Long touted for its health-promoting properties, green tea might be aneffective treatment for acne, a new study suggests Green tea has been shown to fight bacteria, reduce inflammation and decrease hormone activity-- three characteristic's that make the ancient tea an excellent candidate for an acne therapy.

         This study showed that 3 percent green tea cream is comparable to 4 percent benzoyl peroxide in the treatment of moderate to severe acne. The green tea cream seemed to lighten patients' skin color and improve the overall ,appearance of their complexion. Green tea threapy might be appealing to consumers because conventional wisdom holds that natural products are less toxic and, have fewer side effects than other drug products, the researchers said. The preliminary data suggest green tea extract cream causes fewer side effects than benzoyl peroxide treatment. Patients in the green tea group reported fewer cases of dry skin, itching and allergic responses.