title: Treatment of acne with tea tree oil (melaleuca) products: a review of efficacy, tolerability and potential modes of action.
abstract: Over-the-counter acne treatments containing tea tree oil from the plant Melaleuca alternifolia are widely available, and evidence indicates that they are a common choice amongst those self-treating their acne. The aims of this review were to collate and evaluate the clinical evidence on the use of tea tree oil products for treating acne, to review safety and tolerability and to discuss the underlying modes of therapeutic action.
authors.affiliation: School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (M504), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, Perth 6009, WA, Australia. Electronic address: katherine.hammer@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Hammer
mesh_terms: D000152:Acne Vulgaris / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D020947:Tea Tree Oil / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D020947:Tea Tree Oil
keywords: Antibacterial; Biofilm; Essential oil; Propionibacterium acnes; Terpenes