How Does Green Tea Improve The Appearance of Scars?

By Douglas McGeorge, former president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons and co-founder of Science of Skin.

In the Far East, for centuries, green tea has been used as a traditional medicine to treat inflammatory conditions; everything from arthritis to eczema. However, until now, there has been little scientific evidence to back up any of the claims of its miraculous properties..

Over the last four years, I, with my colleague Dr Ardeshir Bayat, one of the world’s leading clinical scientists, have been researching the extraordinary effects of green tea on the way the body heals. Working with a team, based at the University of Manchester, we discovered that certain extracts in green tea can alter the wound healing process and, therefore, dramatically improve the appearance of scars. As a surgeon and, particularly, a plastic surgeon, I want to leave the best scars possible for my patients.

In order to understand how they work, it is first important to know how the body heals itself. In the womb, as we develop, we heal by regeneration, leaving no visible scars. Once born, this changes and we heal by an inflammatory process. This is quicker, and limits our exposure to infection, but leaves a visible mark; a scar. The process is an evolutionary compromise. In some cases this inflammatory process is prolonged and can lead to thickened, painful and itchy scars, or even keloid scars.

This is where the green tea extracts can help. They help you intervene in the healing process and give it the very best chance to heal with no disturbance.

The naturally active green tea extracts penetrate deep into the layers of the skin, soothing the irritation and reducing redness. This reduces further disturbance of the scar through scratching, which together result in smoother, more comfortable, less visible scars.

The majority of currently available scar treatments simply sit on top of the skin, keeping the moisture in and making it feel softer. The green tea extracts have been scientifically proven to assist the healing process and support the way scars form; making them less likely to be thickened, red, irritated and uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, simply drinking a cup of green tea, or rubbing a tea bag on your wound will not have the desired effect. As a result of our research we have developed a revolutionary new treatment, called Solution for Scars™. As well as the naturally active green tea extracts, the cream also contains magnolia bark, microalgae, seawater minerals and Vitamin E, which have cell-renewal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and moisturising properties.

This research has broken the mould when it comes to effective skincare treatments. Solution for Scars™ works completely differently and far more effectively than some of the existing scar products on the market. It is designed to give patients they very best chance of achieving the best possible scar, from injury or operation.

We are a long way from the holy grail of scarless healing, but Solution for Scars™ marks a new milestone in helping to improve the appearance of scars. It will, hopefully, provide a springboard for further research into new ways of controlling poor scarring.

Solution for Scars is available from www.scienceofskin.com