We already know that seaweed toast is more effective than a workout in the gym due to its fat-burning abilities and it looks like scientists have discovered another health benefit of the slimy green stuff – it could help banish acne.
Seaweed joins thyme as being an effective, natural treatment for stubborn spots, having been hailed as the latest skin remedy after a report published in the Clinical and Experimental Dermatology discovered that it reduces spot growth by 64%.
A brown seaweed-infused face wash containing an active compound called Phycosaccharide ACP was tested on 60 young male participants with mild acne for two months.
After the study had completed, over half of participants reported a significant reduction in inflammatory spots and comedones (blackheads and whiteheads) in just eight weeks.
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Brown seaweed – also known as ‘Laminaria digitata’ – is commonly found in Brittany, France. Scientists believe that brown seaweed has the ability to kill acne bacterium within one to 15 minutes of being rubbed on the skin.
More than four in five teenagers get some form of acne. It's much less common in later life. However, about one in 20 women and one in 100 men aged 25 to 40 continue to be affected by acne, or develop it at this age (late-onset acne).
Acne starts to develop when hair follicles in your skin become blocked with the natural oil produced by your skin (known as sebum) and dead skin cells. It can also be caused by an influx of testosterone hormones, which increases the production of sebum in the skin.
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