If you drink coffee, you might be wondering if it’s triggering your acne (but you love it so much you’d hate to cut it out and find out!)
I hear you. I LOVE my morning cup of coffee!
But when I was healing my acne, I noticed that coffee would sometimes trigger a flare-up, yet I *really really really* didn’t want to cut it out. After awhile though, I eventually cut out all caffeine for about 3 months and that was helpful for me…but do you NEED to cut out coffee for clear skin?
The short answer…no, not always!
The longer answer: Maybe just for a little while (or maybe you need to switch to a different coffee brand)!
Here are the two main reasons why coffee can trigger acne:
1) Coffee can be a stressor on your nervous system and adrenals
If you find that stress worsens your acne, coffee may be adding to the problem.
Coffee (and caffeine in general) increases adrenaline and cortisol production which can stress out your nervous system and adrenals, leading to a dysfunctional stress response over time. This can impact the health of your hormones, immune system, and your skin.
Consider taking a short break from caffeine for a little while as you work on improving your stress response and healing your nervous system and adrenals. A short break could be just 2-3 weeks at a time, or it may be longer depending on how much stress and coffee triggers your skin.
Try caffeine-free alternatives like mushroom or herbal coffee blends, such as Rasa, Dandyblend, or this Mocha Surprise by Starwest Botanicals.
Hot herbal teas also make great substitutes for coffee–plus if you drink the right herbs, they can also help balance your hormones and clear your skin! (Like Holy Basil…one of my favorite herbs for stressed-out skin.)
2) Non-organic coffee can add to your toxic burden
Your organs of elimination (i.e. lymph, liver, kidneys, and colon) play a key role in skin health. If they’re not functioning properly or are overburdened with environmental toxins, your skin can take on the eliminatory load.
Non-organic coffee (read: most coffee on the market these days) is one of the most chemically-contaminated products in the world. Conventional coffee is loaded with synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides (like glyphosate), and insecticides.
Coffee is also is known to contain high amounts of mycotoxins, which are produced by mold and occur when the coffee is improperly stored or processed. According to this study and this study, anywhere from 50 to 91% of coffee beans are contaminated with mold, making coffee one of the largest sources of mycotoxin exposure in the food supply. Yikes!
If you drink coffee regularly, it’s a good idea to switch to organic coffee. Ideally, find a brand that tests its coffee for contaminants like mycotoxins. I really enjoy drinking Purity Coffee. It tastes great and I noticed a big difference in how I felt after I switched to their coffee–no more jitters or feeling tense! (Save 10% on your order of Purity Coffee with my code “DRSHANNON”)
So do I drink coffee regularly? Yes, I do now!
For me, drinking coffee used to cause acne. Now that I’ve worked on my nervous system and adrenal health and I’ve made the switch to organic coffee, it no longer does. But I notice that non-organic coffee can still dry out my skin and make it not feel healthy, and it definitely impacts how I feel—so I always opt for organic!
