Green and black tea -- the wonder remedy for sun damaged skin!

Tired of dealing with premature skin ageing and sun tan caused by prolonged sun exposure? Green and black tea can help!

It is impossible to avoid the sun, especially during the afternoon when UVA and UVB rays are extremely harsh on the skin. It s also a known fact that this prolonged sun exposure can cause pigmentation, premature ageing as it reduces the skin s elasticity, and in rare cases, even skin cancer. While most of us invest in a good sunscreen to provide some form of protection, it is a good idea to combine the topical application of green tea as well as black tea with your regular sunscreens as their polyphenols have an additive photo-protective effect or mechanism to cope with skin molecular damage caused by sun exposure.

While green tea has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, researchers have found that the main active ingredient in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), works well as an anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and most importantly, as a natural sunscreen. Topical green tea applied to human skin provides a photo-protective effect, reduces the number of sunburns cells, and protects the layers of skin cells from UV damage to an extent. Along with this, both of these teas may also reduce the DNA damage that forms after UV radiation [1]. DNA damage caused by UV rays has directly been linked to skin cancers. Studies have also revealed that green tea can decrease melanoma cell formation with topical and oral administration in mice [2]. Here are 6 amazing beauty benefits of green tea for hair and skin.

Green tea also has anti-ageing effects as it decreases skin inflammation and the amount of free radical scavengers or a compound that inhibits oxidation in the skin layers. One way of reaping these benefits of green and black tea, is to have two cups of each everyday. Also, before heading out and applying your regular sunscreen, you could brew two tea bags of black and green tea and mix them together in an empty spray bottle. Spray this on your face, neck, arms and other exposed areas. Once it has dried, apply your sunscreen as usual.

You will notice that any kind of skin inflammation or sun burn or tanning caused by prolonged sun exposure will start subsiding after a week or so. Here are 6 plant oils that can also provide sun protection if combined with your sunscreen lotion.

References

[1] Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Oct 31;103(44):16182-7. Epub 2006 Oct 23. Complement activation by photooxidation products of A2E, a lipofuscin constituent of the retinal pigment epithelium. Zhou J(1), Jang YP, Kim SR, Sparrow JR.

[2] Spencer JM. Chemoprevention of skin cancer and photoaging.Cosmet Dermatol. 2001;14(6):25 28.

[3] Photochem Photobiol. 1999 Oct;Photoprotective effect of black tea extracts against UVB-induced phototoxicity in skin. Zhao J(1), Jin X, Yaping E, Zheng ZS, Zhang YJ, Athar M, DeLeo VA, Mukhtar H,Bickers DR, Wang ZY.

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