There is one thing worse than popping out with big red pimples and cysts caused by acne. That is popping out in big purple pimples and cysts caused by acne. Juicing can help you stick to the lower-calorie and lower-carbohydrate diet you need to reduce acne inflammation, and enzymes can help you stop the black and blue marks that sometimes form around pimples, especially pimples that have been handled roughly.
The reason a big red pimple turns into a big purple pimple usually is that it has acquired a superinfection of both Staphylococcus and acne bacteria. Staphylococcus bacteria usually exist in small numbers on the surface of unbroken skin. They grow in tiny clusters that look like clusters of golden grapes when they are examined under the microscope.
As long as staph bacteria exist in small numbers and they do not penetrate the skin, they are actually useful for human health. They emit chemicals that help the skin close itself faster when it is broken and bleeding and they keep even worse bacteria in check.
When someone mashes a pimple or pokes it with a needle, however, Staphylococcus bacteria are usually carried inside. Since mashing or lancing pimples usually does not drain them, the bacteria find themselves relocated from the dry and relatively nutrient-deprived surface of the skin to a moist and nutrient-rich pore. The bacteria rapidly multiply, and they use the bloodstream to collect the chemicals they need to escape detection by the immune system.
Staphylococcus bacteria roll up into a tiny ball. They emit an enzyme called coagulase. The enzyme transforms a blood protein called fibrinogen into a stringy fiber called fibrin. Ordinarily, the body uses fibrin to make blood clots. Coagulase allows the staph bacteria to coat themselves with the material used to make blood clots, allowing them to grow to even greater numbers and to start making toxic chemicals.
As long as the Staphylococcus bacteria have not multiplied to the point that they are beginning to cause muscle pain, fever, and stress on the heart, the immune system can destroy them if it can detect them. This is where enzymes come in. Enzymes such as serratiopeptidase (sometimes called serrapeptase) and nattokinase help break up clots. Taking these enzymes by mouth can help break up the clot around Staphylococcus bacteria that both discolors the skin and protects the bacteria from immune attack.
When should you take serratiopeptidase or nattokinase? Any time a pimple develops a crown or crest of yellow pus-like matter, it is infected with more than just acne bacteria. Damping some tea tree oil on the pimple with a clean cotton swab will help kill the bacteria, and taking either serratiopeptidase or nattokinase enzymes will help break up the growing ball of staph bacteria before they can coat themselves with fibrin and turn your pimple blue.
It is best to use enzymes and antibacterial tea tree oil (benzoyl peroxide won't work) at the first sign of staph infection. Don't use enzymes if pimples have turned purple and hurt, and don't use enzymes if you have symptoms resembling flu. When symptoms cause all-over pain, it's definitely time to see the doctor. Timely treatment with enzymes taken by mouth with tea tree oil applied directly to the skin, however, can stop staph infections almost as soon as they start.