Health

Does Caffeine Cause Acne?

Our Face is something one of the most sensitive parts of our human body, which we caress a lot. The sensitivity it contains also needs to be pampered with care so that it does not get harsh. However, the skin gets affected by a lot of external factors, and consuming coffee or caffeine intake can play a veteran role in determining its state.

We research a lot about the betterment of our face, but sometimes skin problems such as acne, pimple, and other irritations make our face look shit. This is the reason we need to take it with utmost care.

1. Severe Acne and Why It Happens

As said, skin is a very sensitive part, and especially facial skin needs more attention than others. Just like any other skin condition, acne is also one that occurs due to excessive oil factors.

We have hair follicles inside our facial skin, and when these hair follicles get plugged with excessive oil and dead skin cells, acne starts heading out. Along with that, it also brings whiteheads, blackheads, or general pimples.

does caffeine cause acne
Girl having Acne Prone face. By realinemedia / Depositphotos. Copyright 2023.

This is not a mystery for everyone that acne can be popped on any skin, no matter your age. But it mostly pops up among teenagers, who get frustrated with its effects.

1.1 Primary Reasons for Acne

Although there are a lot of acne treatments available in the market, some acne stays persistent. But it generally comes out due to the release of excessive oil from the sebaceous glands.

There are also other issues like digestive issues and stress levels, which can play a severe acne disorder. However, pimples and bumps heal slowly, but when it feels like one is going to heal properly, others start bumping up.

2. What Does Science Say about Caffeine Causing Acne?

Coffee has always been an important caffeine intake all over the world. For people who work for them, coffee is just like a sigh of relief in between the work period.

But do coffee and acne have anything together in making you look worse?

For a long time, we keep believing this same, but not really every time this is the situation. Not every time; coffee is the reason why you get pimples and acne popping up on your face.

But, with different research and studies, we have found out that there are higher chances coffee can also be the responsible reason for you having acne. In reality, habitual caffeine consumption can also become the reason for your face being piled up with acne marks and all of those.

3. Caffeine Intakes Which Can Negatively Affect

Although there is no airtight formula for why you get acne, there are still some researches that support the rise of acne due to the intake of caffeinated beverages. Here is a detailed list of it.

3.1 Caffeine Effects

Just for the sake of general knowledge, everyone knows that the most amount of caffeine can be found in coffee beans. Although it’s never an issue, the daily intake is the part that needs your attention.

Caffeine contains such qualities that can make you feel alert and awake, even when you are tired. This, in response, builds a heightened stress response in your body.

If we follow the responses of science, we know that a large cup of coffee can double the awakening response, along with your cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses, making you feel more aroused.

Because this consumption of coffee awakens your mental stress more and more, this stress helps worsen acne more often, causing only more acne. The stress hormone such as cortisol can be the reason for your acne breakout.

Does coffee trigger acne?

The cortisol level in your body decides the production of oil in your sebaceous gland. And with the increase in oil that your skin produces, your acne condition will just heighten up.

Consumption of too much coffee late in the daytime can be the reason for your insomnia. This insomnia will just make your life more hazardous, and gradually, with this, your blood sugar spikes.

Less sleep is also indirectly responsible for the secretion of more mental stress hormones. This becomes the reason for worsening acne.

So, in general, the level of acute psychosocial stress, consumption of too much coffee, and altogether can decide your skin health. Hence, it will be very productive for your mental health and also for your skin if you will stop drinking coffee after the morning session.

3.2 Milk Consumption

Milk consumption is quite a regular intake for our body. But if you are consuming dairy milk along with your caffeine products, such as a latte or cafe con leche, then there are higher chances your acne is popping up due to this.

Different research has also found that people who consume their morning cup of coffee with cow’s milk have a higher chance of having acne. It is comparatively higher than people who do not consume coffee with milk. This is because dairy milk plays an important part in acne breakouts.

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Scientifically, it is due to the hormones present in the milk, which regulate the chances of acne. The higher the chances of hormones, the more acne they trigger.

With the modernization process, there are various kinds of milk which are available in the market. Among them, low-fat milk, whole milk, or even dairy milk, is considered better than nonfat milk or skim milk.

However, even studies find there is never a sure-shot truth about milk consumption becoming the reason for your acne. However, consuming it with caffeine products can be suspected of making your acne worse.

3.3 Sugar Intake

Sugar has always been a part of our daily life food intake. Even while we drink coffee, we put a lot of sugar within it, and we do not even realize that.

Although it makes our coffee mug more special and tasty, somehow it also affects our health. It also becomes another reason why our existing acne is worse.

A lot of studies have been done on this topic, and in every other topic, we have found a relationship between acne and sugar consumption. With your morning drink only, we start our day with high sugar.

Sugar
Excessive Consumption of Sugar. By anaumenko / Depositphotos. Copyright 2023.

This high sugar intake increases the amount of insulin that is released in our body, making things more complicated. Once this insulin starts secreting, the other related hormones start joining together, which are the trusted source for the development of acne.

By consuming four or five cups of coffee a day and adding sugar with every mug, our insulin resistance only gets damaged.

3.4 Antioxidants

We have a lot of reasons why we get acne, and having oily skin, excess oil produced from our skin, and all, can also be one of the reasons. But the antioxidants make it more complicated.

Some researchers find that antioxidants can be harmful to the skin. At the same time, some other studies claim that antioxidants, which are found highly in coffee, actually work well in making our skin better.

Although these reports are quite confusing, it is still believed that our morning beverage plays an important role in determining our skin quality. Hence, this needs to be addressed to treat our skin better.

4. Quitting Coffee Helps?

Coffee has always been a part of our everyday beverage and will always be. But the matter of fact is that we also need to control the level of coffee intake to have a better lifestyle.

It is because consuming coffee does not really cause acne, but consuming a lot daily can be the reason for making your acne worse. However, the coffee quality also matters a lot, and there is also hormonal acne, which does not have anything to do with the consumption of coffee.

How to Quit Caffeine (And Why You Might Want To)

Stopping the consumption of caffeine products is next to impossible. But there are certain ways through which you can control the consumption level, and with this, you can lead a better lifestyle. Here are some of them, suggested below.

4.1 Avoiding Sugar

Sugar has always been a double-edged sword while consuming. Although it gives a sweet touch and makes our cup of coffee delicious, at the same time, it is bad for our health. So, having a little control can also make our cortisol levels better.

While making coffee, adding refined sugar or sugary syrups is considered more harmful to your health. Hence, it is always suggested to consume sugar, if necessary, with natural sweeteners, like stevia.

4.2 Consuming Without Milk

Most of the people who consume caffeine as beverages do it with milk. But, with deep studies, it is found that consuming coffee with milk provides a higher chance of having acne than consuming regular coffee.

Hence, it is suggested to have plain black coffee, if possible, or green tea as beverages. Having caffeine without milk can also provide health benefits and reduce acne issues.

If possible, it is also better to consume almond milk or coconut milk rather than consuming normal milk for better health. Having coffee alternatives is also a good option for health.

4.3 More Caffeine Consumption

Too much of anything can be bad for your health. Similarly, too much caffeine consumption can make your existing acne worse. Hence, it is asked to lessen caffeine consumption, which also includes caffeinated beverages.

It is also better to stop gulping down biscuits, pastries, or doughnuts, which are often paired with a cup of beverage. This will not only make your skin better but will also be helpful in providing some good sleep.

4.4 Experimental Method

For skin problems like acne and pimples, there is never an airtight condition to make your skin better. For a better result, there are different ways to make it out.

It is because every skin has different ways to get treated, and every skin needs a different treatment. For some, the consumption of caffeine can cause no acne problems, while for some, it can create a big fuss.

Hence, it is always advised to experiment with certain things one by one to get to the final point of what suits you and what does not. So, it would be better if you stop consuming coffee for a week and see if this works out and makes your skin better.

If it does not work out, then you can be sure that coffee has no effect on your acne. And if things start getting better, then avoiding coffee is necessary for you. It would be better if you start finding alternatives to coffee.

This may seem like a trial-and-error method, but in the end, you can get clarity on what is better for you and what is not. And if, after every trial, nothing is working for you, then it is better for you to see a dermatologist for proper treatment.

5. Tip for a Better Skin

There is not an iota of doubt that everyone wants clear and radiant skin. But having clear and radiant skin is never as easy as it sounds to have. There are certain boxes that need to be ticked for a better result.

Consuming coffee can make you awake late at night. If you are awake till night and you have insomnia, then there are higher chances of you having dark circles.

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Scientifically, it is better to sleep early and rise early. But consuming more than two cups of caffeine can never work the best for it. Hence, directly or indirectly, caffeine consumption affects your skin. So, it’s better to consume less caffeine, lead a better lifestyle, and get clear and radiant skin.

6. Conclusion

Caffeine consumption has always been a matter of doubt for the ones who are worried about their health. And, when it comes to sensitive topics like skin, then it creates a little more chaos in mind. Hence, it is always better to keep your health first and, accordingly, your food consumption.

For better skin, try the trial-and-error method and drink coffee accordingly. This will give you more knowledge on what to avoid and what to hold on to. With this procedure, you can achieve great results.

Last Updated on December 22, 2023 by soubhik92@gmail.com