Acne and Rose Hip Oil

The beauty of a rose is not only on the outside. This wonderful shrub contains a natural treatment for acne. After the petals of a rose fall off, a round seed pod remains on the stem. This is the rosehip. The oil within its seeds have been found to be highly beneficial.

Rosehip oil is the only known vegetable oil to naturally contain retinoic acid, which is the same vitamin found in acne prescription medicine such as Tretinoin, all-trans retinoic acid. This molecule causes cells of your body to grow. That is why it is used in hair loss and leukemia. In terms of acne, cell growth is good, as more collagen means smoother skin, and cell turnover means old damaged cells are quickly gotten rid of. Scars disappear with both Tretinoin and rosehip oil for the same reason.

Rosehip seed oil contains 45% gamma linoleic acid (GLA) and upto 35% alpha linoleic acid. Both are essential fatty acids from the omega-6 category. Gamma linoleic acid is the form that alpha linoleic acid is converted by the body before using. Gamma linoleic acid was applied to the skin in one trial to determine its affect on acne, if any. Clearly it was effective, as 25% of the acne pimples were smaller after one month of treatment with linoleic acid. Rosehip oil may also encourage large pores to close, thereby reducing the number of pores that can become clogged by bacteria and or debris.

Another fatty acid that is present in rosehip oil is oleic acid (13-19%). This monounstaturated fatty acid is a different class of essential nutrients than the linoleic acid also present in rosehip oil. Oleic acid is the main fatty acid in olive oil. Given the use of olive oil for clear skin in Italy and Greece, it is no wonder that manufacturers of lotions and cosmetics have been including oleic acid in their formulations for years.

The high content of fatty acids is why rosehip oil has a low melting point (minus 20 degrees Celcius). A low melting point is desirable in a oil-based face treatment as it would bring down the melting point of other lipids (fats or oils) on the face, such as cholesterol which has a melting point of 150 degrees Celsius. These oils will then liquefy rather than forming solid obstructions of pores and contributing thereby to the birth of pimples.

Rosehip seed oil encourages skin to heal. It has been used in a trial of tissue regeneration (Valladares J, 1985) and found to have healing properties by others (Camacho et al.; Moreno et al.; Marchini et al.). For example, rosehip oil would be good for acne that is just ending. Rather than forming uneven or depressed scars where pimples occurred, rosehip seed oil causes the skin to heal correctly.

Depending on your skin type or skin problem, your face treatments should contain anywhere from 25% to 85% rosehip seed oil. If you have oily skin or acne, you will want to use a preparation with 60% rosehip oil. But for dry, dehydrated, and older skin, use as much as 85% pure rosehip oil treatments.

It is clear that after a rose has finished blooming, it still brings beauty to the world.