The thin line between fact and fad

What skin specialists have to say about essential oils.

KARACHI:

The emotional trauma that bad skin brings can push people to great levels of desperation. Esteem-crushing and confidence-torpedoing,  the big, unsightly red bumps (and the scars they leave) can make any person suicidal or homicidal (some people like taking out their frustrations on others). A research, published in the Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health, revealed that 34 per cent of young people who had an acne problem had thought about killing themselves while 13 per cent had attempted suicide. Hence, in this kind of mental state, it’s only natural that most people opt to buy into the latest skincare fads, blindly accepting them without working out the grey areas.

With more and more people going organic, preferring natural products for skin and hair, it’s no surprise that popularity of essential oils (or plant oils) for skincare has also risen. Skincare fads change as frequently as Lindsay Lohan goes to jail, and of late, it’s been fashionable to use essential oils (particularly tea tree oil) to treat skin diseases and specifically acne.

“I’ve found tea tree oil to be very effective for pimples and acne. I dab a little bit of it as soon as I feel something is about to pop on my face. Tea tree oil works best when used at the initial stages of a pimple,” says 26-year-old Sidra Mazhar, who is an avid believer in the miraculous effects of the oil. Additionally, celebrities are also known to have this belief in the wonders of these plant extracts. For instance, Julia Roberts massages her nails with olive oil to keep them glistening and strong (natural-homeremedies.com).

However, certain dermatologists and skin specialists are more sceptical about the use of essential oil on skin. “The general rule is that, for acne, anything oily or oil-based should not be used. Oil blocks pores and if we keep applying it on the surface, it worsens the acne,” says Karachi-based dermatologist Dr Daulat Pinjani. He further adds that in many cases, these botanical extracts also cause irritation if the user has sensitive skin.

Meanwhile, dermatologist Dr Badr Dhanani seems to follow the same line of thought and claims that since essential oils don’t come in the realm of allopathy (a branch of medicinal practice), skin specialists don’t rely too heavily on them. Amidst an abundance of (mis)information about the various benefits of essential oil, we are forced to ask Dhanani why the caution at any stance; “Since the use of essential oils comes under alternative therapy, we don’t prescribe them. Additionally, there’s not enough research or empirical evidence proving that these oils can combat skin problems.”

However, he’s quick to point out he doesn’t completely “nullify their effect on the skin either”, adding that tea tree oil and jojoba oil have some “mild effect” on skin and hair respectively. “Also, the use extracts of lime oil and peppermint oil in other medicinal products is beneficial. We must realise that essential oils are adjunct to therapy and if used alone, they are of little benefit.”

If skin specialists have their doubts about the benefits of essential oil, what gives credence to this trend? And Dhanani has a reasonable explanation for this; “A seller creates a niche in the market; a new product makes a loud noise and this huge hype created. Everyone goes gaga over it.”

Predicting future trends, Dhanani states; “Next in line is the coffeeberry — fruit extract of the coffee plant — hype of which has started reverberating in the West as it purports to have antiaging properties. Soon tea tree oil’s popularity will dwindle and the ‘in’ thing will be coffeeberry.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2012.