• Many wonders if Acne could be related to diet. Greasy foods such as pizza, fries, cheeseburgers including chocolate and fizzy drinks have been linked to acne. However, to date, there is no hard evidence or clinical trials to suggest that any diet can cause or prevent acne.
• There have been some studies which have documented a connection between diet and acne. Some have wondered if the hormones present in milk could induce acne or whether a low glycemic diet could prevent acne.

Glycemic Diet

• A high glycemic diet pushes your blood sugar high quickly which means more insulin in your blood stream. An increase in Insulin levels can upset the hormonal balance of your body. This can trigger changes in your body that can lead to the growth of pore-clogging cells.
• A study in the American Journal of Nutrition suggests that you may have fewer breakouts if you add more whole grains, beans and veggies and cut back on pasta, white rice, white bread and sugar. The theory is that these refined carbs cause your insulin levels to spike, which in turn leads to increased sebum production and clogged pores.
• Our Western diet is deprived of omega 3s and is also a diet rich in carbohydrates. It has been reported that people living in Kitavan Islands and the Ache hunter gathers of Paraguay do not suffer from acne and this is associated with their low glycemic diet consisting mainly of fresh fruits, vegetables and lean proteins.
• The omega 6 fatty acids are thought to induce more pro-inflammatory mediators and have been associated with the development of inflammatory acne. However intake of higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids is associated with decreases in inflammatory factors. There are also studies that demonstrate increasing the intake of omega 3 fatty acids through a diet rich in fish and seafood results in lower rates of inflammatory disease.
• Dr. Joel Schlessinger. “ Pizza, burgers, chocolate and all the other old-wives tale culprits do seem to have a negative effect on the skin and science is finally catching up”.

Dairy and Acne

• There have been studies that have found a link between consumption of Diary and increased acne.
• Dairy free diet is known to work for some people with Acne. A large amount of dairy is known to increase testosterone levels in the body.
• Cows that lactate and produce milk produce hormones. Dairy cows are kept on sex hormones or pregnant so they can lactate so when you drink dairy you are also consuming some amounts of these hormones. Selective breeding of dairy cattle, the use of drugs and injecting the cow with a genetically modified growth hormone allows the cow to produce more milk means the quality of cow’s milk is not the same as it once was.
• Dairy consumptions spike up male hormones, androgens and testosterone and increase insulin levels same as sugary foods do.
• The problem when you consume dairy is that those hormones in cows end up targeting your skin’s oil glands. The hormones from cows also cause skin cells inside your pores to multiply and get stuck together, which together with the excess sebum clogs your pores.
• So Milk hormones can affect our hormones and trigger acne and inflammation.
• A 2007 study carried out by Harvard School of Public Health found that there was a link between those who drank cow’s milk regularly and suffered from acne.
• This is Not to say that everyone who consumes dairy breaks out. Although the link between milk and acne is controversial it is worth investigating.

So what are your options?

1. Total Elimination of Dairy – stop eating all sources of dairy for 30 days. If your skin improves you know dairy is the trigger.
2. Slowly reduce the amount of dairy you consume, try to substitute cow’s milk for dairy, avoid pizzas or putting cheese on pasta. If you see a positive change you can go further and eliminate it from your diet.

Summary

• There is no hard based evidence or clinical trial to clearly state that diet causes Acne. However, a good healthy diet is essential for the skin; an unhealthy diet with high sugar levels may aggravate the acne.
• If you are serious about changing your diet, it would be advisable to see a nutritionist.
• Changing Diet alone is not going to heal acne, it’s a combination of diet, in clinic treatments, homecare and lifestyle change that’s going to make a real difference.
• At your consultation, our therapist will devise a personalised treatment programme for you, which will include you’re in clinic IPL acne and skin peel treatment programme, your homecare skin routine and lifestyle changes.