Compiled & Medically reviewed by 
Dr.Sanjana.V.B. Bhms. Dbrm.Cdn

How does pomegranate help your skin health& anti-ageing?

     Punica granatum L. (pomegranate) is a fruit with numerous health benefits for your skin and vital organs. It is one of the fruits with excellent antioxidants content which can protect your skin from sun induced damage and premature ageing.

 In addition pomegranates can help prevent or treat many risk factors associated with ageing including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, oxidative stress to vital organs, hyperglycemia, and inflammatory activities. 

        Pomegranate is cultivated in Iran, India, and the Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Spain, and Morocco. Pomegranate is categorized as a berry but it belongs to its own botanical family, Punicaceae. The trees of pomegranate can grow up to 30 feet in height. The leaves are opposite, narrow, oblong with 3-7 cm long and 2 cm broad. The flowers are pink, red or orange in colour, with four to five petals. Edible fruit has a rounded hexagonal shape, with 5-12 cm in diameter and weighing 200 g. The thick skin surrounds around 600 arils, which encapsulates the seeds.

 Antioxidants of pomegranate & health benefits:

       Pomegranates provide lots of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) which is a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin C is essential for good bone structure, cartilage, muscle, and blood vessels. It helps to prevent age related degenerative changes to a great extent helping collagen formation and working as an antioxidant against oxidative stress induced damages to vital organs.

 Vitamin C also aids in the absorption of iron and promotes wound healing.The fruit’s vitamin C content has anti-inflammatory properties, which may protect against many diseases, such as certain types of cancer and type 2 diabetes. 

Research studies show that certain components of pomegranate such as polyphenols have potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic effects.

Pomegranates also contain other antioxidant compounds, such as quercetin and anthocyanins, which also repair cell damage caused by oxidative stress.

Pomegranate juice is an affluent source of polyphenols with high antioxidative potential.

According to an American study published in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience eating this fruit can protect you from neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer's disease is a disease affecting the nervous system, particularly in aged people and it is chiefly manifested as dementia or loss of memory.

The studies show the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective action of compounds called urolithins. These protective agents are produced when ellagitannins ,present in pomegranates  are metabolized by intestinal bacteria. Pomegranates help to reduce memory and cognition problems of Alzheimer's disease. 

Pomegranate helps to improve your skin health due to its richness of antioxidants.

     The antioxidants in pomegranate help your skin providing protection against ultraviolet (UV) rays of sun and prevent premature ageing. The sun induced damage to the skin and resulting premature ageing is called photo ageing. Photo aging of the skin depends mainly on the degree of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and on an amount of melanin in the skin.

    UV Rays of sun activate cell surface receptors of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in the skin, which leads to a breakdown of collagen and stoppage of new collagen formation. The collagen breakdown is followed by imperfect repair of collagen, scar formation and ultimately skin atrophy and wrinkles are the result. Studies shows that exposure of human skin to UV Rays leads to oxidation of cellular biomolecules that could be prevented by prior antioxidant treatment [1].

     The  signs of photoaging  range from wrinkles, mottled pigmentation , rough skin, loss of the skin tone, dryness, sallowness, deep furrows, skin atrophy, laxity, leathery appearance, precancerous lesions  to  skin cancer, and melanoma.

 Exposure to UV rays of sun affects the normally present skin antioxidants. Ascorbate, glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and ubiquinol antioxidants of skin are decreased drastically after UVB  rays exposure from sun.UV light is more harmful to the antioxidant defenses of the epidermis than the dermis.

 One study shows that topical vitamin C 5% cream application on skin for six months led to clinical improvement in the appearance of photo aged [sun damaged] skin. Topical vitamin C stimulates the collagen-producing activity of the dermis of skin.

     It seems that anti-oxidative defense of the skin is also dependent on nutrient intake especially fruits and vegetables.  Studies show that oral intake of selected micronutrients [vitamins & minerals} and phytochemicals from certain plants can protect your skin from sun damage and consequent photoageing prematurely.

UV-induced photo-aging of the skin becomes more evident with growing age, when the skin’s own repair processes are not effective anymore and damage to the skin is continuing. At this point it is very important to ingest additional antioxidants through intake of fruits ,vegetables or supplements and/or to apply them on the skin in topical preparations [2].

Many studies show that vitamin C can increase collagen production, protect against damage from UVA and UVB rays of sun,reduce pigmentation problems, and improve inflammatory skin conditions.

The pomegranate seeds help to manage uneven skin tone due to its antioxidants and vitamin C content .It is very much useful as an exfoliating agent for your facial skin providing healthy glow.

Whole, fresh pomegranate contains important vitamins and minerals. There is 16mg of vitamin C in a medium-sized fruit, which is about 18% of the recommended daily value.

Vitamin C is a great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent  which help the body fight against photo aging .Pomegranate arils are packed with nutrients and antioxidants, substances that can help prevent or delay damage within the cells.

Antioxidants help skin health. The antioxidant potential of pomegranate juice is more than that of red wine and green tea, which is induced through ellagitannins and tannins.

Two other ellagitannins that are found in both pomegranate juice and peel are punicalagin and punicalin.

Several classes of pomegranate flavonoids include anthocyanins, flavan 3-ols, and flavonols.

Pomegranate juice and peel have catechins with a high antioxidant activity. They are essential compounds of anthocyanin's production with antioxidant and inflammatory role. Anthocyanins cause the red color of juice, which is not found in the peel.

Pomegranate face &body scrub to improve the glow and tone of skin

Pomegranate  is used as a face & body scrub  in combination with other ingredients for improving skin tone and health. Being a great exfoliative agent as well as antioxidant  pomegranate scrub removes the dry, dead and dull layer of skin cells  and improve the glow of  skin underneath .                  

How to prepare scrub: 

Ingredients: 

1] I/2 cup pomegranate seeds paste

2]1/4 cup oatmeal soaked in water & crushed

3] Rice powder -1tbs

4] Milk -2tbs

5] Rose water

Preparation:

  Mix all the ingredients well in a bowl till a paste with flowy consistency is formed. Add rose water if the paste is so thick. Now apply the mixture on face and body. Gently massage it on your skin with the pulp of your fingers in order to exfoliate the dead skin gently for 5 minutes. Then wash the skin in plain water. This scrub has great cleansing as well as exfoliative effect and gives you bright and healthy complexion and soft skin.

     The same mixture can be applied as a face pack after scrubbing and washing the face. Keep it over your face for 10 minutes and let it dry a little. Then apply water gently and remove the face pack. This topical application has all the antioxidants of pomegranate seeds which can repair the sun induced damage on the skin and milk in the face pack helps to cleanse and moisturize the face well.

People with oily acne prone skin better avoid milk and add honey instead.

You may apply this scrub &face pack once in a fortnight.

References

1.    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3789494/

2.    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23384037/

3.    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160711120533.htm

4.     https://www.hindustantimes.com/health-and-fitness/super-seeds-pomegranates-have-anti-ageing-effect/story-2KWM123d7hvSJt9JH0ggTK.html

5.     https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21457902/

6.     https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20334708/

7.     https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17048194/