Ok so a bit of a strange, messy but good one...

I have a lot of severe pimple and red mark problems (both naturally and from laser), especially on my cheeks, jaw and neck due to laser.

A while back a stomach researcher told me to eat two tablespoons of manuka honey, one in the morning one in the evening as it absorbs toxins (which was rather painful because I can't stand honey). He also told me to put it on my skin and cover it with a cabbage leaf for as long as I could bear it... the leaf absorbs and the honey heals. I gave it a try but the cabbage leaf was just too much to bear... so I simply did the honey thing and I did it while I slept (I don't have a partner to scare in the morning so I could get away with it). It is very messy so I lay down sheets on top of my bedsheets. I did get results. Manuka honey heals beautifully. It prevented pimples that were just beginning to show from even surfacing and well, it made all those red marks a lot lighter - healed them.

I don't personally know much about why it works, just thought I'd throw out my experience and let whoever was interested to try it if they dare.

Edit: If you google it you can find a few articles about research being done with manuka honey for treating infections in complex wounds and burns.

This post is great! Honey is therapeutic, but not all honeys are the same. Manuka honey is derived from the New Zealand tea tree and has very special healing powers and is "the best natural antibiotic in the world" according to my neighbor who actually was busy last weekend taking care of his honeycombs. He can talk for hours about the properties of honey and how bee's make honey. Most facts I can't even remember, but he brightens up when he talks about his bee's.

Medical-grade Manuka honey has been and continues to be researched and Derma Sciences distributes this specially prepared honey for wound care in the United States. It is important to use medical-grade honey because it is filtered and made under carefully controlled standards of hygiene for wound care. I would not know how to incorporate honey into my electrolysis practice because it is so messy as you pointed out, Asha.

Actually, I did find the journal that a client gave me entitled, "Honey and Contemporary Wound Care: An Overview". She is a wound care nurse and passed her journal along to me. This article is from the "Ostomy Wound Management" journal dated, November, 2007. I lifted some information from this article to expand here and reasure Asha that this is not strange at all.

So, honey relates to electrolysis and laser in that this particular Manuka honey has anti-inflammatory activity that has been studied on human burn wounds. There have been 17 randomized controlled trials involving almost 2,000 participants. In addition to the anti-inflammatory properties of Manuka honey, it stimulates healing and has antiseptic properties that are effective against a wide range of germs. It debrides wounds. It prevents odor. It provides a protective barrier. It stimulates healing.

People that are allergic to bee's, as in bee stings, should not use honey dressings.

I'm not sure if there are honey-based cosmetic products that one could purchase for home treatable wounds or for aftercare regarding electrolysis or laser. Anyone know??

Dee

Oh wow this is great info Dee. I didn't know there is medical-grade honey, I've simply been buying it from the organic shop at the market. Hrmm. Will have to look into that.

Thanks for the detail, it's interesting (and good to know I'm doing something right!)

Oh also, for those worried about the mess, it is soooo easy to clean off. Your skin won't be sticky at all after washing it with water.

Have you tried it for stomach pain? My mother and sister suffer from stomach ailments and so I might get this for them. Which brand do you get and how much do you pay for it? Must be inexpensive for you since you're next to New Zealand.