The organ responsible as our first line of defense from bacterial invasion is called the Integumentary System, or commonly known as the skin. Being the largest organ of our body, its main purpose is to protect it from heat, allergens, dehydration, microbes and other external and environmental factors that can cause harm.
Though skin is also considered as one of the toughest organs, it’s usually plagued with diseases. It encounters all the stress that’s happening both inside and outside the body. Its health status not only ensures our good skin appearance, but also helps optimally protect our body from various diseases.
Factors like microbes, fungi, genetics, dust, sun and immune system issues can cause the skin to look sickly and dull. Other external irritants can clog pores, cause the skin to inflame, and lead to acne breakouts.
One natural remedy that can treat skin disorders – from simple acne to uncontrollable psoriasis, is the spice turmeric curcumin. Its powerful antioxidant and healing properties have been scientifically proven to be an effective remedy to skin disorders.
Over-the-counter treatments for skin conditions are available, but for those who prefer to be thrifty, turmeric can be a natural solution to common skin problems. Keep in mind that every person has a different skin type. For some rare people this natural treatment could be ineffective.
Below are four skin conditions that turmeric can treat:
Acne
One of the most common skin issues is acne. It affects millions of people worldwide ranging from teens to older people. This skin condition can cause inflammation and affects one’s physical appearance more or less severely. In fact, pronounced acne is one of the leading causes of teen depression.
You can simply use turmeric paste or turmeric masks on the affected areas daily until the pimples start to subside. Turmeric can kill the bacteria that lurk and thrive inside the pores. Using turmeric can also reduce inflammation, kill bacteria and minimize over activity of the sebaceous glands from producing too much oil.
Eczema or Dermatitis
Eczema is a skin condition that represents bruising, swelling, redness, and itching. The inflammation and swelling caused by eczema can lead to discomfort and sometimes pain. More often called dermatitis, eczema is caused by factors like genetics, stress, allergens, and irritants.
Turmeric has been shown to treat eczema well. Though most of the research and evidence are from studies on dermatitis, it works just as well with eczema. It reduces skin irritation, itching, swelling redness and inflammation. Turmeric can also treat cuts and breaks caused by the dry and itchy skin patches.
Psoriasis
A common inflammatory skin disorder, psoriasis is a skin disease caused by a dysfunctional immunity. Psoriasis causes skin breaks, lesions and white patches on the skin. You can usually find such lesions on the knees, scalp, elbows, neck and back of the ears.
This disease causes the inner skin cells to bulge outward to the surface, and oral consumption of turmeric can help with that problem. Turmeric targets and controls the T-lymphocyte autoimmune proliferation that is causing psoriasis. Controlling these cells will help reduce your skin from being attacked by pro-inflammatory cells.
Aside from oral consumption, applying turmeric paste can also help reduce the scaling and inflammation occurring outside the skin during psoriasis outbreak.
Cuts and Wounds
You can naturally reduce the inflammation on localized cuts and wounds by using turmeric creams, lotions or ointments. Since most skin disorders like dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema and acne cause cuts and wounds, it’s wise to keep turmeric at home just in case immediate treatment is needed.
Wounds are prone to bacterial infection and it’s vital to prevent the likelihood of infection right away. Since turmeric has strong antibacterial properties as well, it can be a great remedy in combination with aloe vera gel. This also makes a great soothing paste for wounds and sunburn. Mixing manuka honey to turmeric can also prevent scars from forming.
How To Use Turmeric?
If you want to start getting the benefits of turmeric for your skin, there are a few different ways to incorporate it in your beauty routine.
Taking Them Orally
When using turmeric, it’s really the curcumin component that matters the most. Because it is the antioxidant, it’s important for you to get it in proper dosage. Oral supplements offer 95% curcumin concentration. It’s considered to be the most cost efficient among all forms of taking turmeric as the supplements are already in pure curcumin extract form.
If you’re wondering where to buy turmeric pills, you can find them in your local grocery stores and pharmacies. You can also get them from reputable online stores.
Some beauty gurus prefer to drink a mixture of one teaspoon of turmeric mixed with their morning juice or coffee. Since it’s also a great remedy to keep you regular with the bathroom, many prefer to take it on an empty stomach. You can also include turmeric in your daily diet by using it as a food ingredient or simply sprinkling it on your daily meals.
Topical Applications
There are so many turmeric face masks sold nowadays. Using this spice directly on your skin will leave it feeling rehydrated and refreshed. You can also make your own turmeric paste by mixing turmeric powder with some water or water based moisturizers. Topical application is best in dealing with acne breakouts.
A Word Of Caution
Before you use turmeric, be warned that it can temporarily dye your skin yellow. Though the stain doesn’t last very long, you may opt to use turmeric creams and masks on a weekend or on your days off.
You can also do a patch test on your skin to see how staining your turmeric pastes and masks can be. While the yellow tinge on your skin will fade over time, stains on your clothes are permanent. So, make sure to be extra careful with your clothes while working with this spice.
