Pineapples are so much more than a tropical cocktail ingredient (or undersea home for SpongeBob).
These sweet-and-sour fruits are also loaded with powerful ingredients like vitamin C and bromelain — just what you need for that glow-up. Then there’s that skin-loving array of antioxidants… *chef’s kiss*
Stick around to learn why we’re crowning pineapples one of the tastiest ways to support a healthy glow. Here are all the pineapple benefits for skin.
11 pineapple benefits for your skin
Pineapples could enhance your complexion in several ways.
- calms inflammation
- potentially reverses skin disease
- fights damaging free radicals
- boosts collagen production
- combats aging
- speeds wound healing
- inhibits hyperpigmentation
- protects against UV damage
- helps treat severe burns
- blasts acne away
- reduces sunspots
All the skin perks of eating pineapple
Let’s keep it 100: Snacking on a few pineapple slices won’t magically perfect your persnickety pores.
Science says pineapples are nourishing for your skin, but you’d need to consume a *lot* of ‘em to notice major improvements. For best results, consistently enjoy pineapple alongside other skin-adoring foods.
Now onto the ways eating this tropical fruit could support your skin care game.
1. It could calm inflammation
Inflammation = redness, swelling, and irritation. Basically, it’s not great news for your face.
Research shows that pineapple is naturally anti-inflammatory. Say buh-bye to ruddy noses, splotchy cheeks, and pesky red zits.
2. It could help reverse skin disease
Pineapple’s secret weapon is bromelain, a powerful enzyme that’s found in its stem. Folks claim it can soothe lots of health issues from sinusitis to asthma. Oh, and it might even be able to fight against some skin disease.
In one older study of eight people with pityriasis lichenoides chronica (PLC), a chronic skin disease, folks who took bromelain daily for 3 months were able to *reverse* 😲 their condition.
3. It can help fight free radicals
Free radicals are natural metabolic byproducts of your body’s day-to-day processing. But when their numbers swell unchecked, these free radicals cause oxidative stress that leaves you vulnerable to sickness.
Pineapple to the rescue! It’s bursting with antioxidant-rich bromelain and vitamin C to help you fight free radicals. This can help ward off skin damage and sickness.
4. It could buoy collagen production
Pineapple offers more than just bromelain. A cup of piña chunks includes 79 milligrams of skin-nourishing vitamin C. That’s 88 percent of your recommended daily value.
Most folks know vitamin C is great for supporting the immune system, but yes, it’s also great for your skin. Science says it helps promote collagen production, which makes skin smooth and bouncy.
5. It fights premature aging
Remember that whole schtick about oxidative stress? Well, stressed-out cells can lead to premature wrinkles and fine lines.
Noshing on pineapple (vitamin C and bromelain, specifically) floods your body with antioxidants to help fight that kind of damage. #PlantPower
6. It supports wound healing processes
By now you know pineapples are full of vitamin C, which plays a significant role in skin cell regeneration. While a gnarly scrape won’t heal by the powers of vitamin C alone, eating pineapple can help support your body’s natural wound healing and cell turnover.
7. It could inhibit hyperpigmentation
A research review tells us that healthy vitamin C levels help your skin color look more even. That’s great news for folks who deal with hyperpigmentation from acne or sun exposure.
8. It might protect against UV damage
Speaking of sun exposure, vitamin C seems to play a role in protecting your cells from UV rays (aka ultraviolet radiation). Too much UV exposure can damage your skin. You’ll notice sunburn if you get too much sun at your beach vacay, but long-term overexposure can lead to skin cancer.
How does vitamin C help? Researchers aren’t entirely sure yet. But the vitamin’s antioxidant activity and immune system support probably have something to do with it.
Does pineapple juice have the same skin benefits?
That depends on the juice!
Fresh pineapple juice should have a similar nutritional profile to the raw fruit (minus its fiber content). But research from 2015 suggests that nutrients — vitamin C in particular — are often lost in the juicing process.
To maximize the benefits of drinking pineapple juice, opt for a product with no added sugar. Better yet — juice it fresh at home!
Pineapple perks: Skin benefits of topical application
Are you the friend who’s always applying Greek yogurt, manuka honey, or mashed avocado to your face? Well, why not give pineapple a whirl?
Just keep in mind that DIY face masks aren’t lab tested, so they may or may not give you the results you’re looking for. Specially formulated pineapple extract lotions or serums made for your skin may be your best bet.
1. It might help heal burns
Older research suggests that the bromelain in pineapple could help severe burns heal more quickly, but more research is needed to understand its long-term effects.
Ongoing studies of topical treatments are promising, but don’t try to fix a bad burn at home. Get to a doctor ASAP if you’ve got skin thickening or severe blistering.
2. It could help banish breakouts
There’s been very little research that can directly link pineapple to acne reduction. But initial studies are promising. One test-tube study (a study that’s not done on humans) revealed that a face wash infused with bromelain could squash acne-causing bacteria.
Another recent study of bromelain face wash suggests that the enzyme works against several types of bacteria common in zits and skin infections.
3. It could dial back melasma
Eating pineapple can protect your body from UV damage, and applying pineapple extract might be able to reverse some effects of existing damage. There’s some evidence that it can reduce or shrink the dark sunspots from older sun damage (curse you, high school tanning craze).
In one small study, 11 peeps with melasma (a condition that causes skin discoloration) reported a significant reduction in spots after using pineapple extract cream for 12 weeks. It’s important to note that this was a pineapple-infused skin care product — not simply a DIY face mask from fresh fruit.
Any reasons I shouldn’t rub fresh pineapple on my skin?
Don’t use pineapple for your skin if you’re allergic to this fruit (obvi).
Food allergies aside, topical bromelain does have some recorded side effects from studies. It’s on the “known culprits” list for causing reactions like:
- skin irritation
- slight tongue swelling
- redness around the mouth after eating
But most studies on pineapple for glowing skin have tested pineapple concentrate instead of fresh pineapple. So you’re unlikely to get any gnarly side effects from rubbing a cube of fresh fruit on your forehead.
Just remember that also means that fresh pineapple probably doesn’t have enough bromelain to really make a dent in your skin care probs when it’s applied topically.
The bottom line
The vitamin C and enzymes that give pineapple its tangy taste also have proven benefits for your skin. However, you’d have to nosh on a *lot* of pineapple salads to notice differences in your skin’s texture and glow.
Wanna get in on pineapple skin-loving ingredients? Your best bet is to drop some money on skin care products infused with pineapple extract or bromelain. Then support your glow by regularly snacking on pineapple, blueberries, and other healthy, antioxidant-rich foods.
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