We all know that coffee isn't great for us and we should drink less but I wouldn't say most people know exactly why. I see so many clients with breakouts that say "I'm too old to be getting spots!" but it has nothing to do with your age its lifestyle that can be contributing to this.
So what is Coffee?
Coffee is super complex. It contains over 1,000 chemical compounds that’s more than chocolate (250) and wine (450)! Obviously the main ingredient is caffeine, a mood enhancing stimulant, but the problem with coffee isn't just the caffeine its the milk and sugar we often add!
So how exactly does coffee affect the skin?
1. It makes you more stressed!
Coffee magnifies your body's stress response which is bad news for your skin! When we become stressed the body releases a hormone call cortisol which is not only ageing it increases breakouts on the skin. This stress hormone then makes your body pump out insulin. Insulin makes the skin produce excess oil/sebum, triggers overproduction of skin cells so skin gets 'clogged' and it increases the body's inflammation levels which makes your spots more red and swollen. Drinking coffee increases and magnifies even small everyday stressful situations making this whole process more intense.
Life is stressful enough and there will be certain stressful events that have this effect on the skin which we cannot control so why add to it by drinking coffee?!
2. Added milk and sugar soooo bad for spots!
Dairy (especially milk) is know to be particular bad for acne sufferers and sugar massively spikes your blood sugar levels boosting inflammation, swelling and redness on the skin, So I'm sorry latte lovers but in terms of your skin its a bit of a no no!
3. Coffee reduces the body's ability to absorb minerals from food
Think you eat all the right things? Eat all your 5 a day? If your drinking coffee though that healthy food just wont be having the same effect! When you drink coffee with a meal (or close to a meal), it impairs your body’s ability to absorb minerals from your food.
In fact, one study found that drinking coffee with a meal (or up to 1 hour after eating) impaired iron absorption by a whopping 72%!
Avoiding coffee will help your body absorb more minerals from your food, which are absolutely key to clearing acne and maintaining clear skin.
4. Coffee upsets your gut!
Coffee can cause disruptions in your gut flora due to its high acidity, leading to a condition known as “dysbiosis” essentially, overgrowth of bad bacteria in your intestine, and not enough good bacteria. This is not only bad for your digestion and body but also the skin, again probiotics help but pretty much useless if your counteracting it with the coffee.
5. Coffee affects your sleep!
Not ground breaking I know but being dependant on coffee means your hormones that tell us were sleepy or wake us up are being suppressed so we rely on the coffee in the morning to "wake us up" and if we drink it at night it means the body isn't telling us were tired. Lack of sleep has huge consequences on the skin, so even if you only drink it in the morning the body becomes dependant on that hit.
6. Coffee dehydrates the body!
Again quite simple but we all know it but choose to ignore it! Dehydration can lead to premature skin ageing and wrinkling, coffee also impairs collagen and elastin production, which are absolutely critical to maintaining supple, youthful skin, so coffee ages your skin faster. Quitting coffee will allow you to maintain that beautiful glow and healthy-looking skin for longer. SIMPLE!
So what about decaf?
Put simply, decaf is better but still not great (sorry) it helps with the suppression of the hormones that disrupts your sleep, but its still very acidic and still contains toxins that will affect the skin.
Dependant on how much coffee you drink, cutting it out can cause headaches for around 3-4 days so start by cutting down considerably before completely quitting and then be prepared for it, drink lots of water and maybe start over a weekend.
Soooooo.......I know people will still drink coffee as its something they enjoy and I'm definitely a believer in moderation but I think if your armed with the information and actually understand WHY you shouldn't be doing something its more of an incentive to stop. So if your one of those people who loves a cup of coffee and doesn't feel there getting the best out of their skin give it a break and just see the difference it can make.
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