Green Tea for Acne Relief

Author: Susan Anderson

Having trouble with acne outbreaks? Tired of spending money on expensive treatments? Worried about the long term use of medications? Are you wanting to try a more natural approach to curing an outbreak? Try Green Tea!

Green tea comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The difference between green tea and black tea is in how they are processed. Whereas black teas are fermented, green tea leaves are steamed. This prevents the EGCG compound (epigallocatechin gallate), a powerful antioxidant, from being oxidized.

Green tea can be an effective aid in a variety of issues, and is recommended for use in combating acne for several reasons. It acts as an anti-bacterial substance, decreasing hormonal activity. Since acne is often caused by hormones, which produce excess oil and clog pores, causing blemishes, green tea may be a good remedy for this problem.

The antioxidants found in green tea are beneficial in acne prevention because they help the body fight against free radicals which create cell and tissue damage. It helps reduce inflammation and aids in detoxification, which is needed to help clear up acne. Green tea also has very few potential side effects, especially in comparison to other acne products and medication.

WAYS TO USE GREEN TEA FOR ACNE

• Brew up a cup of green tea to drink and help cleanse your body from the inside out.
• Splash cooled green tea onto your face, it is a good astringent, just apply with cotton balls.
• After drinking a cup of green tea, rub the tea bag over the affected area for additional support or use as a compress.
• Purchase a bottle of green tea extract and add a few drops to your favorite hot or cold beverage.
• For topical use, add drops of green tea extract to an organic based, fragrance free cream or lotion, then apply to your skin.
• Green tea can also be purchased in capsules form- making it convenient and easy to use any time
  

Green tea is easy enough to find on the shelves of your local grocery store, and the price is right- inexpensive. If you are in search of capsules and extracts, a local health food store or online supplier is your better resource. Regardless of what form of green tea you use, start to incorporate it into your daily routine, besides helping with acne it has the added side effect of boosting your health in a variety of other ways. But we will save that for another article.