The blemishes you get when you’re older are NOT the same kind of breakouts you had as a teen…
Teens tend to get acne on their foreheads, noses, back, and cheeks.
But as you age – and especially if you’re going through menopause – it’s much more common to break out near your chin, jaw, and mouth. Breakouts can also appear on the chest and back.
And the acne you get at midlife tends to be deeper, smaller, more tender cysts. You don’t get the same big cysts, eruptions, or red bumps you see in teens.
But whether you’re 15 or 50, the answer to these embarrassing and annoying breakouts is to treat them with CBD.
That’s because the cannabidiols in CBD:
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- Stop excess oil production. A study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation found that CBD can stop skin cells from overproducing sebum. That’s the oily, waxy stuff produced by your body’s sebaceous glands. While skin needs sebum to stay moisturized, too much of it clogs the pores and leads to painful cysts and spots.Recent evidence shows that your skin has its own endocannabinoid system with CB2 receptors. These receptors play an important role in regulating the secretion of oil in the skin. CBD significantly limits the production of sebum by causing apoptosis – or programmed cell death of the sebaceous cells.1
- Treat and reduce inflammation. Because CBD has anti-inflammatory properties, it calms your skin and reduces the inflammation that acne can cause. This helps breakouts appear smaller and feel less painful.CBD prevents the activation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. By targeting these acne triggers, you slow down future outbreaks.
- Act as an antibacterial. A 2016 review published in Frontiers in Plant Science reported that CBD has powerful antibacterial and antifungal effects. This helps reduce skin infections caused by dirt and air pollution.2
- Reduce anxiety-induced oil production. Of course, a key trigger of acne breakouts is stress and anxiety. Your body reacts to stress by increasing certain hormones, like the fight-or-flight hormone cortisol. The oil glands in your skin have receptors for this hormone. So when stress increases, so does oil production.And as you know, CBD is a proven stress-buster.3 In a study of 72 stressed-out patients, CBD reduced anxiety in 79%.4
2 Ways To Use CBD To Stop Your Breakouts
It’s a good idea to take a two-pronged approach to using CBD for acne breakouts. That way you can treat it from the inside out – and the outside in…
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- First, take a few milligrams of CBD oil under the tongue. I suggest starting out with 5 mg daily for a week. This will help reduce anxiety and inflammation – and allow you to treat your blemishes from the inside out. If you don’t notice any effects, increase the dose up to 30 mg daily.
- Apply a CBD face mask. For a more immediate outcome, I suggest using CBD oil topically. I like to combine CBD with organic honey. Honey is another powerful antibiotic that stops acne in its tracks. This super-simple recipe has incredible proven results…
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon manuka honey
- ½ teaspoon CBD oil
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Directions:
- Mix the ingredients together in a glass bowl.
- Apply the mixture to your clean face in a thin layer. Leave on for anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.
- Rinse with warm water and pat dry.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
References:
1. Dobrosi N, et al. “Endocannabinoids enhance lipid synthesis and apoptosis of human sebocytes via cannabinoid receptor-2-mediated signaling.” 2008. FASEB J. 22(10).
2. Andre C, et al. “Cannabis sativa: The Plant of the Thousand and One Molecules.” Front Plant Sci. 2016; 7: 19.
3. Linares IM, Zuardi AW, Pereira LC, et al. Cannabidiol presents an inverted U-shaped dose-response curve in a simulated public speaking test. Braz J Psychiatry. 2019;41(1):9–14. DOI:10.1590/1516-4446-2017-0015.
4. Shannon S, et al. “Cannabidiol in anxiety and sleep: A large case series.” Perm J. 2019;23:18-041.