Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland has discovered that green tea extracts can be effective when applied to the skin. Other studies show that green tea polyphenols could even help treat a number of skin disorders.
Read on to learn more about some of the skin disorders that green tea polyphenols can help treat.
Green tea polyphenols have been found to reduce cell damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation. So drinking green tea may help prevent skin damage caused by the sun.
Green tea skin care products containing antioxidants may help repair your skin. It has been shown that green tea plant polyphenols could clear up your skin and help to reverse the effects of the sun.
You’d have to drink 4 or more cups of top-notch green tea a day to get the benefits though. So scientists have discovered that green tea extracts can also work if they are applied to your skin.
Naturally you should think of green tea skin care as a possible supplement to taking care of your sun damaged skin – not a replacement.
Too much skin exposure to the sun, especially if unprotected, can lead to the spread of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers.
The good news is that a study done in 2011 shows that green tea polyphenols can hold back non-melanoma skin cancer risk by boosting DNA repair.
In this study, green tea polyphenols were given to mice both topically and in their drinking water. The results showed that non-melanoma skin cancer, caused by ultraviolet radiation (UV rays), could be prevented and even repaired through the use of polyphenols.
That means that feeding these test mice green tea and putting green tea polyphenols on their skin helped with their skin cancer.
But this is not a golden ticket to stop using sun-screen or sun-block and cook your skin the next time you go to the beach or lay out by the pool.
It does mean that hopefully sometime in the near future you will be able to apply a green tea skin care lotion or cream that will help repair damaged DNA and reduce the risk of getting skin cancer.
In the meantime, drink lots of green tea and use 20 SPF (or more) when in the sun.
Rosacea is a skin disorder that can be inflamed by simple things like extreme high or low temperatures, sunlight, alcohol, hot drinks, spicy foods and emotional stress. It happens as a result of over-dilated blood vessels that cause the surface of the skin to become irritated and inflamed.
This condition is more often suffered by people with light or thin skin. Estrogens, changes in hormones and even tartar control toothpaste can trigger it.
Some scientists at the Medical College of Georgia have discovered that green tea polyphenols, when applied to the skin, can help with inflammation and irritation.
So it is believed that skin care products that contain green tea extract have a calming effect and can sooth the irritation caused by Rosacea. It is advised that you avoid products with alcohol, fragrance, high concentrations of vitamin C and glycolic acid.
Acne is typically caused by a combination of your hormones, oil from your hair follicles and bacteria. The zits form because the skin becomes irritated and begins to inflame or swell.
Wouldn’t you know, green tea may be able to help. In recent studies, green tea polyphenols have been shown to have antibacterial properties and have the ability to help reduce swelling and prevent scaring.
So using a green tea skin care facial scrub and a facial mask with green tea extract may help keep those ugly blemishes at bay while rejuvenating your skin.
It turns out that green tea has a host of uses other than being a delicious beverage. It makes me wonder if green tea is the ancient asian secret that keeps the Japanese and Chinese looking so young!
Hynes, A. (2002). Protect your skin from the inside out. Shape, 21(9), 131.
Jamieson, M., & McKinley, H. (2009). Handbook of Green Tea and Health Research. New York: Nova Science Publishers.
Katiyar, S. K. (2011). Green tea prevents non-melanoma skin cancer by enhancing DNA repair. Archives Of Biochemistry & Biophysics, 508(2), 152-158.
Mahmood, T., Akhtar, N., Khan, B., Ahmad, M., Khan, H., & Zaman, S. (2010). Applications of a stable green tea extract cream on human cheeks. International Journal Of Academic Research, 2(2), 121-126.
Strausfogel, S. (2007). 5 common skin-care problems, solved! Better Nutrition, 69(6), 36-37.
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