Tea vs Coffee – Good or Bad For Your Skin?

by | Feb 13, 2020 | Blog, skincare

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Is tea and coffee good for your skin?

Almost all of us are partial to a cup of coffee or tea on any given day. In fact, 50% of the US population is understood to drink coffee daily, that’s around 150 million Americans brewing up every day! The same can be said for tea and since so many of us are reaching for the kettle, machine or heading to the coffee shop everyday is it worth thinking about how this affects our skin?

 

Does Coffee Affect Our Skin?

Firstly, we’ll take a look at coffee. There have been various arguments for and against drinking coffee. It’s rich in anti-oxidants, which is great for our wellbeing but its also high in caffeine, which can cause us to crash. The caffeine in coffee can make sleeping difficult – something that is very important for our skin and due to its diuretic properties, too much coffee may dehydrate us – another important factor in skin health.

All said and done, can coffee, directly affect our skin? Not exactly… Many dermatologists have shown that anti-oxidants can have positive affects on our skin by combatting free radicals – its free radicals that cause signs of aging such as wrinkles, spots, fine lines etc.  Coffee is full of anti-oxidants and studies have shown it is actually the number one source for anti-oxidants in the US diet. This implies that coffee can actually have some benefits for the skin, especially due to these anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.

The flip side is that coffee can cause stress, which as we know, can cause acne breakouts.The coffee itself isn’t the cause of this stress but the high caffeine has been associated with an increase in cortisol levels which in turn, causes acne breakouts. What is important here is moderation, over-consumption will cause high caffeine levels in the body and in turn this is more likely to lead to stress and bad skin. Our advice would be to reduce coffee intake and aim to get your anti-oxidants from other sources such as super foods like pecans, berries, cilantro etc.

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Does Tea Affect Our Skin?

Now let’s take a look at tea. Tea is an ancient and amazing drink packed with anti-oxidants and various health benefits, from potentially preventing Alzheimer’s to reducing the risk of breast cancer.

When it comes to our skin, Tea exhibits many of the same qualities as coffee in that the high level of anti-oxidants will combat free radicals in the body. Tea is a great anti-inflammatory source, which is also beneficial to the skin. In fact, there are studies that show green tea extract used topically can also have anti-ageing effects.

There is less caffeine in tea. One of the arguments against coffee is the risk that comes with its high caffeine content. Fortunately, with tea there is usually around half the amount of caffeine and even less than half depending on the type of tea. This means less chance of increased cortisol and therefore stress levels.  The lower caffeine count will also reduce diuretic affects that may lead to dehydration.

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Coffee Vs Tea – Which is the best to drink?

Studies do vary but what can be agreed on is the high levels of anti-oxidants in both coffee and tea. This is great for your skin and the key is in moderation. Coffee is fine, as long as you are not drinking more than three cups a day. To avoid, that risk, you’re probably safer opting for tea, which contains anti-oxidants and less caffeine – caffeine is what we need to avoid where possible. Remember if you’re having issues with your skin and you would like to get checked, we have board-certified dermatologists on hand and we even have AI technology to establish your skin concern.

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