Does Coffee Accelerate Aging? An MD Reveals Whether Drinking Coffee Can Actually Make You Look Older

In an enlightening TikTok video, facial plastic surgeon and content creator Dr. Monica Kieu addressed a question from her followers, discussing the potential impact of coffee consumption on aging. “I get asked this a lot, ‘does coffee cause aging?’ The short answer is, it depends,” she said.

How Additives To Coffee And Excessive Coffee Drinking Can Lead To Premature Aging, Explained By A Plastic Surgeon

The expert continued: “In general, coffee is actually good for you. The caffeine gives you an energy boost. Polyphenols are antioxidants and there’s something called CGAs that help reduce inflammation. When it’s not a good thing is when it’s been taken excessively, like anything more than four cups a day.

Coffee drinks are " usually mixed" with sugar , Kieu pointed out, which is "very inflammatory and can cause the breakdown of collagen." Collagen serves as the principal structural protein within the extracellular matrix of the body's connective tissues. Dominating these tissues, it stands as the most prevalent protein in the body, playing a crucial role in maintaining the skin's elasticity and suppleness.

"All that dairy is also inflammatory and can cause acne flare-ups," she said, regarding creamers, sweeteners and other common additions to coffee. "It's not actually the coffee itself that's bad, but it's all the stuff we mix with it. In certain people, caffeine can increase cortisol levels, which is our stress management hormone," she continued.

This can cause "issues with weight gain and make your skin oily." Too much coffee drinking can in turn "affect your sleep patterns and when you're not getting enough sleep,  your skin isn't repairing itself and turning over." Kieu concluded her message by recommending that coffee drinkers "stick to just one or two cups a day."

Something "also to note is that caffeine is a very potent basal constrictor," she concluded, pointing out that "when applied topically, it is really good for combating dark eye circles. " The more you know!