Can Pomegranate Improve the Health of My Skin

Touted as a superfood in recent years, pomegranates have increased in popularity as a fruit that can lower inflammation and improve your overall health.
Much of these benefits have to do with polyphenols, the powerful antioxidant-containing nutrients found in other plant-based foods, such as berries and green tea.

Given its nutritional content, it’s possible that pomegranates could improve your health from the inside out. This may include your skin health, but there are some limitations to many of the claims made online.
Benefits of using pomegranate on skin
Antioxidants such as the vitamin C found in pomegranates work by reducing cellular damage in your body. Other notable compoundsTrusted Source include tannins, ellagitannins, and anthocyanins.

While these work best via the foods you eat and drink, topical applications could provide some benefits.
Anti-aging benefits
When applied to the skin of miceTrusted Source, antioxidants helped decrease the incidence of age spots and wrinkles, though they didn’t prevent them entirely. There are currently studies underway on humans.

Such effects are thought to be achieved via increased cell regeneration, which is your skin’s ability to get rid of old skin cells on the surface so it can rejuvenate new ones.
Decreased inflammation
Reduced free radical damage can also translate to decreased inflammation in the skin. As such, antioxidants may be able to reduce the symptoms of certain inflammatory skin conditions like acne and eczema.

Antimicrobial benefits
Pomegranate is thought to contain natural antimicrobials from vitamin CTrusted Source, which may help fight bacteria and fungus in your skin. Such benefits may help treat P. acnes bacteria, which may be a precursor to acne breakouts.
UV protection
The antioxidants in pomegranate are also thought to help provide natural protection against ultraviolet (UV) rays, according to some studiesTrusted Source. However, such protection isn’t enough to skip out on daily sunscreen.

Natural exfoliation
Regular exfoliation helps to get rid of dead skin cells, which decreases signs of acne and skin aging. It’s thought that these benefits are directly linked to using slightly crushed seeds of the pomegranate fruit.

Can eating pomegranate benefit skin care?
Eating a variety of plant-based foods is thought to work best for your overall health, including that of your skin.
Pomegranates are just one type of antioxidant-rich food source that can be beneficial. Eating the fruit — in this case, the seeds — is better than drinking processed juices, as the latter can be full of added sugars and other ingredients.

Still, this doesn’t mean that eating multiple pomegranates a day will be your ultimate ticket to good skin. It’s more important to include a variety of antioxidant-rich foods in your diet. These can include pomegranates, but a diet for healthy skin certainly isn’t limited to them.