People still use green tea today because it’s rich in antioxidants and purported to have many health benefits.
Green tea has even been touted as anall-natural acne treatment.
But how effective is green tea, really, at preventing and treating acne breakouts?
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And should you add it to your acne treatment routine?
What Is Green Tea?
Green tea is prepared from the fresh leaves of theCamellia sinensisplant.
The leaves are lightly steamed and dried.
Antioxidants help protect the skin and body from damage from free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable atoms with an odd number of electrons.
Those atoms can “steal” electrons from other molecules, causing damage.
Free radicals, also calledoxidant radicals, are deactivated by antioxidants.
So, antioxidants can help protect you from free radical damage.
And green tea happens to be full of them.
(Green tea doesn’t have the antioxidant market cornered, though.
Plenty of other foods are high in antioxidants too.)
But green tea is also rich in a certain throw in of polyphenols calledcatechins.
Very simply, polyphenols are compounds in plants that have health benefits for people.
Catechins are antioxidant and also anti-inflammatory.
Here’s where it gets interesting.
The catechins in green tea are very effective at reducing skin inflammation.Can green tea then reduceinflammatory acne?
(You know, the exact spots where those peskypremenstrual breakoutsalways seem to pop up every month.)
But the green tea supplements didn’t completely clear up acne completely.
Antibacterial Qualities
Another interesting quality green tea has is its ability to fight bacteria.
Before you run out and grab a green tea mask, know that all of this was donein vitro.
This means it was done in a lab and not on human skin.
Besides, bacteria isn’t the onlycause of acne.
There are other factors at play including excess oil and abnormal shedding of skin cells.
Affects Hormone-Induced Breakouts
Acne is definitely influenced by hormones.
That’s why it’s so common during puberty.
Green tea may help with these hormonally-influenced breakouts, too.
Green tea is high in the polyphenolepigallocatechin-3-gallateor EGCG.
EGCG can lower androgen levels in the body.EGCG helps block IGF-1.
EGCG may reduce IGF-1 levels which, in turn, may potentially reduce acne breakouts.
But don’t hang your hat on a cup or two a day clearing up your skin.
you’ve got the option to simply drink a cup or two a day.
Green tea can be used topically, too.Many skin care products and cosmetics contain green tea extract.
Some sources cite green tea as an anti-ager for the skin.
This will give you the most effective and reliable results.
Formild breakouts, over-the-counterbenzoyl peroxideis a good choice.
Try that for eight to 10 weeks and see if that helps improve your skin.
There are plenty of treatment options out there, and one will work for you.
Put in a call to your dermatologist.
And, as far as skin care products go, green tea is a fun and luxurious addition.
But on its own, green tea isn’t an acne treatment.
You’ll still get the best results from a proven medication.
A randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled clinical trial.Complement Ther Med.
2015;14(6):574-8.
Graber E.Acne vulgaris: overview of management.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Green Tea.
Payar N, Feily A, Kazerouni A.Green tea in dermatology.Skinmed.2012 Nov-Dec; 10(6):352-5.
