Does Milk Cause Acne?

When suffering from acne, many people believe in a good healthy diet as a preventative and aid to clearer, healthier skin. The diet-acne connection is one that has been dwelled upon for many years, with researchers in constant disagreement as to whether your diet will have an impact on your acne. One suggestion is that foods such as sugar, chocolate and fats are particularly bad for your skin and should be avoided. It has been widely accepted these unhealthy foods can be bad for your skin, however, could it be possible the foods we consider nutritious are doing our skin just as much damage? 

More recent studies have narrowed down the diet/ acne connection and discovered diets that raise your blood sugar (foods with a high glycemic index)  or frequent dairy consumption have some of the strongest impacts on your skin. While many medical experts disagree on whether or not milk causes acne, there have been studies that show people who drink more milk tend to have worse acne than those who consume less. 

You may be wondering how a substance we consider healthy could impact your skin. There are many reasons, the first being the hormones in the milk. As milk usually comes from pregnant cows, there are hormones in it which signal to our bodies to produce more sebum, blocking pores. Milk also raises blood sugar levels in the body, which, like the hormones increases sebum oils and blocks pores. 

Though it has not been proven there is a direct link between milk consumption and acne, many researchers suggest it could be an alternate treatment if conventional acne treatments are not successful. If you suffer severe acne and are having no luck with you current treatment, lowering milk intake could be an option worth trying. Many people have found by minimising milk and dairy products in their diet, acne has improved or even cleared. If your acne isn’t responding to the treatments you’ve been trying, try lowering your dairy intake over a couple of weeks and see if it helps you. Everyone is different so often you have to try a lot of treatments and preventatives before you find the one right for you!