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Coffee is something we’re all familiar with. It’s a delicious beverage made from roasted and ground seeds obtained from the coffee plant. Consumed orally, it can act as a powerful stimulant and can help you stay awake. But did you know that your craved coffee grounds have a lot of other uses – including uses in skincare?
Topical application of coffee can have a lot of benefits. First, coffee grounds are excellent for exfoliation, as the granular texture can rub off dead skin cells. Additionally, the caffeine of coffee can stimulate blood flow by dilating the vessels. This can actually reduce the appearance of dark circles under eyes and puffy eyes, making it an excellent ingredient in anti-aging products.
Another positive benefit of coffee as an anti-aging product is that it acts as an antioxidant, protecting the skin from the damage of free radicals and UV damage.
Chlorogenic acid within coffee is also known to reduce inflammation, which allows coffee to help reduce the appearance of redness and inflammation from eczema, rosacea, and acne.
Coffee even has skin lightening effects, so it can also be used to treat dark spots and improve the overall consistency of skin tone.
There seem to be no adverse effects of applying coffee topically in the form of a face mask. However, drinking coffee may cause you to have acne breakouts, as caffeine can lead to increased production of stress hormones, and these hormones can increase the amount of oil your sebaceous glands produce.
Pigmentation is simply skin’s coloration, determined by the amount of melanin produced by the skin cells. This umbrella term can include a wide variety of skin pigmentation disorders that can affect small or large areas of the skin. It includes genetic conditions, as well as environmental ones, such as sunspots or liver spots. Hyperpigmentation, for example, refers to a darkening of the skin, such as with age spots and sunspots.
To prevent discoloration from damaging UV, it’s best to moisturize daily and wear sunscreen. Additionally, antioxidants protect the skin from free radicals that damage cells and speed up aging. Ingredients and nutrients like acai oil, alpha-lipoic acid, jojoba oil, green tea extract, retinol/vitamin A, coenzyme Q10, caffeine, alpha-hydroxy acid and salicylic acid are all beneficial for preventing and reducing the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Vitamin C is also a good brightening agent for hyperpigmentation. Hydrolyzed collagen also enhances the appearance of dull or damaged skin by reducing flaking and restoring the overall vitality of the skin.
Coffee may be effective for pigmentation, but there are many other factors that may affect whether this ingredient would work on your skin or if there are better ingredients that may work for you. Take this skin quiz to find the best ingredients for your skin and build your skincare routine.
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