Can Green Tea Fix Your Acne?

Recently, there has been a lot of buzz about the power of tea and its ability to treat acne. Green tea in particular is at the tip of everyone's tongue, from directly applying the tea bags to the skin to taking high concentration supplements to treat acne.

So does it work? A simple google search will bring up several claims that green tea is the magic bullet to clear skin. I'm more inclined to believe evidence-based answers so I decided to do some research on the subject.

Tea (and nuts, coffee, fruits, vegetables) have antioxidants called polyphenols. These also have the ability to kill bacteria and decrease inflammation. Several research studies have shown that the polyphenols in tea may be effective at decreasing sebum in skin, which could potentially improve acne. A 2017 study from UC Davis showed that tea polyphenols may reduce sebum production and treat acne when applied topically onto the skin.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the main polyphenol in green tea that has been linked to decreasing inflammation, bacterial overgrowth, and sebum. A 2016 research trial in Taiwan found that oral 1500mg of decaffeinated green tea extract taken daily for 4 weeks decreased acne on the cheeks in women. An unexpected positive side effect was that their cholesterol levels were also significantly decreased after taking the green tea!

It seems that taking green tea by mouth or applying it to the skin can be helpful for acne treatment. However, patients with acne should still go to a dermatologist to be evaluated for the most effective acne treatment. Depending on the severity and type of the acne, there are different treatments targeted at treating the cause of the acne.

More research is needed to compare the oral vs. topical effects of green tea for acne. Also, this opens the door for more research on plant extracts that have been linked to decreasing acne such as turmeric and strawberry. Just one more reason to hit up that new tea shop in your neighborhood :)

Citations:

Saric, Suzana, Manisha Notay, and Raja K. Sivamani. “Green Tea and Other Tea Polyphenols: Effects on Sebum Production and Acne Vulgaris.” Ed. Alessandra Napolitano and Stanley Omaye. Antioxidants 6.1 (2017): 2. PMC. Web. 5 Mar. 2018.

Lu P.H., Hsu C.H. Does supplementation with green tea extract improve acne in post-adolescent women? A randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled clinical trial. Complement. Ther. Med. 2016;25:159–163. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2016.03.004.

Liu C.-H., Huang H.-Y. In vitro anti-propionibacterium activity by curcumin containing vesicle system. Chem. Pharm. Bull. 2013;61:419–425. doi: 10.1248/cpb.c12-01043.