{"id":1252,"date":"2023-10-31T02:40:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-31T02:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skinandme.com\/the-dose\/?p=1252"},"modified":"2024-01-22T12:36:32","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T12:36:32","slug":"mythbuster-is-caffeine-bad-for-your-skin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skinandme.com\/the-dose\/mythbuster-is-caffeine-bad-for-your-skin\/","title":{"rendered":"Myth Buster: Is Caffeine Bad for Your Skin?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Myth Buster: Is Caffeine Bad for Your Skin?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Whether it\u2019s a strong black coffee to start the day, a latte with friends or a cool, crisp glass of Diet Coke, lots of us are caffeine fans in one form or another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re all familiar with the immediate physical effects \u2013 in fact, the extra energy and little lift is the reason many of us seek out caffeine. But can your daily caffeine buzz affect your skin? Today we\u2019re breaking down the science to find out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does caffeine affect your skin?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a few ways caffeine might affect your skin, but it will vary from person to person. Caffeine is a mild diuretic, which means it speeds up the removal of water from the body \u2013 this process can cause dehydration, and if you\u2019re dehydrated your skin might look more tired <\/a>and dry<\/a>. However, recent research<\/a> has shown that moderate daily coffee consumption won\u2019t dehydrate you \u2013 so, as long as you\u2019re being sensible about your intake, your skin probably won’t be affected.

Caffeine also contains antioxidants<\/a>. Antioxidants can be positive for skin health<\/a> by neutralising free radicals<\/a>, which increase signs of ageing<\/a> such as wrinkles and fine lines<\/a>. So, could coffee have anti-ageing properties? Well, unfortunately there\u2019s limited research on how antioxidants from coffee impact our skin when consumed, so it\u2019s unlikely that your morning americano will turn back the clock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on your coffee order, you may also be consuming milk and sugar <\/a>as you fuel your caffeine habit. The exact relationship between dairy, sugar and skin has long been debated, but acne<\/a> is a complex condition so it’s hard say they are the root cause.

\u201cA number of studies have shown an association between sugar consumption and dairy, in particular semi-skimmed milk and acne,\u201d Dr Malvina Cunningham, Consultant Dermatologist at Skin + Me explains, \u201cThese studies also vary greatly in quality, and they don\u2019t take other dietary factors into account, such as a lower glycaemic index, or calorie intake in individuals who consume less dairy as part of their natural daily diet.\u201d

There are so many other factors at play it\u2019s hard to know for sure \u2013 as Dr Malvina says, \u201cCurrently there is no specific diet advice for patients with acne as the evidence is not conclusive\u201d. However, some people report a decrease in their spots when their dairy or sugar intake is reduced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can caffeine make acne worse?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever noticed your skin breaking out when you\u2019re stressed<\/a>? It\u2019s down to our old enemy cortisol<\/a>. This stress hormone<\/a> causes the body to create extra insulin which in turn causes skin to produce more oil<\/a> and speeds up skin cell turnover<\/a>, all of which can often end up in breakouts<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caffeine itself may not directly cause breakouts, but drinking large amounts of coffee has been linked to prolonged elevated cortisol levels. If you\u2019d like more information on recommended coffee intake, you can check the NHS website<\/a> for further guidance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, if you\u2019re already pretty stressed, it\u2019s probably best to cut back on the coffee or caffeinated drinks. High stress levels over a long period of time can impact almost every area of your health \u2013 not just your skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is caffeine in skincare good for you?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve talked about drinking caffeine, but what about applying it to your skin? Caffeine is an ingredient commonly used in eye creams<\/a>, and is said to provide a boost to your under-eyes. Dr Jason Thomson, Head of Medical at Skin + Me, tells us, \u201cskincare with caffeine can help reduce the swelling, particularly around the eye area\u201d. It de-puffs the eye area, constricting blood vessels and helping with dark circles<\/a> under the eyes. However, these results are temporary, and will vary from person to person, so you might not see radical differences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caffeine is also often used in body scrubs<\/a> to help temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite. Again, these results won\u2019t last, and you won\u2019t necessarily see a huge difference, so make sure to adjust your expectations. These exfoliative scrubs can also be quite harsh, so you should avoid using them on your face in case of irritation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final thoughts <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019d say it\u2019s good news! If you do need a quick pick-me-up it\u2019s perfectly fine to sip the occasional energy drink or order a mid-morning coffee from your favourite barista. Make ours a grande. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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New to Skin + Me? <\/strong>Get your first month of personalised skincare for \u00a34.99 with promo code DOSE \u2013 complete our quick consultation here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking for a routine refresh? <\/strong>Add the Dream Routine to your Skin + Me subscription<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In need of a restock? <\/strong>Head to The Skincare Shop<\/a> for one-off purchases of your Routine Essentials.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the odd energy drink to your mid-morning latte, some of us are big fans of caffeine. But can it impact your skin? Find out here. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179265348,"featured_media":5331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2208,1,2015,1366],"tags":[1504,1505,1500,1618,1502,1506,2467,2465,1501,1507,1382,1503,2466],"class_list":["post-1252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diet","category-latest-articles","category-myth-buster","category-routine","tag-antioxidant","tag-breakouts","tag-caffeine","tag-coffee","tag-coffee-intake","tag-cortisol","tag-dairy","tag-diet-coke","tag-does-coffee-affect-my-skin","tag-free-radicals","tag-skin-me","tag-stress-levels","tag-sugar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skinandme.com\/the-dose\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skinandme.com\/the-dose\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skinandme.com\/the-dose\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skinandme.com\/the-dose\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179265348"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skinandme.com\/the-dose\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1252"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.skinandme.com\/the-dose\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5332,"href":"https:\/\/www.skinandme.com\/the-dose\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1252\/revisions\/5332"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skinandme.com\/the-dose\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skinandme.com\/the-dose\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skinandme.com\/the-dose\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skinandme.com\/the-dose\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}