Green tea could help treat inflammatory skin conditions

Green tea is already touted for its cancer-fighting properties. A new study finds that it may also hold promise in treating inflammatory skin conditions such as dandruff, lupus-induced lesions and psoriasis.

In skin diseases like psoriasis, skin cells multiply out of control, causing the skin to be thicker and to flake off. Immune cells in the body are also activated, causing inflammation to set in.

In condition like psoriasis, skin cell growth becomes unregulated and inflammation sets in.

In a study to be published in the Aug. 18 edition of Experimental Dermatology, scientists divided mice with a genetic predisposition for psoriasis into two groups — one was bathed routinely in warm water and one in a green tea extract mixed with water.

The mice bathed in the green tea extract developed skin lesions much later than the mice washed with warm water. Their lesions were also smaller and less inflamed.

Scientists concluded that the green tea slowed the production of skin cells by regulating the activity of caspase 14 that is involved in regulating a skin cell's life cycle.

This research is important because certain treatments for psoriasis and dandruff can have dangerous side effects, Dr. Stephen Hsu, an oral biologist in the MCG School of Dentistry and lead investigator on the study said in a release.

"The traditional treatment of ultraviolet light and medication, while it can control the lesions and be used long term, may cause squamous cell carcinoma — the second most common form of skin cancer," he says.

"Some of the most effective anti-dandruff shampoos also have carcinogens in them. The bottom line is that we don't know the long-term effects of using those products continuously" he says.

Green tea, which is plant-derived, may be an alternative, says Hsu. But scientists must work on developing delivery mechanisms, as the chemicals in green tea are so active that they are oxidized too quickly when mixed with other ingredients.

They also dissolve in water, which cannot penetrate the skin's barrier.

Researchers are looking for a balanced formula that can dissolve in fats, which can permeate the skin, Hsu says. He says human trials also need to be conducted.