Royal Jelly for Skin Care, Benefits, Products, Side Effects and Reviews

Is royal jelly good for skin? With lots of skin care products in the market laced with chemicals, some people have chosen to stick to beauty the old natural way such as using royal jelly for skin care. Royal jelly has loads of health and skin benefits. It has anti-aging, healing, moisturizer and supplies the skin with beneficial nutrients. These properties have made many big wigs in the manufacturing of skin care products include it in their ingredients. So, what is royal jelly? What are the benefits of using royal jelly on skin? How can you use royal jelly to make your skin better? Let’s find out

Royal Jelly Skin Care, Is it Good?

What is royal jelly? Royal jelly is a whitish secretion made the hypopharynx glands of the worker bees. It is used in the nutrition of the larvae and the queen bee (source: Wikipedia). This specialized nutrition increases the size of queen bees, improves fertility and enhances long life. It is for these reasons the royal jelly is internally consumed by humans and also used externally to nourish and improve the appearance of skin.

Royal Jelly Skin Benefits

While royal jelly has many benefits for general health of the body, today I decided to focus on the skin; here is an overview of benefits of royal jelly on skin

• It is rich in nutrients: vitamin B complex, amino acids and enzymes
• Has natural antibacterial and antibiotic properties
• It is an anti-inflammatory
• Has skin and wound healing properties
• Anti-aging, anti-wrinkle
• Sunscreen
• Antioxidant
• Improves immunity

Royal Jelly Anti-Aging

Tissue regeneration and repair and very essential for healthy, taut, young-looking skin. With age, the ability of the skin to renew cells becomes a little inefficient due to less production of collagen. This makes the skin appear loose, thin and saggy which to most people is unappealing.

To maintain the skin elasticity, all you need to do is boost the production of collagen. Studies done on royal jelly and skin show that it contains nutrients, minerals and antioxidants which support skin renewal and boost the production of collagen.

This property is what has led to the wide use of royal jelly in most anti-wrinkle skin creams and age defying eye creams.

Royal Jelly Sunscreen

The unique pharmacological properties of royal jelly have sparked interest in different parts of the world and several studies have been done to determine the effects of royal jelly on human skin. One of big interest is how RJ protects against skin damaging UVB rays. While results have not yet been reported, several studies done found that royal jelly protects against the ultraviolet-B induced photo-aging of the human skin fibroblasts by enhancing collagen production. (Source: US National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health).

Royal jelly contains proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, fats and minerals. Its principal unsaturated fatty acid 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA) which also possesses antitumor and antibacterial activities has the capacity to stimulate collagen production.  According to a study done by the department of medical science Kyung Hee University Seoul Korea, royal jelly contained about 0.211% 10-HDA. Skin treated with RJ was found to have increased procollagen type 1 and TGF-beta 1 productions.

Royal Jelly Skin and Wound Healing

Royal jelly is immune boosting, antibacterial and helps in faster wound healing. It has an immune boosting protein called royalisin. Royalisin together with a complex of other proteins called major royal jelly proteins are what gives bees the ability to fight bacteria, allergies and other natural illnesses.

While several studies have been done on how royal jelly enhances wound healing, the scientific evidence is still limited but very encouraging. A study done by the national institute of health on the efficacy of topical RJ on diabetic foot ulcers concluded that other than conventional treatments, royal jelly dressing may be an effective method for treating diabetic foot ulcers.

How to Use Royal Jelly for Skin

Honey and its proponents have been used for skin care for many years. Royal jelly to be particular was part of the skin care beauty regimen of the Egyptian women. They used it as a face moisturizer and sunscreen to protect them from the harsh conditions of the desert. According to the sarah-thescienceofbeauty.blogspot.com, royal jelly can be effectively used as a dry skin softener, skin toning lotion and moisturizer for stretched-stressed skin. Most skin care products use RJ as part of their ingredients for these reasons.

Royal Jelly Skin Care Products

One known setback to using royal jelly for skin is the fact that it deteriorates very quickly. It is recommended that you use it with honey or in a freeze-dried form to prolong its shelf life. When used in cosmetics it has been in a preserved form and most times it can be a little difficult to tell what format was used in your product. While fresh RJ might have been used in your product, it is possible that it will be the efficacy will already be diminished by the time you even get to use your product. It is for this reason that you should only buy royal jelly products from reputable manufactures.

Fresh Frozen Royal jelly

While fresh royal jelly is the best and the most potent form, it is very bitter and has a strong taste. It is actually one of the distinctive characteristics of royal jelly. Actually, if yours does not taste as bad, then it’s not real. To mask this unpleasant taste, mix it with jam, honey or a smoothie.

Take half a teaspoon twice a day with food. Fresh royal jelly should always be kept frozen for long-term use.

Royal Jelly Supplements

For the fact that RJ gets damaged real fast, it is recommended that it used in its freshest form with strict storage guidelines such as storage in an airtight container. Poor storage reduces efficacy to near zero making people turn to supplements in the form of capsules, tablets and powdered forms of royal jelly.

Royal Jelly Capsules and Tablets for Skin

Royal jelly is most commonly available in a convenient form of capsules. Fresh royal jelly or powder have very strong or bitter taste. Royal jelly capsules for skin are just dried powder encapsulated in a better tasting or tasteless casing which makes it even easier to take them. The daily recommended dose is one 1000mg capsule.  Be sure to swallow the capsule whole with lots of water. Otherwise it will decay and efficacy will reduce markedly while still in the mouth or the throat.

Powdered Royal Jelly

Powdered royal jelly is not as awful tasting as fresh RJ and it is a good option for those who enjoy smoothies and other shakes. While it is not as strong, it can be mixed with honey or jam to mask the rather unpleasant taste. It is should be kept in a cool dry place and preferably in the fridge. Take ¼ teaspoon per day with food.

Health advice: Note that the antibacterial property of royal jelly can damage your normal flora if used for a long time. Take probiotic like yogurt regularly to not only maintain the activities of the good bacteria in the body but also to enhance absorption of royal jelly.

Royal Jelly for Acne

There are many natural skin treatments out there and other than getting rid of acne and acne scars, they give added skin benefits. Royal jelly is one such product. It has a complex of vitamins, minerals, proteins and amino acids that are essential in getting rid of acne. It also works an antibiotic, balances hormones and reduces cholesterol which are some of the major causes of skin breakouts.

While you can take royal jelly in form of supplements to get rid of acne, the best way to use it for the skin would be to apply it fresh on your skin. It is to be noted however, that the positive actions of royal jelly towards the treatment of acne occur whether it is used internally or externally.

According to albaherbal.com, the skin slightly acidic PH is what is known to protect it from invasion of bacteria and dust which clog skin pores and cause the skin to break out. Royal jelly is also acidic in nature- it actually has best naturally occurring hydroxyl acids which are largely used in skin creams. Whether applied topically or taken internally, royal jelly can serve to improve the general skin health by reducing acne, blackheads, scars and making the skin appear smoother and brighter.

Side Effects of Using Royal Jelly on Skin

Royal jelly is rated as possibly safe when applied to the skin appropriately. But is also known to cause inflammation and allergic rash. When used as a topical application, individuals who are sensitive to components of royal jelly may notice mild to moderate skin irritations with symptoms such as rash, redness and contact dermatitis.

Dr Organic Royal Jelly Skin Body Whitening Cream

Dr. Organic Royal Jelly is a product that has been a top controversy talks due to the term ‘whitening’. It is described by hollandandbarret.com as a cream with a blend of bioactive natural and organic ingredients that are naturally researched and tested. The cream also contains organic royal jelly with the skin brightening actives. It is a natural blemish and dark spot treatment that is also great for removing skin tan and discoloration. Most of those who have used this cream review it positively as a heavy cream that has helped them to lighten freckles, age spots and hyper pigmented skin on different parts of the body like the neck and knees.