Green tea extract improves adult acne

Posted on Mon, 20 Jun 16

Green tea extract could be an effective and safe way to quickly improve adult acne, according to a new clinical study.

Adults undergoing treatment for acne do not always respond to medication [1]. Further, adult acne is under recognized but has a significant burden which is made worse by its chronicity and physical disfigurement, such as scarring [2]. Women are more frequently affected by adult acne than men.

Green tea has been shown to improve acne in previous preliminary studies, likely because of its ability to reduce hyperseborrhea, inflammation, and overgrowth of bacteria linked to acne development.

To rigorously test the potential of green tea extract a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial compared the effects of decaffeinated green tea extract (providing a daily dose of 856mg of epigallocatechin gallate [EGCG]) in women, from 25 to 45 years of age [3].

After 4-weeks there were statistically significant differences in inflammatory lesion counts distributed on the forehead, cheek, nose, periorally and on the chin. Total lesion counts were also lower. And the green tea extract also significantly reduced total cholesterol levels. There were only mild side-effects in a few people, mainly minor digestive complaints.

This study suggests that green tea extract providing 856mg of EGCG daily could be a useful approach for the treatment of adult acne. However, care should be taken with long-term use (several months) as this dose can raise liver enzymes and lead to adverse events in around 1% of people [4].

Other natural therapies that may be useful for acne include zinc [5] and a diet that restricts refined carbohydrates, milk, dairy protein supplements, saturated fats, and trans-fats [6].