Acne is the most prevalent skin deformity that affects more than 80% of people worldwide. It has multiple causing factors like hormonal changes, pollution, stress, and diet. While conventional acne medications like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and oral contraceptives are effective, they also have side effects. Therefore, people have started looking for alternative treatments that are cheap and pose no health risk. And maca root for acne is one of those remedies.
A growing body of anecdotal evidence suggests that maca root is effective against acne. Moreover, some studies have also shown that maca root extract possesses antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, adaptogenic, and healing properties that help to reduce breakouts. So, keep on reading to find out the connection between maca and acne.
At SkinVeteran, we are a team of enthusiastic professionals ensuring to help our readers maintain healthy skin. In this article, we have got you covered about the effects of maca root on your acne. Let’s dive in!
Does Maca Root Remove Acne?
Maca is native to Peru, where it grows thousands of feet above sea level. For the last 2000 years, people have been employing maca root to achieve multiple health goals. Maca root extract contains the following vital nutrients and minerals.
- Essential amino acids
- Fibers
- Fat
- Vitamins like C and B complex
- Minerals including copper, iron, zinc, Maganese, and Potassium
- Phytochemicals
A study evaluating the impacts of maca root on skin showed that it reduces inflammation, skin damage and has antibacterial activities. Therefore, when applied topically, the maca root clears the acne.
Studies have also shown that maca root extract reduces the healing time of wounds by decreasing hyperplasia (number of inflammatory cells).
Despite the lack of studies done appraising the efficacy of maca root for acne, patients who employed maca for their pimples have observed significant improvements.
Vitamin C and phytochemicals in maca root are potent agents for reducing inflammation and removing acne. However, more research in the coming years will clarify the exact mechanism of action of maca for acne.
Does Maca Root Help With Hormonal Acne?
Hormonal acne is a common problem, especially in women where dysregulated androgens levels can cause severe acne. In women, increased levels of estrogen and progesterone induce overproduction of sebum. As a result, too much sebum clogs pores, eventually causing acne breakouts.
Maca is a famous adaptogenic herb means that it helps your body heal and attain a balanced state (homeostasis). It contains flavonoids, alkaloids, and phytohormones that stimulate your glands to secret hormones. Therefore, maca root aids your body in hormonal regulation.
While no studies have been done to confirm whether maca root helps with hormonal acne or not, patients who used maca root extract for two months noticed good results. It helped in clearing almost all of their hormonal acne.
Maca is a herb with no side effects. Therefore, doctors recommend patients take maca root extract for their hormonal acne on daily basis. Along with decreasing acne, maca brings a lot of other health benefits as well. So, it is worth trying for a few months to see if it helps you with your acne or not.
Can Maca Cause Acne? (In Men)
Contrary to what we have mentioned above, maca root can induce cases of hormonal acne in some people (in males mostly) as well. It indeed helps the body in regulating the hormonal imbalance. But in some men, maca can heighten the testosterone levels to such an extent which causes overproduction of sebum. As a result, those men can encounter severe acne because of clogged pores.
So, what can you do about mace-induced acne? Try to restrain from using maca root extract for a few days to see if acne goes away. If it does, then you should not take maca root as a supplement for boosting your testosterone.
How Should You Use Maca Root For?
In case you have hormonal, go for a test to check which hormone is causing it. In women, heightened levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone can cause pimples. And maca root only helps against acne caused by increased estrogen and progesterone.
So, if it is not testosterone that is causing your hormonal acne, you should take 400 mg maca root extract on a daily basis. Maca root is available on market in various forms like tablets, capsules, and powder. You can employ any form of it but use it for at least 2 months to experience notable results.
If you have acne due to stress, humidity, or any other reason, you can directly apply maca powder to it. Also, take 400 mg of maca root extract daily. You should be mindful of the fact that treating the exact cause of acne will prevent iterative cases of it. Maca only helps reduce it.
Benefits of Maca Root For Skin
In addition to the role of maca for acne, maca root extract has some other benefits for the skin as well. All of the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals it possesses have a crucial role in skin well-being.
1. Prevents Wrinkles and Fine Lines
UV rays from the sun are the most prominent factor that negatively affects your skin. They can easily penetrate the skin and cause DNA damage. As a result, wrinkles, fine lines, and hyperpigmentation start appearing on your face.
A study examined two groups of rats to check whether maca root protects their skin against UV rays or not. The group that had received maca root extract showed almost no UV damage compared to the one that hadn’t.
So, you can prevent the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines by taking maca root capsules regularly. Also, apply maca root directly onto your face by mixing it with aloe vera or any other good moisturizer.
2. Maca Brings a Glow to Your Skin
As mentioned above, maca root contains essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals and all of them are crucial for the skin. Also, all of us are not able to obtain these nutrients from our diet regularly. Therefore, taking maca can help us with our dull and damaged skin by bringing it to a natural glow.
The amino acids in maca boost the production of collagen, which is critical for healthy skin. Antioxidants help our body with reducing the number of oxidants that otherwise can be detrimental to the skin.
Bottom Line
In addition to increasing libido, boosting energy and endurance, improving mood, and helping with infertility, maca root has multiple positive effects on the skin as well. It reduces free radicals, repairs the damage done to the skin by UV rays, and has adaptogenic properties. Therefore, people have experienced significant improvements in their skin while using maca root for acne. It helps with hormonal acne as well as other acne types and has no side effects.
