Are Substances Found In Green Tea Effective In Reducing Inflammatory And Noninflammatory Lesion Counts In Men And Women With Acne Vulgaris?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not the substances found in green tea are effective in reducing noninflammatory and inflammatory lesion counts in men and women with acne vulgaris. STUDY DESIGN: Systemic review of two double-blind RCTs and one case study published after 2008, all in the English language. DATA SOURCES: Data sources obtained for this review were found using PubMed, published in peer-reviewed journals and selected based on relevance to the clinical question, outcomes measured and date published. OUTCOMES MEASURED: The outcomes were measured based off of reduction in total lesion counts, patient satisfaction (defined as full satisfaction, partial satisfaction or no satisfaction), and a Leeds score which is a common, objective technique used by dermatologists to assess inflammatory and noninflammatory acne lesions. RESULTS: All three studies showed significance in decreasing total lesion counts with the use of green tea products. Yoon et al. showed statistical significance between each epigallocatechin3-gallate (EGCG) treated group and baseline, and statistical significance between each EGCGtreated group and control. In Lu et al. green tea extract significantly reduced lesion counts on the nose, perioral area and the chin with a P\u3c0.05. Additionally, in Elsaie et al. the decrease in total lesion counts was also statistically significant with a P\u3c0.0001 after use of a topical green tea lotion. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the anti-inflammatory polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate in green tea could be a potential low-cost, natural alternative medicine for the treatment of acne