Could the natural ingredient be the secret to flawless skin?
If you keep up with Twitter’s avid beauty community, you might have noticed the latest trend of users sharing tweets about their skincare regimens. A recent tweet from a user named Hilda Paz Robles stood out from the crowd, though. “Came a long way,” she writes while sharing dramatic before-and-after photos of her skin.
https://twitter.com/hildapazrobles/status/960673483180056577
The “before” photo shows congested skin, cystic acne, and blackheads. The “after”? Almost entirely clear, smooth skin, as if the breakouts had never been there at all.
The original tweet has been retweeted an impressive 3,500 times, with 12,000 likes and over 200 replies, almost all of which ask a version of the same question: How’d she do it?
According to Robles, green tea and honey are the secret to her new complexion.
“I started to get acne April 2017,” Robles told Health. “I did try other home made remedies, but nothing was working.” She says that it wasn’t until she found the perfect concoction that she started to see results. After that, her acne cleared up in about five months.
“I used 100% green tea with 100% raw honey,” she says. “I would drink it and use it as a face scrub.” In addition, Robles also used Biore Pore Penetrating Charcoal Bar ($6; amazon.com) and Ponds Nourishing Moisture Cream ($7; amazon.com) as staples in her everyday skincare routine.
Ted Lain, MD, an Austin-based dermatologist at Sanova Dermatology, tells us that Robles’ skincare regimen could indeed help clear up breakouts. “Green tea is rich in antioxidants, including super-potent polyphenols,” he explains. “These are natural anti-inflammatory agents and likely helped her with the redness and swelling.”
Honey is beneficial, too, he adds. “[It’s] soothing and anti-inflammatory, as well as anti-bacterial, so this ingredient acted in synergy with the green tea to treat the swelling and infection.”
If you’re wondering how Robles overcame her acne with such minimal scarring, Dr. Lain notes that her concoction might have actually been helpful in preventing scars. “I noticed the ‘after’ photo showed no evidence of brown marks, which are a common leftover from cystic acne,” he says. “The green tea also has brightening effects on the skin, which she definitely used to her benefit.”
So once she achieved flawless skin, why did she choose to post her “before” photo to the Internet for the world to see? Robles tells us that she wanted to share her secret with others struggling with similar skin concerns. “I know a lot of people get acne, and I want to be that person to help them get through it.” (Health)