Sweet Tooth
There are different types of skin reactions caused by inflammation in the body, and one of them is Acne. Today, I am going to talk about the relationship between Acne, Sugar and Dairy. Skin is one channel used by the body to eliminate toxins, so most of the time what is happening under the skin or body is reflected on the outside. What I am saying is besides genetics, diet is mostly part of the problem for skin inflammation and can also be used to solve the problem if diet is well planned and thought of. The following are some causes and issues related to skin inflammation:
- sugar
- dairy
- stress
- emotional disorders
One thing these things seem to have in common whether ingested or it is in the environment they seem to affect the hormones to a greater extent and causes all sorts of problems for most people. Sugar is highly inflammatory when used excessively so is dairy products including milk. These products when eaten in their raw form and not processed can be good for you if you make them part of a healthy diet plan.
What Worked For Me
Like I said before skin is a channel of eliminating toxins of whatever the body is trying to get rid of, so treating the face as a way of trying to get rid of acne is not necessarily going to work. You are only scratching the surface of a problem that lies beneath. What worked for me was the elimination of sugar and dairy products especially dairy milk. I immediately could see a difference within 2 weeks of total abstaining which was kind of amazing. I am quite a strong willed person, after doing my research I immediately stopped these products and I made sure I reduced the level of stress in my life as well.
Slowly I introduce a bit of dairy in my diet after probably 3yrs because I wanted to make sure it was gone. Now I am in control and conscious of when to stop.
To be honest the top that worked for me was consistency and PATIENCE. I am not huge fan of aqua (water) but I also know the importance of keeping the skin well-hydrated. So I hydration through my love for tea and I try to drink much of that and lots of soups in winter. Because, in Western Australia temperatures can soar to 42 degrees Celsius.
A Bit of Science
Acne is caused by a combination of the skin producing too much sebum an oily “fatty” substance secreted on the skin to keep it lubricated and waterproof. The presence of sebum is actually good since it protects your skin from loosing moisture. Too much secretion of sebum can then be problematic for many people as it causes skin to get clogged and cause inflammation or breakouts. Processed foods have chemicals and additives that contribute to the spiking of blood sugars in the body and when this happens the hormone levels increases as well. In fact, there is a lot of added hormones in dairy milk and this is a cause for concern according to recent studies.
My experience of acne sugar and dairy was agonising. I have had acne from my teens into most of my adulthood and could not get rid of it no matter what I tried. Acne really does take away a woman‘s pride and confidence and I am a true testimony to these things. I always felt I was not beautiful enough, on top of that if tried using any facial cleansers on the market I always had bad reactions because of many chemicals used in them.
Natural Remedies
Natural remedies can work if your find one that is agrees of your skin. However, in the process of all this I fell in love of one natural moisturiser that is free from any preservatives and is good for the skin inside out. Coconut oil.
I never gave up trying different remedies, to find something that will completely regenerate and clear my face to what it is meant to be. What I like about what worked for me is I do not have to add extra routines to my already busy life and all I have to do is just take care of my diet.
Having said that I am aware that we are all different and react differently to different remedies and food. What I am sharing is my research and experience on the relationship between sugar dairy and acne.
What to do
- Clean your skin of clean water before bed and keep it fresh in the morning and throughout the day
- Eat well, try to eliminate sugar and dairy product in your diet and see what happens. For some people diet is the solution be patient if you want to see real results
- Live a balanced life. Live at the moment and try not to worry about things you cannot change, and change things that needs changing
- Stay hydrated (whatever your hydration link is)
Whatever you do, do not stop until you see desired results.
All the best
Angee xx
Hi! Nice post. I do not eat much sugar. But if I do I notice it on my skin. I can relate to what you write here. Good advice!
Thank you for your comment and sharing your experience on here.
Hi Angee and thanks for this informative post. I’m really struggling to cut out sugar but have been looking for alternatives and trying to focus on more natural sugars. There’s definitely a link between sugar and skin conditions and I do find that when I reduce my sugar intake, my skin improves.
Hi Totally agree with you about noticing skin changes and knowing the root cause kudos to you. And you are right there are healthy sugars one can have in moderation.Thank you for your kind words.
Hey,
When it comes to my sweet tooth, I am very weak. I try to not eat as many sweet things during the week, but then when it comes to the weekend, I give in. I need to keep strong and keep eating a lot more healthy, as you have recommended above.
Thank you for sharing, and keep up the great work.
All the best,
Tom
Hi there I know we all have the “weak moments” and that is totally fine. Moderation and Awareness is the key here. Thank you for your comment.
I’ve found that removing sugar from my eating list improve my energy a lot and not only does sugar causes acne, it causes high blood pressure, cancer, kidney disease and other plethora of disease when eaten excessively. But eating sugar moderately should be fine. Excellent article
That is so true. Thank you for your comment. I thought I would only touch one issue as sugar consumption is a super huge subject to explore.
I’ve suffered from adult acne for a while now but never been able to totally get rid of it despite having dairy intolerance and sweet tooth, I dip in and out of these 2 killer foods (well for me!) I shall cold cold turkey from now on and see what happens. I tried everything possible to get rid of it but have not been successful.
Thank you for this amazing post and educating us all.
Many Thanks
Well, you are not the only one who struggles with these addictive foods.What helped me is eating natural sweets that do not have additives. My favourite desert is dates it dies kill all the cravings. Keep at it. You will get there. Thank you for your comment.