Rosehip Seed Oil is said to be an effective treatment for acne scars. In fact, it's said to be an effective treatment for any type of scarring, not just acne scars. So does it work?

Studies are one of those things that can be a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to natural remedies. After all, many people (like me) are willing to try something on the word of someone else, especially if 'they' are people that have been using something for many many years (like the Southern Americans where Rosehip Seed Oil comes from). There is something to science though, and I think that it's a good healthy mix of both that produces the best results for everyone.

Unfortunately not much research is done on treatments that people like me believe work. Only products that are really sold commercially have the funds and the resources that can produce the scientific studies that will convince people that something really does work the way that it says it does. That said, many 'scientific' studies that are done on over the counter products do tend to be a bit, well, biased towards the product being tested.

But where was I? Oh yes.

Rosehip Seed Oil. Some limited trials were done with the oil in 1990 to test the effectiveness on scarring from patients who had had operations. In most of the cases, the oil improved the appearance of the scarring in the patients. The studies concluded that the oil can improve the appearance of scarring and the elasticity of the skin.

So, brilliant! We have a bit of scientific proof as well as the reports of people that have tried the oil for themselves. But of course, the ultimate in proof is YOU and unfortunately you cannot get proof unless you try it for yourself. Thankfully the oil is quite cheap ($10 a bottle or so, maybe a little more for organic stuff if you prefer it) and will last sometime. The studies all tested the oil twice a day however in the beginning you might like to do it three times a day. Cut it back to twice when you see results.

Simply massage the oil in with a finger into the scarring. This is quite easy to do. The real key is consistency with the application. It is quite important. Most natural scar removing techniques require the regular schedule... so stick to your schedule. Rosehip Seed Oil can take several weeks to see some effects so you might want to try some other solutions as well to get some faster results. Again, a wide variety of treatments will probably be more effective then simply one.

If you wait for complete scientific results then you will probably be annoyed that you will have to wait for some time. Give it a go... who cares about the science if in the end it helps to reduce your scarring?

rosehip image by flickr user treehouse1977