In your pursuit of achieving blemish-free skin, a lot of factors and skincare practices have to be considered. Aside from the topical application of skincare products, you might as well have heard a piece of advice about cutting down on dairy products. There are some who find it an easy task but for others, it may be a different story. Does habitual consumption of dairy products contribute to your acne flare-ups? Or was it just another skincare myth? Sit back and relax as we crack down answers to your skincare concern. There are plenty of reasons to explore for that unwanted acne flare-ups, it may be hormonal, stress, environmental factors, or the food you eat.

Dr. Fran E. Cook-Bolden, board-certified dermatologist at Mount Sinai Health Systems pointed out the reasons why dairy is associated with acne, dairy contains lactose, a form of sugar that is in milk. Sugar, as we all know can negatively affect our bodies, sugar pretty much affect our health and our skin’s health. For people with a sweet tooth, it may be hard to resist dairy products but wait, if you think that you are safe from it because you are pretty much not into sweets, check again. It is not just desserts that contain sugar – your favorite combination of bread and cheese has a seemingly high glycemic index – the amount by which how much food increases blood sugar.

Dairy products in hiding in your fridge is naturally a source of sugar, Study published last 2016 published by the National Library of Medicine entitled, Dietary glycemic factors, insulin resistance, and adiponectin levels in acne vulgaris found out that high glycemic index can cause the body to produce lots of insulin with which experts believe has a factor and is linked to acne breakouts.

An analysis published the year 2018 that explored the correlation of dairy intake to acne breakout among different age groups found out that consuming any type of dairy product has a higher likelihood of acne flare-ups for ages 7-30 years old. Another interesting fact that was found out is that people who drank one glass of milk or more are more likely to develop acne.

The question now is, how ready are you now in ditching dairy products on your diet?

Listed below are the reasons why dairy products may not be your skin friend.

DAIRY PRODUCT AND GROWTH HORMONES

IGF-1 or Insulin-like growth factor is a hormone in human blood. Milk, on the other hand, contains IGF-1.

A study by Oxford Academic found out that adults who consume 3 servings of milk daily for 12 weeks have 10% higher IGF-1 than those people who do not consume milk. IGF-1 may potentially increase sebum production, the most common culprit to your acne flare-ups. On the other side, IGF-1 is believed to be a not so healthy ingredient to be taking in as it may be linked not just to your skin concerns such as acne but also to other diseases because of its way of affecting the body’s natural hormones such as estrogen and testosterone.

SUGAR IS NOT YOUR SKIN FRIEND

As mentioned, the dairy product is a form of sugar thus implies that it can raise your glycemic index thus resulting in acne breakouts especially to those with sensitive skin. Cow’s milk and other dairy products contain casein, the chief protein found in milk and cheese, and whey protein which are thought to raise levels of certain hormones which could be linked to increased sebum production.

A DAIRY PRODUCT IS PRO-INFLAMMATORY

All animal proteins contain inflammatory properties which are linked to any other forms of disease and skin problem. The whey and casein protein content of dairy products is believed to have a disturbing effect on someone’s health. Did you know that casein proteins have even been linked to food addiction? Hmm, that pretty much explains why you love to indulge yourself in cheese and find it even harder to resists. excessive consumption thus may result in skin inflammation. According to a board-certified dermatologist at Westlake Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery, sugar intake causes insulin levels to rise, which subsequently increases the inflammation in the skin thus resulting in an increased amount of acne on your face.

DAIRY PRODUCTS ARE HARD TO DIGEST

Dairy products are one of those food groups that are to be hard to digest simply because of the lactose content, when not digested properly gas and bloating may result. Excessive lactose consumption can get into the large intestine and diarrhea can develop. What is your skin’s stand on this matter? Whatever it is that your body cannot digest or eliminate through your colon, your skin being the largest organ suffers from those toxins that may come through in the forms of acne or even rashes.

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