Caffeine…… in your skin care? For all you coffee drinkers, does it get any better than this?  Well, it very well could be helpful, according to several studies with some interesting results.

Dr. Paul Ngheim, Associate Professor of Dermatology at University of Washington, Seattle, has reported findings from applying caffeine directly to the skin of mice exposed to ultraviolet radiation.  He found that a protein, ATR-Chk1, is necessary for UV damaged skin cells to grow quickly into cancerous cells. When caffeine was applied, the protein was interrupted causing only the damaged skin cells to die, and at a very rapid rate.  There was a 72% rate of nonmelonoma skin cancer suppression in the mice, stopping the cancerous cells in their tracks.

Dr. Robin Ashinoff, Assoicate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, is not ready to agree wholeheartedly.  She says that “this study tells me that caffeine may be a useful ingredient topically to remove ultraviolet-genetically damaged cells from reproducing….(and) may help prevent the development of skin cancer.”

Dr. Albert Lefkovits, Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, doesn’t think caffeine has any effect on skin cancer. He feels there is much more studying to be done, and rightfully so. Mice with skin cancer are not the same as you or I.  He also questions what the correct amount of caffeine to drink is.  Search out other related research and decide for yourself.

This is what I am going to do – keep drinking my two cups of coffee each morning, and use Apriori Beauty’s Celloxylin Skin Care which does have caffeine in almost every product!!   (I think our Cosmetic Chemists are on to something!) This way, I am totally covered from the inside out, and I don’t think some extra caffeine will do me any harm, do you?  Plus, with my skin blossoming skin cancers every other day, I can use all the help I can find!

You can find more information about Apriori Beauty’s products and ingredients at http://www.aprioribeauty.com/fic/candace .

Thanks for stopping by and Making My Life Beautiful!

XO Candy

Sources:

http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health/cancer/articles/2009/02/26/caffeine-may-offer-some-skin-cancer-protection

Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2009) 129,1611–1613. doi:10.1038/jid.2009.99

http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v129/n2/abs/jid2008241a.html

1. Tamara Says:
   March 31st, 2010 at 5:37 pm

   I think I’m covered too. Interesting thoughts. I love my coffee and I’m loving my Apriori skin care.
   Thanks for sharing this info.

2. admin Says:
   March 31st, 2010 at 6:05 pm

   I wonder if Frappucino’s work the same! Haha!