medical studies treating people with Rosacea. The firstverified the study group to have a demodex overpopulation causing various skin conditions but did not test for SIBO. The second study verified that the patients had both SIBO and Rosacea. In both studies the patients treated with an antibiotic known to clear SIBO causing bacteria had the best outcomes. I took the 2 drug, 2 week combined treatment with generic Oral Ivermectin and Oral Metronidazole. It worked for me after having SIBO misdiagnosed as bacterial acne, allergic conjunctivitis and "gee it must be a stomach bug or something you ate".
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197121201315X