It is no secret that TikTok and Instagram are from where most beauty junkies get their tips. The apps contain tricks and trends, and some really bizarre ingredients. As such, it has managed to make another trend social media popular: drinking chlorophyll water. Yes, the very green ingredient found in plants, which gives them the green color and helps with photosynthesis.
Content creators are apparently chugging it down because it heals acne and the redness caused by it.
But, is it really efficient? To understand it, we connected with Dr. Kaleem Khan, MD, Consultant Dermatologist at Wockhardt Hospitals Mumbai Central.
Healthline defines it as one that “plays an important role in making plants green and healthy. It also has vitamins, antioxidants, and therapeutic properties that have the potential to benefit your body”.
Chlorophyll can either be obtained from plants or through supplements. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that this ingredient does not get absorbed enough.
Does chlorophyll have any effect on acne?
“Directly it does not have any effect on treating acne whatsoever,” Dr. Khan says. So what happens when we consume it?
Just like plants, chlorophyll “attracts sunlight to your skin, and that way, it can have some role to play in treating acne or the eruptions”, says the dermatologist.
This concept is known as ‘photodynamic therapy’ practiced by dermatologists. “Here, a photosensitizing chemical substance is added to the skin. The skin is later exposed to blue or red light and this kills the acne-forming bacteria,” Dr. Khan.
Rather, when we consume chlorophyll, it is making our skin more sensitive to sunlight. “We are in a bid to protect our skin but driving chlorophyll is making it more sensitive,” he explains.
Can it reduce acne or redness?
“It will actually become worse if you go out in the sun because your skin has become too sensitive to the exposure,” says the dermatologist. He says this trend of drinking green pigment affects those more, who are in the tropical regions. “It is almost like inviting a sun rash or a sunburn,” the doctor concludes.
