Acne is one of the oldest and most common skin disorder. You might find it interesting to know that the term “acne” has been derived from the Greek language which means skin eruptions.

Since ancient times, acne has been regarded as a serious skin disorder that can severely affect our complexion. However, due to the lack of knowledge and insufficient research, acne was considered as a “contagious” disease that could be transmitted from one person to another.

Lets trace the history of acne through three major ancient civilizations i.e. Egyptian, Roman and Greek.

Acne and ancient Egypt
Archeological records show that the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt tried to cure the problem of acne and used great efforts for the same. However, due to lack of scientific knowledge, many myths and superstitious beliefs were linked to the cause, signs, symptoms and treatment of acne.
The ancient Egyptians, for example, used magic, spells and charms to treat it. Similarly, Egyptians living in the third century A.D. believed that the acne disorder was caused from telling lies. Food and certain drinks were also considered to be a major cause of acne in the 14th century. For the same reason, doctors and “hakeems” of eastern medicine used to ask patients to avoid spicy foods and strong beverages. It was not until the second half of the 20th century that significant progress was made in treating the skin disorder.

Acne and ancient Greece
Historical records indicates that in ancient Greece were aware of the condition. Aristotle and Hippocrates have mentioned of the condition which we know as acne. The ancient Greek physicians certainly recognized acne which they knew termed tovoot. A condition which Aristotle has described in sufficient detail. Hippocrates also uses the term, but he did not state what he meant by it, although his wording suggests that it was a well-known and recognized disease.

Acne and ancient Rome
There are well recorded stories oft Romans using “warm sitz baths; of sulfur to lessen the symptoms of acne. In fact, historians describe an interesting way of treating the acne in ancient Roman times. In a way ancient Rome led the way as the first civilization to treat acne. During the Roman Empire period from 27 B.C. through 393 A.D., it was thought that pores could be unclogged and cleansed by mixing sulfur in mineral baths. Because this type of cleansing reduced the amount of bacteria-causing acne, it was fairly effective. What’s more, because of sulfur’s dehydrating abilities, oils that clogged the skin were dried out. Although this was not a perfect cure, the mineral water and sulfur treatment did cause improvement of the signs and symptoms of acne.

From the above we can see that acne has been an ancient problem faced by humans. But thanks to the modern scientific advancements in the field of natural therapy, newer and safer anti acne formulations and systems are now available that will not only successfully treat the problem but also prevent recurrence of the same