Is Dairy Causing Your Acne?

Acne used to be something only teens had to worry about, but now more and more adults are suffering from acne. Research shows that 35% of women in their 30’s, 26% in their 40’s and 15% of people age 50 and up, have problems with acne. Adult acne can be embarrassing and there can be a variety of reasons people get acne, such as hormonal changes, stress, sugar, high testosterone, PCOS, and even dairy.

Dairy may seem like an insignificant thing because most people have dairy during breakfast. You have a yogurt, a bowl of cereal, some half-and-half on your coffee, it may not seem like a lot, but it’s something that causes acne and most people don’t know this.

Milk and dairy products contain growth hormones that have inflammatory substances that can clog your pores and cause you to break out. Research shows that there is a strong link between the consumption of milk and acne.

Why?

There is an abundance of Bovine in milk, which is a growth hormone. Milk and dairy products cause a spike in insulin, which cause the liver to produce even more of this hormone, leading to more acne. Dairy also causes you to produce sebum, which leads to clogged pores, is a breeding ground for bacteria, which creates acne. In addition, dairy products can block your dead skin cells from exiting naturally, leading to clogged pores, which create acne.

Soy and almond milk are a better alternative and even though there’s no way to test for food intolerances, the best thing you could do is try different things. Try an elimination diet, where you eliminate dairy for at least 3 weeks and then reintroduce them slowly, to see how your skin reacts. That way you’ll know for sure if dairy is the center of your acne problem.