Though coffee can give us that much-needed "kick" in the morning, some experts believe regularly drinking coffee may increase risk of becoming fat, wrinkled and depressed. How?

The caffeine in coffee over-stimulates the adrenal glands causing a release of stress-hormones that keep the body in a constant state of emergency known as the "fight or flight" response. Now, this response may have been helpful in the days when we needed every bit of energy to say…outrun a dinosaur; but in today's sedentary world our bodies have no way to burn off the extra energy, leaving stress-hormones coursing through our blood for up to 18 hours after we drink that double tall latte. The long-term presence of stress-hormones in the blood not only will take a toll on your good looks, it can cause serious health problems including:

• Elevation of blood sugar and insulin resulting in the storage of fat in the abdominal region (unsightly and a risk factor for cardiovascular disease)
• Thinning of the skin
• Depression of the immune system
• Restricted blood circulation to the brain causing toxicity of the brain cells

What's worse, while the adrenals are busy pumping out stress-hormones, there is a very important hormone they aren't making: DHEA. The adrenals must reduce their production of the most important anti-aging hormone your body requires for youth and longevity in order to produce the stress hormones that ultimately weaken your immune system and impair your health. DHEA is the mother hormone for all the sex hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, and it naturally increases your brain's serotonin levels.

So, if you've been feeling down in the dumps, lacking libido or just not looking as young as you feel, check out how much caffeine you are consuming daily in that coffee mug of yours!

The Headache of Quitting

Now that you are thinking of dumping your morning coffee in the name of smooth, vibrant skin and a healthier body, how do you deal with withdrawal headaches? It may interest you to know why you get a headache when you skip your morning cup. Caffeine acts as a powerful vasoconstrictor in the brain. That is, it constricts blood vessels in the brain and decreases circulation and oxygen supply by up to 30 percent. When caffeine is not present, the sudden increased circulation causes headaches. While this keeps millions of people addicted to the caffeine habit, the good news is that you can avoid this pitfall by slowly weaning yourself off caffeine over a two to three week period, ideally replacing it with an herbal tea or coffee-substitute.

Questions for Dr. Chapman

Q. I am confused with what Fraxel can do for me vs. Thermage. Could you tell me how they are different? A. This is a great question as a lot of people wonder about that. Fraxel is a truely standard of care for laser skin rejuvenation in terms of tone and texture. It would improve sun damage, skin discoloration, melasma (pregnancy mask), pore size, mild to moderate wrinkles, acne/surgical scars and stretch marks.

Three to five treatments are recommended to achieve the ideal results for most patients. Thermage is more of a skin lifting/tightening treatment for mild to moderate sagging for eyelids, mid face, jowls and submentum(under the chin). Thermage doesn't help any skin discoloration or sun damage. It will be easy to remember them as Fraxel being skin tone and texture treatment and Thermage being skin lifting/contouring treatment.

If you have any further questions and would like a private consultation, please call 678-990-4900 to schedule one. It is best for Dr. Chapman to examine and assess your skin to decide which treatment is right for you.

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