Acne is a common skin problem that affects women and men of all ages, it occurs as the skin pores are blocked or clogged. The severity and symptoms of acne varies from one individual to another as well as the level of clogging of the pores. Some of the symptoms include whiteheads, blackheads and inflamed growths or what are popularly known as zits or pimples. There are many kinds of treating acne; some of the methods are by the use of oral and topical medications. However, one outstanding and effective method is the use of saw palmetto for acne; the herb can reduce and control acne symptoms by a greater percentage. It is natural product and botanically known as seronoa repens, it grows widely in Europe especially Germany and the United States of America. 
Active ingredients
According to research done by the University of Maryland the active component in saw palmetto are a combination of plant sterols, flavonoids, and fatty acids. The ingredients are essential in reducing the activity off the enzyme 5 –alpha reductase a major factor in development of dihydrotestosterone or DHT as is widely known to cause the zits. With the increase in number of people eating junk food, zits and pimples are inevitable because the body will try to detoxify itself by pushing the toxins to the skin in form of acne.
Most products in the market today are chemically made and may pose some health or skin risks in the long run. Saw palmetto for acne is natural product that is natural and poses less or no adverse side effects.
Hormone-Driven Acne
Hormonal driven acne is a major causative agent of acne especially in women at the onset of menopause or during pregnancy. Hormone production undergoes immense changes, which may lead to over production and therefore increasing the risks of acne development. Hormonal driven acne is largely linked to natural hormonal cycle changes in the female population.
How effective is saw palmetto?
Anybody looking for remedy of acne will try to identify the success or effectiveness of whatever medication they want to use. Saw palmetto has shown impeccable results with success rates of over 96% in fighting acne. The product has not been identified to cause any kind of allergy and side effects are less if not none.
Saw palmetto is at times taken to help in treating benign prostate hyperplasia; this is mainly because of its effectiveness in reducing the effects of DHT. Saw palmetto is sold as dietary supplement in the states and is under no regulation. Saw palmetto comes in different forms such as pills and oils. The pills work by inhibiting the absorption of DHT on the cell membrane and fight its effects as well. According to medical prescription, 200mg daily dosage gives immense results after a couple of weeks. The oil on the other hand is for people who do not like to swallow pills; it is a topical cream that can be applied on the affected area several times a day. The lipophilic properties of the active ingredients make its uptake easy through the skin cells and it is effective in preventing hair loss. It is recommended that the oil be applied before bed for it to soak properly into the affected area.
