Do Certain Foods Cause Acne?
The short answer here, surprisingly, is yes. Foods that cause acne are easy to find if you know what to look for. However, if acne is a problem that you are serious about, whether severe or not, there are some foods you should absolutely be avoiding. As a rule, there are a few different groups that these foods fall into. These groups should be avoided as much as possible - and eliminating them completely from your diet will bring the greatest benefit. Additionally, there are some foods that you should be getting more of if acne is your issue. These foods supply essential vitamins and minerals that help to balance the body's processes and accelerate the healing & prevention of acne.
prevent acne
The biggest group of foods to be avoiding is obvious - junk foods. These foods, as many know, contain preservatives and certain fats that the body completely rejects. Over time, these preservatives and artificial products cause chemical imbalances in the body - and chemical imbalances cause acne. Why is this? Without going into too much detail, these chemical imbalances cause hormones to secrete too much of their chemicals. When this happens, the body encounters stress and a breakout is formed. Now, everyone is different, and no two people have the exact same hormones. But the common theme here is that junk food, which we all know is unhealthy, will also cause acne.
foods that cause acne
The second group of foods that should be avoided - and this one may be slightly surprising - is dairy. Many people believe that since dairy provides many health benefits, that is must be good for acne as well. This is simply not true. The majority of milk products come from pregnant cows, which supply the hormone DHT into the actual milk. This hormone, in humans, speeds up the production of oils in the skin - causing them to release too much oil, clogging pores, and causing acne. Many studies have been conducted on the relationship between acne and dairy, and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
As for foods that prevent acne, they really do exist! This group isn't so much specific foods per se, but rather the vitamins and minerals that certain foods supply. One of the main vitamins that you should be looking for in order to alleviate most skincare and acne issues is Vitamin A. This vitamin is essential for your overall health, but is also a great booster for your skin and acne as well. Vitamin A helps the body to stop the excessive production of oils in the skin - chiefly, sebum. This oil, while helping to protect the skin from bacteria and waterproofing it, is a major cause of clogged pores and acne breakouts. Get more Vitamin A, however, and you can stop from having too much sebum on your skin - and you'll see less acne in no time.