Tea Tree Oil has been used for acne treatments as well as ultraviolet - C- range light to eradicate systemic infections. Arguments have been made that since acne vulgaris was from a bacterial source, below the surface of the skin, that a topical anti-bacterial, such as Tea Tree could not kill the bacteria since it did not touch the bacteria. The same arguments made are typical of similar arguments originally made about C-range ultraviolet energy being incapable of destroying pathogens of a systemically infected patient.

What is overlooked in that simplification is that all bacteria tends to colonize, ie.forms “pockets” or comes together as a group. This is most common where we use ultraviolet energy, C- range, on bedsores (decubitus ulcers), and the patient has a systemic infection versus a local infection. Systemic simply meaning the bacteria is within the patient’s body and not centralized in the bed sore itself.

With ultraviolet one simply shines the light into the wound bed killing all known pathogens. One would then culture the wound and find there were no detectable traces of bacteria after the treatment. That area just “zapped” is also a great place for bacteria to re-colonize, as there is little competition for the bacteria to live and replicate, so several hours later the bacteria has left the safety of being “under the skin” and emerges into the treated area. It literally is attracted from inside the body, to the bed sore, and exposes so we can use ultraviolet energy to kill it.

Over the course of several treatments the bacterial load is reduced, the immune system takes over, and overwhelms the remaining bacteria and the wound now heals. It’s this migratory process of bacteria that makes systemic infections treatable by ultraviolet light. One literally entices the bacteria to do what it does naturally, which is colonize. The process of colonization is not unique to bacteria treated by c-range ( 254 nanometer) ultraviolet light but is the natural order of things with all bacteria. Tea Tree oil is simply another treatment option which can take advantage of the natural order of bacteria to colonize.

It is highly likely that when Tea Tree Oil is used it immediately kills the surface bacteria and upon killing, the bacteria under the skin’s surface, migrates to the surface. Each subsequent treatment with the Tea Tree oil reduces the bacterial load until the bacteria has been destroyed and acne is no longer a problem.

The issue is not the efficacy of the treatment but an understanding of how treatments by numerous agents can be successfully applied due to bacterial colonization.