Green Tea for Hormonal Acne: Does It Help?
Hormonal acne can be a frustrating and persistent challenge, often tied to monthly cycles, lifestyle stress, and various other factors. For those of us who prefer natural approaches, green tea has become a popular option touted for its skin-clearing benefits. But can green tea really help with hormonal acne?
Let’s dive into what makes green tea unique, how it may work to support clearer skin, and ways you can incorporate it into your routine.
Disclaimer: the information provided in this blog post is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat. Make sure you contact your doctor if you think you have a medical problem.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links.
Understanding Hormonal Acne
What Causes Hormonal Acne?
Hormonal acne occurs from the fluctuations of the various hormones your body experiences on a daily basis. Hormones like estrogen in excess or if depleted can end up triggering more breakouts. Androgens, hormones that increase during stress, certain times of your cycle, and even with certain diets, stimulate sebaceous glands to produce more oil. This excess oil, combined with dead skin cells, can clog pores and lead to acne. We’ll be discussing how green tea can help from the standpoint of androgen-driven hormonal acne.
Why is Hormonal Acne So Persistent?
Hormonal acne has a pattern: it often appears as deep, painful cysts around the jawline, chin, and neck. Because of its hormonal roots, traditional topical treatments are often not enough. Hormonal acne requires an approach that balances the body’s internal environment and green tea can be a great approach to helping to balance the internal environment.
What Makes Green Tea Unique?
Key Active Compounds in Green Tea
One of the reasons green tea stands out as an acne-fighting agent is its powerful combination of active compounds. At the heart of its benefits is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant that’s renowned for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. This antioxidant helps protect skin cells from oxidative damage, which can exacerbate inflammation and trigger acne.
Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Properties: Beyond EGCG, green tea contains other catechins and antioxidants that can reduce skin redness, irritation, and inflammation. This is key in managing acne, especially the stubborn hormonal type, as inflammation often drives these types of breakouts.
Hormone-Regulating Effects of Green Tea
Green Tea’s Impact on Androgens: Androgens are one of the main culprits behind hormonal acne. Androgens are a family of male hormones that females have too and when in excess can drive cystic acne, abnormal hair growth in areas women don’t want to see hair growth (chin, chest), weight gain, etc. Androgens are often high in conditions like PCOS.
Research shows that EGCG in green tea may help to inhibit the effect of androgens on sebaceous (oil-producing) glands. By lessening the impact of these hormones, green tea can play a supportive role in reducing oil production.
Supporting Insulin Sensitivity: Interestingly, green tea also shows promise in balancing blood sugar levels, which can stabilize insulin. This matters because high insulin levels are linked to increased androgens, further exacerbating hormonal acne. So by indirectly supporting blood sugar, green tea might also be helping you control acne flare-ups.
How Green Tea May Help Reduce Hormonal Acne
Reducing Oil Production
Since androgens drive oil production on the skin, the fact that green tea can interfere with androgen activity is a promising benefit. EGCG is believed to interact with the skin cells to slow down sebum (oil) production. Less oil means a reduced likelihood of clogged pores resulting in breakouts.
Anti-Inflammatory Benefits
Acne thrives on inflammation. In fact, inflamed pores are more likely to become swollen, tender, and result in those larger, cystic acne spots that are common with hormonal acne. Green tea’s anti-inflammatory effects can work to calm irritated skin and decrease redness and swelling.
From personal experience, adding green tea to my routine noticeably reduced the redness in my skin, particularly around my jawline. Incorporating green tea into your daily skincare routine, whether drinking it or applying it topically, can help address the inflammation side of hormonal acne.
Balancing Hormones Naturally
Green tea may provide a gentle, natural approach to balancing hormones. With hormonal acne, the goal isn’t to eliminate these hormones that are triggering your breakouts, but to create an environment that supports balance. By helping regulate androgen activity and insulin sensitivity, green tea can be a natural addition to your hormonal acne toolkit.
How to Use Green Tea for Hormonal Acne
Drinking Green Tea
Recommended Daily Intake: For optimal skin benefits, aim to drink 2-3 cups of green tea daily. Sipping green tea regularly can provide a steady supply of EGCG and other beneficial compounds.
Types of Green Tea: Not all green teas are the same. Matcha, for instance, is a powdered form of green tea with a higher concentration of antioxidants, including EGCG. Matcha can provide a more potent dose, making it an excellent choice if you’re looking for stronger antioxidant effects. The type of matcha is important as well, you want to make sure you’re using a ceremonial grade matcha for peak flavor and quality.
Starting with a simple, enjoyable habit like drinking green tea makes it easier to maintain over time, giving your skin a consistent source of antioxidants.
Topical Green Tea Applications
Green Tea Extracts and Creams: Many skincare products now contain green tea extracts. Look for creams, serums, or moisturizers that list green tea or EGCG as a main ingredient. Topical applications can help deliver green tea’s benefits directly to the skin.
DIY Green Tea Toner: If you prefer a homemade approach, you can create a gentle green tea toner by brewing green tea, letting it cool, and applying it to the skin with a cotton pad. This toner can help reduce excess oil and provide anti-inflammatory effects directly on acne-prone areas.
Note: If you’re trying green tea topically for the first time, consider doing a patch test. Although green tea is gentle, some people may experience sensitivity.
Precautions & Considerations
Potential Side Effects
While green tea is generally safe, it’s essential to keep an eye on your skin’s response. Topical applications may cause mild irritation in sensitive skin. Additionally, drinking green tea in large amounts can sometimes cause digestive discomfort due to its caffeine content.
If you’re someone who is sensitive to caffeine, don’t be afraid to take it slow with incorporating green tea into your routine or considering a decaffeinated option. Something to keep in mind is that green tea also contains the amino acid, L-theanine, which helps to reduce those caffeine-induced jitters.
Who Should Avoid Green Tea
Those with certain medical conditions, such as caffeine sensitivities may need to limit green tea. Green tea has compounds (tannins) that may interfere with the absorption of iron, if you’re iron deficient be cautious with your green tea intake or make sure you’re consuming your iron rich foods away from your green tea.
Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid intake of green tea.
Also, if you’re on medication or have specific health concerns, consult your healthcare provider before adding green tea to your diet or skincare routine.
Green tea is a powerful, natural ally for those managing hormonal acne. Its ability to modulate androgen activity, reduce inflammation, and provide antioxidant support makes it a great addition to any acne routine. Whether you enjoy a cup of matcha each morning or apply a green tea-based toner, these small steps can contribute to clearer, healthier skin.
If you’re curious, try incorporating green tea into your routine and observe how your skin responds. Embracing natural options like green tea can be a gentle way to support your body and, over time, bring you one step closer to your skin goals.
Importance of a Balanced Approach
While green tea offers potential benefits, it’s important to view it as one part of a more extensive skin-care plan. Hormonal acne often requires a combination of approaches that addresses diet, lifestyle adjustments, and inflammation to see lasting results. Hormonal testing can also give you an idea of what hormones need to be addressed in order to reduce acne. If you’re looking for a provider who approaches acne holistically, make sure to check out my Acne Healing Package. As a naturopathic doctor who specializes in acne, I work with you to help you heal your skin from the inside out.
Talk soon,
xx Dr. Alyssa
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