Recently, two studies were performed to measure the potential of green tea in acne. The findings of these recent studies show that when applied to the affected area, green tea can reduce sebum production, inflammation and bacterial growth in acne-prone skin, as a result of an antioxidant called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).
The first study findings
The more recent of the studies appeared in the December 2012 issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and showed that green tea helps to reduce sebum production. In the first part of this two part study, the South Korean researchers applied cream containing EGCG to rabbit ears and discovered that it reduced the size of sebaceous glands.
The second part of the test was conducted in vitro (petri dish) and involved the incubation of human sebocytes (cells that produce sebum) in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) hormone. Several similar studies have also shown that IGF-1 increases sebocyte growth and is also one of the hormones linked to acne and oily skin.
Researchers in stage two of the test added EGCG to the mix and subsequently found that IGF-1 induced cell growth and sebum production was significantly decreased, which means the properties of EGCG are ideal for the treatment of acne. Further findings showed that an additional property of EGCG was its tendency to suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines which cause systematic inflammation. Cytokines are signaling molecules in the immune system to communicate.
The second study findings
The second study was also conducted in South Korea, and was published in the October 2012 issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. More intriguing than the first study due to the fact that it was carried out on human subjects and therefore showed tangible effects. In this second study using human subjects, EGCG was found to be a viable and safe treatment for dealing with the three primary causes of acne: P. Acnes bacteria, sebum production and inflammation.
During the second part of the of the test, participants took part in a split-face, randomized clinical trial of EGCG cream and each participant was asked by researchers to apply two creams, one to the left side and one to the right side of the face. While one cream contained EGCG, the other cream was simply a placebo containing no active ingredients. During the test, participants were kept in the dark as to which cream was the 'real deal.' The results showed significant reduction in acne from the EGCG cream. Similarly, earlier studies on human subjects have shown that green tea extract creams do cause a noticeable reduction in sebum production.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23096708?dopt=Abstract
http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v132/n12/full/jid2012202a.html
Its hard to find products containing green tea but seems like this company made from earth makes a green tea cleanser with good ingredients
http://www.madefromearth.com/content/green-tea-toxin-cleanser
Recently, two studies were performed to measure the potential of green tea in acne. The findings of these recent studies show that when applied to the affected area, green tea can reduce sebum production, inflammation and bacterial growth in acne-prone skin, as a result of an antioxidant called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).
The first study findings
The more recent of the studies appeared in the December 2012 issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and showed that green tea helps to reduce sebum production. In the first part of this two part study, the South Korean researchers applied cream containing EGCG to rabbit ears and discovered that it reduced the size of sebaceous glands.
The second part of the test was conducted in vitro (petri dish) and involved the incubation of human sebocytes (cells that produce sebum) in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) hormone. Several similar studies have also shown that IGF-1 increases sebocyte growth and is also one of the hormones linked to acne and oily skin.
Researchers in stage two of the test added EGCG to the mix and subsequently found that IGF-1 induced cell growth and sebum production was significantly decreased, which means the properties of EGCG are ideal for the treatment of acne. Further findings showed that an additional property of EGCG was its tendency to suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines which cause systematic inflammation. Cytokines are signaling molecules in the immune system to communicate.
The second study findings
The second study was also conducted in South Korea, and was published in the October 2012 issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. More intriguing than the first study due to the fact that it was carried out on human subjects and therefore showed tangible effects. In this second study using human subjects, EGCG was found to be a viable and safe treatment for dealing with the three primary causes of acne: P. Acnes bacteria, sebum production and inflammation.
During the second part of the of the test, participants took part in a split-face, randomized clinical trial of EGCG cream and each participant was asked by researchers to apply two creams, one to the left side and one to the right side of the face. While one cream contained EGCG, the other cream was simply a placebo containing no active ingredients. During the test, participants were kept in the dark as to which cream was the 'real deal.' The results showed significant reduction in acne from the EGCG cream. Similarly, earlier studies on human subjects have shown that green tea extract creams do cause a noticeable reduction in sebum production.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23096708?dopt=Abstract
http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v132/n12/full/jid2012202a.html
Hello, I was wondering if you had access to the full text report for the first of the links? I am curious as to how they made their EGCG cream.
