Healthy eating and in the right amount can help your body fight against unintentional weight gain and maintain the proper function of organs, including the skin. Many people face acne problems, but only a few know how big a diet plays in acne treatment.
What is Acne?
Acne is a very common skin problem that leads to the development of pimples on the skin surface. Acne can form on any part of the body but is most commonly found on the neck, face, back, and shoulder.
Acne often appears due to hormonal changes, so it’s especially common in teenagers going through puberty but can affect people of all ages. Although not usually physically painful, acne still requires treatment that suits the sufferer’s skin, depending on the severity of the condition.
Causes of Acne
To know how acne comes to be, it is important to understand the skin first. The skin surface has small holes called pores that connect sebaceous glands (oil glands) beneath the skin. The oil produced by the oil glands is sent to the skin surface through follicles.
Acne will develop when skin oil is produced in excess and clogs the pores along with dead skin cells and bacteria. This is the reason why teenagers at puberty get more acne as the hormonal changes produce excess oil leading to clogging of pores.
Effects of diet on your skin
Diet is one of the greatest things that can affect your skin condition. Consuming certain food types may help you protect your skin from acne. These foods have some properties that reduce inflammation and excess production of oil from glands hence lessening acne appearance.
Therefore, you should increase the consumption of food like fatty fish, soy, broccoli, and red grapes.
Food to avoid to prevent acne appearance
If you are concerned about the appearance of acne, you could try avoiding high-glycemic-load diets.
According to research, foods with a high glycemic index are associated with an increased risk of acne. Compared to food with a low glycemic index, high GI food will raise your blood sugar faster and lead to high insulin levels.
High glycemic index foods increase insulin production, resulting in an increase in skin oil (sebum) and androgen, which can lead to the development of acne. Therefore, try to avoid food with a high glycemic index like:
- Chips
- Refined sugar
- Melons
- Sweetened breakfast cereal/Sugar cereals
- Sugary beverages
- Cookies
- White bread
Getting acne when you moderately eat any single food above is significantly lower. However, following a diet with many of these foods may contribute to the development of acne.
High glycemic foods are made of simple sugar. Therefore, if taken in plenty, they increase your blood sugar more quickly than other types of food.
Your body will release IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor 1) when there is a quick rise in blood sugar. When IGF-1 is released in excess, it will cause oil glands to produce more oil, putting you at risk of inflammation and acne.
Dairy products
Some research shows that milk and dairy products contribute to the development of some skin conditions like acne. Milk and dairy products contain the IGF-1 hormone. This hormone can interact with oil and adrenalin glands, causing an effect that contributes to acne development.
Milk contains amino acids that accelerate the production of skin oil. Too much intake of dairy products or milk can increase sebum production, leading to clogging of pores; hence acne develops.
In a nutshell
Food with a high glycemic index has been found to favor the production of certain hormones that stimulate excess production of sebum, leading to clogging of pores to cause pimples. Therefore, try to avoid the above type of food. Before taking any acne treatment, it is important to first talk to your dermatologist to get effective and safe treatment and ensure your acne isn’t caused by an underlying condition.
