You’ve probably heard of glutathione whitening benefits, but it’s so, so much more than a simple skin lightener. Glutathione is also crucial for your health. It’s a powerful antioxidant – so important that it’s been dubbed “the super antioxidant” and “the mother of all antioxidants.”
So what is this skin whitening antioxidant and what makes it so great? Let’s find out.
What is Glutathione?
At its simplest, glutathione (pronounced “gloota-thigh-own“) is a substance naturally produced by the liver. And it’s a multi-tasking wonder. Glutathione is essentially an antioxidant and consists of 3 amino acids, namely cysteine, glycine, and glutamic acid. It protects your body from diseases and blocks toxin formation. It also fights free radicals responsible for skin pigmentation, discoloration, and dark spots. Glutathione:
- plays a massively important role in keeping the immune system up
- can reduce inflammation
- acts as the master detoxifier and
- serves as the body’s main antioxidant.
On a cellular level, the daily process of metabolism produces the so-called ‘free radicals’ as byproducts. In essence, free radicals are waste atoms made of a single electron. They freely roam around looking for another electron to pair up with. Eventually, they steal an electron from another molecule, thus causing damage to healthy cells.
This is where antioxidants come into the picture. Antioxidants are the main enemies of free radicals as they trap them and push them out of our bodies. Antioxidants keep the skin cells healthy, slowing down the process of skin aging.
And glutathione isn’t only a powerful antioxidant, but it helps recycle more antioxidants by destroying free radicals in our bodies and helping to boost our immunity and revert or avoid diseases.
Antioxidants are generally present in the food we eat. Also, our own bodies produce some of them. Glutathione is one of those props we are lucky to have naturally − our cells produce it.
Glutathione deficiency has been linked to a variety of illnesses from chronic fatigue syndrome and asthma to cancer and heart disease. On the other hand, raised glutathione levels have been shown to prevent aging, heart disease, cancer, dementia, as well as decrease muscle damage, reduce recovery time, increase strength and endurance and shift metabolism from fat production to muscle development. No wonder glutathione is being hailed as the mightiest antioxidant.
But that’s not all. Glutathione works wonders for your body, and it also causes a skin whitening effect.
Is Glutathione Really Effective as a Skin Lightener?
Glutathione and its effects on the skin have been known for years, but glutathione whitening came on the scene not so long ago. Until recently it was believed that only intravenously administered glutathione can affect the color of your complexion. Many beauty clinics in Asia and the US would offer a variety of glutathione injections or a drip. Such treatments were of course very expensive. The glutathione injection cost was prohibitive for a while and hardly anyone could opt for one.
Luckily for us, consumers begged to disagree. People disregarded assurances that IV solutions were the only way to effectively supplement glutathione and tried otherwise. Many reported positive results from treatment with tablets or the glutathione skin whitening soap. And it worked to boost alternative market options.
Scientific evidence about how effective glutathione skin whitening is has been lacking. This doesn’t mean that supplementing with glutathione is harmful, but it is a fact that this form of supplementation has been under-researched. Experts are not sure yet whether it’s perfectly safe, especially when it comes to the glutathione injection.
There were only two studies conducted on sixty healthy Thai individuals that measured the effectiveness of oral supplementation with glutathione. The results were favorable in general and confirmed a statistically significant reduction in the level of melanin. Moreover, they showed that the tested people’s glutathione tolerance was excellent and it didn’t cause any health hazards.
Another, more recent study tested the use of glutathione in topical cream form. It involved 30 healthy Filipino women, who received glutathione lotion on their cheeks for 4 consecutive weeks. The results showed moderate skin lightening in 90 percent of the women. When tested for melanin levels, it showed significantly reduced melanin in all of the tested women.
So, basically, some scientific evidence exists on the effectiveness of glutathione for skin lightening. Plenty of anecdotal evidence also confirms its effect. More and more studies are being conducted every day to help us understand this antioxidant better. For now, though, we cannot say that conclusive scientific evidence on the glutathione safety and efficacy exists. You need to be careful and consult experts before taking it.
What is Glutathione?
At its simplest, glutathione (pronounced “gloota-thigh-own“) is a substance naturally produced by the liver. And it’s a multi-tasking wonder. Glutathione is essentially an antioxidant and consists of 3 amino acids, namely cysteine, glycine, and glutamic acid. It protects your body from diseases and blocks toxin formation. It also fights free radicals responsible for skin pigmentation, discoloration, and dark spots. Glutathione:
- plays a massively important role in keeping the immune system up
- can reduce inflammation
- acts as the master detoxifier and
- serves as the body’s main antioxidant.
On a cellular level, the daily process of metabolism produces the so-called ‘free radicals’ as byproducts. In essence, free radicals are waste atoms made of a single electron. They freely roam around looking for another electron to pair up with. Eventually, they steal an electron from another molecule, thus causing damage to healthy cells.
This is where antioxidants come into the picture. Antioxidants are the main enemies of free radicals as they trap them and push them out of our bodies. Antioxidants keep the skin cells healthy, slowing down the process of skin aging.
And glutathione isn’t only a powerful antioxidant, but it helps recycle more antioxidants by destroying free radicals in our bodies and helping to boost our immunity and revert or avoid diseases.
Antioxidants are generally present in the food we eat. Also, our own bodies produce some of them. Glutathione is one of those props we are lucky to have naturally − our cells produce it.
Glutathione deficiency has been linked to a variety of illnesses from chronic fatigue syndrome and asthma to cancer and heart disease. On the other hand, raised glutathione levels have been shown to prevent aging, heart disease, cancer, dementia, as well as decrease muscle damage, reduce recovery time, increase strength and endurance and shift metabolism from fat production to muscle development. No wonder glutathione is being hailed as the mightiest antioxidant.
But that’s not all. Glutathione works wonders for your body, and it also causes a skin whitening effect.
Is Glutathione Really Effective as a Skin Lightener?
Glutathione and its effects on the skin have been known for years, but glutathione whitening came on the scene not so long ago. Until recently it was believed that only intravenously administered glutathione can affect the color of your complexion. Many beauty clinics in Asia and the US would offer a variety of glutathione injections or a drip. Such treatments were of course very expensive. The glutathione injection cost was prohibitive for a while and hardly anyone could opt for one.
Luckily for us, consumers begged to disagree. People disregarded assurances that IV solutions were the only way to effectively supplement glutathione and tried otherwise. Many reported positive results from treatment with tablets or the glutathione skin whitening soap. And it worked to boost alternative market options.
Scientific evidence about how effective glutathione skin whitening is has been lacking. This doesn’t mean that supplementing with glutathione is harmful, but it is a fact that this form of supplementation has been under-researched. Experts are not sure yet whether it’s perfectly safe, especially when it comes to the glutathione injection.
There were only two studies conducted on sixty healthy Thai individuals that measured the effectiveness of oral supplementation with glutathione. The results were favorable in general and confirmed a statistically significant reduction in the level of melanin. Moreover, they showed that the tested people’s glutathione tolerance was excellent and it didn’t cause any health hazards.
Another, more recent study tested the use of glutathione in topical cream form. It involved 30 healthy Filipino women, who received glutathione lotion on their cheeks for 4 consecutive weeks. The results showed moderate skin lightening in 90 percent of the women. When tested for melanin levels, it showed significantly reduced melanin in all of the tested women.
So, basically, some scientific evidence exists on the effectiveness of glutathione for skin lightening. Plenty of anecdotal evidence also confirms its effect. More and more studies are being conducted every day to help us understand this antioxidant better. For now, though, we cannot say that conclusive scientific evidence on the glutathione safety and efficacy exists. You need to be careful and consult experts before taking it.
How Does Glutathione Lighten Skin?
So how does an antioxidant that detoxifies and boosts immunity also whiten skin? Well, as we mentioned previously – glutathione is naturally produced by the body. But a number of factors like poor diet, pollution, toxins, medications, stress, trauma, infections, and even simple aging all deplete glutathione levels.
Here are some points that will help you understand how skin whitening glutathione works.
People usually take glutathione in the form of tablets to brighten the skin. You can find them in pharmacies and cosmetics stores. Regular use from 4 to 6 months will give good results.
Taking glutathione – whether orally, topically or intravenously – helps boost the body’s capacity to create glutathione. Ideally, supplemental glutathione will be absorbed by the bloodstream and taken to the liver, which will then create natural glutathione and export that to other cells.
This increase in glutathione lightens skin thanks to the three amino acids: cysteine, glutamine, and glycine. Cysteine is the main component and abundant levels of cysteine in the body have been shown to lower overall melanin production in the body by inhibiting tyrosinase (an enzyme that stimulates melanin production) and changing the metabolic pathway of melanin from synthesizing dark pigmented melanin (eumelanin) to creating light-pigmented melanin (phaeomelanin).
The result? A gradual shift to lighter and lighter skin tones, naturally and from the inside out. The best part of this antioxidant is that it is very safe and doesn’t contain any toxins that could cause unwanted skin damage. In fact, it helps in cleansing the skin and removing all impurities before it ultimately helps achieve a lighter complexion.
How to Take Glutathione for Skin Lightening?
You can take skin whitening glutathione supplements prescribed by your doctor or dermatologist. Regular use from 4 to 6 months will give good results.
There are three ways – orally (with glutathione pills), topically (with glutathione creams), and intravenously (should only be done by a licensed professional). We’ll go over each of these ways of taking glutathione as well as their pros and cons and the best way to get the most benefits.
Taking Glutathione Orally
A huge concern with taking glutathione orally is absorption. The problem is that oral glutathione is not as bio-available as glutathione injections because a lot of it gets broken down in the stomach before it even has a chance to enter the bloodstream.
This is why we recommend liposomal glutathione, which allows the glutathione to bypass the digestive system and enter the bloodstream, making it as effective as an IV but much cheaper and a helluva lot more comfortable. Liposomal absorption works like a Trojan horse, disguising the glutathione liposome to look like a human cell so that your cells ‘recognize’ the outside of the liposome and absorb it upon contact so that the glutathione is not digested, but absorbed into your bloodstream.
Liposomal glutathione comes in liquid form – the best one we’ve found so far is Seeking Health’s Optimal Liposomal Glutathione. It’s a pretty strong dose we’ve found – 500 mg per serving – and more importantly, it’s high quality. This will last you a month at that daily dosage, two weeks if you double the dosage. It’s also the best tasting liposomal glutathione, which means a lot when you’re sucking it down every day.
The only drawback to liposomal glutathione is that it’s a little pricey – around $60 per month. That being said, it’s effective and much cheaper, safer and more convenient than going for glutathione injections so it’s worth the extra price, we think.
How to get the most out of your oral glutathione
Take your oral glutathione on an empty stomach
This is an important tip when it comes to taking any supplements, but it often gets disregarded. This way you ensure better absorption of the glutathione into your bloodstream.
Do not exceed the recommended daily dose
The recommended dose for skin lightening is between 1,000 to 2,000 mg of glutathione daily, divided into two doses. But that’s for glutathione pills, which are not as absorbable as liposomal glutathione. If you’re taking Seeking Health’s liposomal glutathione, you might want to double the daily dose. Start with that for a few months and see how you feel and how your body is reacting before you increase the dosage.
Combine it with Vitamine C
The best way to increase the effectiveness of oral glutathione is to combine it with Vitamin C and anthocyanins, which both have the ability to regenerate glutathione from oxidation. Around 500 to 1,000mg of Vitamin C should be taken daily along with a supplement high in anthocyanins like bilberry or elderberry extract.
Be patient for the results
It can take around 3 to 4 months to start seeing skin lightening results from glutathione. Lighter-skinned people will see results the fastest – within 3 months – but it can take as long as 6 to 12 months for darker skin.
Using Glutathione Topically
The advantage of topical glutathione creams, lotions and soaps is that it allows glutathione to be delivered immediately into the skin, bypassing any digestion of the gastrointestinal tract. Most of what’s applied to the skin gets absorbed straight into the bloodstream.
We’d recommend complementing oral glutathione with a glutathione soap as well as a cream or lotion to get the best results.
Getting Glutathione Injections
The glutathione injection feeds glutathione directly into your bloodstream – totally bypassing the digestive system. It’s a highly effective method to whiten and brighten your skin since you get 100% of the glutathione dose absorbed into your body. For skin whitening, the usual single dose used in IV glutathione is 500 to 600 mg of glutathione combined with Vitamin C to increase efficacy.
The only downside is that you’ll need to get this done by a licensed medical professional, which can be pricey, especially considering that each glutathione injection costs around $50 and you’ll need to make about 15 trips to the dermatologist to start seeing results.
But despite the costs, if you want glutathione IVs – make sure you only get them from a reliable, certified medical professional. You might be tempted to seek out cheaper options and there are many of those – online shops selling “injectable glutathione” and non-medical spas offering the same – but there is always that very real danger of fake glutathione and that’s not a risk you should be taking.
Watch out for deals on discounts sites – from time to time they have offers for glutathione injections at a 50 percent discount (or more).
Glutathione Side Effects
Glutathione by itself has no known side effects but there have been devastating cases of people who were injected with fake glutathione so please make sure you are receiving glutathione IVs only from licensed medical professionals.
Always consult your doctor first. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should also avoid taking glutathione, especially the glutathione injection.
Takeaways
Glutathione, the “lion king” of antioxidants, tops the list of powerful naturally-occurring substances amazing for skin protection. As an antioxidant, glutathione fights free radicals preventing skin cells damage, but it also supports the body in producing other antioxidants. It is naturally produced in the liver, however, different factors ranging from sleep deprivation to aging lead to depletion of glutathione levels. To make sure you get enough of it for beautiful skin eat food rich in glutathione and consider supplementing.
Glutathione is usually taken as a pill, which has been a great success in Asian countries and wherever people would like to have more healthy skin. Although it is quite expensive, glutathione injections are quite effective and directly hit the blood system. It is best to choose injections instead of tablets, but make sure you consult your doctor and take precautions.
The only dilemma that accompanies glutathione and related treatments is the glutathione injection cost. It’s very expensive and not everyone can afford it. Glutathione skin whitening creams are more affordable.
Sources
Dahlhoof, K. et al. Glutathione treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver 1992:12; 341-343
“Oral glutathione increases tissue glutathione in vivo”, Chemico-Biological Interactions, 1991;80(1):89-97.
Aw TY, Wierzbicka G, Jones DP.
“Bioavailability of dietary glutathione: effect on plasma concentration”, The American Journal of Physiology, 1990 Oct; 259(4 Pt 1): G524-9.
Hagen TM, Wierzbicka GT, et al.
