Skin Care
Green teas have been found to have positive effects in the arena of skin care. Two specific areas include acne and eczema.
For those who have problem skin conditions such as acne, green tea has shown to be helpful since it has antibacterial properties. Tea makes a great, cheap alternative to expensive toners or astringents. Many people combine it with ingredients to make a potion that can be applied with a cotton ball directly onto clean skin.
Green tea used in its entirety has many topical benefits as well. According to Clinical Dermatology, “In a study performed at the Memorial Medical Center in the Philippines, Jennifer Gan Wong, M.D., found that green tea fights bacteria, reduces inflammation and decreases hormone activity to make it an excellent candidate for acne therapy.
Her researchers tested 3 percent green tea extract cream against 4 percent benzoyl peroxide cream.
After twice-daily applications for 12 weeks, the patients using the green tea extract appeared to have improved their overall complexion. Preliminary data suggests green tea extract cream causes fewer side effects than benzoyl peroxide.” Green tea’s proven skin-friendly properties ensure it will continue to be an important ingredient.
For other skin conditions, millions of people are adding this wonderful tonic to their diet. If your skin needs a fine tuning, consider using the highest-concentrated products that are organically based.
Simply drinking green tea has also worked for some to decrease the presence of acne, although you do have to be careful of increasing the intake of caffeine in your diet, as this has been linked to an increase in breakouts.
