Is Your Diet Causing Your Skin to Breakout?

Are you feeling frustrated due to skin breakout? You use face wash, toner, and moisturizer, all formulated for sensitive and acne-prone skin, but still, aren’t getting the clear and healthy results you want? 

Good news! We know what may be causing your skin to break out. As for the bad news? You might need to give up some of your favorite guilty pleasures like dairy and sugar. It turns out, the foods you are eating may be playing a key role in the appearance and health of your skin.

NOT AS SWEET AS YOU THOUGHT?

Americans consume on average of 153 grams of sugar every day. To put that in perspective: just over a hundred years ago, the average American consumed around 9 grams daily. That means we’re consuming 17 times more sugar than ever before! One of the biggest side effects of increased sugar intake is a disruption in insulin levels. This is one of the key causes of common skin issues and breakouts.

What Is Insulin? 

Insulin is a hormone that’s released by an organ in your body called the pancreas. It helps glucose enter the body’s cells to be converted into energy. Some foods, called “high glycemic” foods, break down quicker than others, causing your body to release more insulin to absorb that fuel. Some of these foods can include white bread, sweetened cereals, pasta, baked goods, white rice, and other sugary drinks and food.

The Problem With Too Much Insulin 

If there’s too much insulin in your body - or if you have a condition like diabetes where your body can’t use the insulin - sugar levels in the blood become higher. As a result, inflammation-producing enzymes can start to bind themselves to your body's collagen through an oxidative process called glycation. This can cause skin’s collagen and elastin to break down, which can lead to tired, dry and droopy looking skin. 

For example, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2006 showed that those who had a high-sugar and carbohydrate diet also had a higher level of inflammation than those who had reduced their sugar intake. 

Sugar also dehydrates your body and skin, which can lead to dry skin that’s more susceptible to damage. Remember, water is your skin’s main defense barrier.

Quit Being So Cheesy

Cheese, ice cream, pizza, and cheesecakes are among humanity’s greatest inventions, but dairy may also be a trigger for causing disruptions with our hormone and insulin levels, similarly to carbs and sugar. Drinking a glass of milk can spike insulin levels 300 percent, so it may be the lactose or milk sugar in milk that causes inflammation, increased oil production, hormonal imbalances, and the resulting skin irritation.

Clearer Days Ahead 

The good news is, with some simple changes to your lifestyle your skin breakout can improve.

To fight breakouts, aim to consume foods high in anti-inflammatory properties. Including an important anti-inflammatory omega-6 fat may be helpful in preventing and treating unwanted breakouts.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

It is very important to drink enough water to nourish your skin. Water helps keep your digestive system healthy by flushing out toxins, which improves the health and the texture of your skin.

You will also want to make sure to avoid all hormone disruptors in your skincare and makeup products.  These include parabens, phthalates, triclosan, PEGs, and some synthetic fragrances.

Clear Skin Ahead 

It takes approximately two to three weeks to see improvement in your skin once you remove dairy and sugar from your diet and allow your body to detox from it. Trying to make big changes all at once in your diet can be overwhelming, so try to begin with just being more aware of the types of food you incorporate into your diet and incorporating foods with anti-inflammatory properties, like old olive and leafy greens. Switch the soda or juice for sparkling water. Try to make little changes gradually, remember Rome wasn't built in a day. Your future clean and clear skin thanks you in advance!