So, i've always thought that food can't be connected with the acne outbreak because then the people who are fat or who eat much would get them ( but apparently, they don't ). I've realized that there's so many people with acne who are skinny, slim and not fat at all. How is that possible? I don't know. But, recently i've read somewhere on the NET that Chocolate, most popular myth about acne, DOES give you outbreak. At first, before i have even known about that fact, every person that said to me; '' You get acne because of eating too much chocolate'' - I thought that that can't be true, and i had hoped that is not. But, obviously it is. And what's even more interesting, i have tested it on my acne prone skin. I am a big fan of chocolate and sweets but i try not to consume them too much. So, i stopped consuming sweets for a week and my face DID GET BETTER. I mean, there were still pimples, whiteheads especially, but not so many of them. So i poped the whiteheads with disinfected needle, cleared my face with water and put some aloe vera + tea tree oil gel. There were no pimples anymore, and my skin was smooth, without some inflammatory pimples poping out of my skin. So i've decided to test my skin on chocolate ( It was hard because my skin finally has gotten under control ). But i wanted to solve the mistery about the chocolate/sweets. So, i ate a whole pack of chocolate ( 80grams ) and during that day, nothing came out. I felt so happy cause i could eat chocolate without geting acne!!!! BUT, next day, i woke up, went to the bahtroom, turned on the light and carefully and slowly put my look into the mirror with the fear of finding any new outbreaks on my face. And, ofcourse, it did happen. I got pimples. Not one, nor two or three. I got more than 5 all over my face. I freaked out! I said to myself; NO MORE CHOCOLATE! Yeah right, i still eat it. Cause i got used to having acne on my face even if its so freaking mentally hard dealing with the fact that you have ugly face and going with that face in the public every f*ing day:( Ahh.. But, at least ive solved the myth about chocolate. It does give you acne. The main difference is: CHOCOLATE OR SWEETS DOESNT CAUSE ACNE, THEY JUST increase the body's sebum production, which then create inflammatory responses in the body, and which leads to acne outbreak. And we know that overactive sebum oil glands are the main reason for the acne. So, no chocolate - no acne. It's simple. I haven't done any research on myself with milk or bread cause i don't consume it so much and i can live without them but, chocolate is my ''biggest sin'' - if you know what i mean. Cheers people:)
A few things to keep in mind here:
1. Correlation =/= causation. People tend to jump to conclusions and like to blame their acne, etc. on one thing which is not always the case.
2. True acne does not appear in a day or so. It can and does take a few weeks. Sometimes people notice their acne until later even though it has sat on their face for a while. Other times accidentally irritating some pimples can highlight their presence and it may look like it appeared there overnight.
A few things to keep in mind here:
1. Correlation =/= causation. People tend to jump to conclusions and like to blame their acne, etc. on one thing which is not always the case.
2. True acne does not appear in a day or so. It can and does take a few weeks. Sometimes people notice their acne until later even though it has sat on their face for a while. Other times accidentally irritating some pimples can highlight their presence and it may look like it appeared there overnight.
1 is true but I am very, very skeptical of 2. I'm a firm believer that my particular outbreaks are caused by certain kinds of foods, and almost without exception when I consume one of them I get a pimple or two within the next day or so. I'm aware that correlation does not equal causation, so believe me I wouldn't just say this if it had happened to me a couple of times. I've tested it enough to know that it is indeed the cause of my breakouts, and they can come very quickly after consuming something I know that I shouldn't.
That said, I don't believe that foods effect everybody's acne. It is extremely dependant on the individual much like an allergy. Some people can eat chocolate and be fine, others have one cookie and they breakout. It's all a matter of knowing your triggers and staying away from them.
A few things to keep in mind here:
1. Correlation =/= causation. People tend to jump to conclusions and like to blame their acne, etc. on one thing which is not always the case.
2. True acne does not appear in a day or so. It can and does take a few weeks. Sometimes people notice their acne until later even though it has sat on their face for a while. Other times accidentally irritating some pimples can highlight their presence and it may look like it appeared there overnight.
1 is true but I am very, very skeptical of 2. I'm a firm believer that my particular outbreaks are caused by certain kinds of foods, and almost without exception when I consume one of them I get a pimple or two within the next day or so. I'm aware that correlation does not equal causation, so believe me I wouldn't just say this if it had happened to me a couple of times. I've tested it enough to know that it is indeed the cause of my breakouts, and they can come very quickly after consuming something I know that I shouldn't.
That said, I don't believe that foods effect everybody's acne. It is extremely dependant on the individual much like an allergy. Some people can eat chocolate and be fine, others have one cookie and they breakout. It's all a matter of knowing your triggers and staying away from them.
The certain foods causing acne assumes a lot:
-The insulin spike must be high enough (out of the ordinary, and the insulin-acne connection is still fuzzy)
-The androgens (especially DHT) must spike high enough
-There is enough bacteria in the follicle to produce the chemicals to attract white blood cells
-There is enough sebum in the follicle
-The tens of thousands of skin cells "die" and clump together within a very short period of time (the hair follicle being present and trapped there can aggravate it, though that's not always the case)
This paper describes the "life cycle" of the skin and skin cells. As you might be able to glean, there are several "obstacles" the skin cells and bacteria have to "overcome" to "live". Inflammation in acne is the most obvious and quickest stage (as it should be because it's the response to fix itself, but excessive and out-of-place inflammation is counterproductive).
Certain foods causing acne is nothing more than conjecture. If someone were able to offer me biological plausibility and actual evidence (not testimonials), then I'd be more likely to believe it. I just know enough about the skin to not jump to conclusions about X causing Y, especially with acne.
Certain foods causing acne is nothing more than conjecture. If someone were able to offer me biological plausibility and actual evidence (not testimonials), then I'd be more likely to believe it. I just know enough about the skin to not jump to conclusions about X causing Y, especially with acne.
Almost every single person who will be posting on the matter one way or another is going to offer conjecture. Saying 'well, unless you're an acne expert and can break down exactly how it causes acne then I won't believe it' is pretty dismissive. The knowledge of acne relative to other medical conditions is extremely limited, and the successful treatment of acne is very diverse. There's no reason to scoff at reasonable explanations of what might be causing somebody's acne when conventional wisdom isn't getting the job done.
I agree that it's difficult to take anecdotes seriously and use them to form any kind of reasonable conclusion, but again, that is no reason to dismiss them outright. I've read a lot of stories about people who had acne for their entire lives and after cutting out a few things in their diet became acne free for good. That combined with my personal experience and I believe there is a lot of validity in this theory.
As I said before, I do not believe acne is universally caused by certain foods. Everybody is different. 99% of people can eat peanut butter and be fine, meanwhile that other 1% would swell up like a pumpkin if they had some. The same concept applies here. Most people can eat chocolate and experience nothing in the way of acne outbreaks, while a small percentage of people will have their acne flare up upon consuming some. YMMV.
I've personally had far more success controlling my acne by watching what I eat as opposed to using tropical creams or taking pills. But if you pay attention to the many success stories out there of people who have battled acne for years you'll see just how different their solutions were. For some skin care products like Proactive, Dan's Regimen, etc. kept them acne free. Others were cured upon learning they had a vitamin D deficiency and started taking heavy doses of Vitamin D3. B5 and Zinc were also popular supplements to cure acne for people. For some people none of that works and they have to go on Accutane. Point is, there is no universal cure for acne just like there are no universal causes.
Alaskan,
What do you think your triggers are?
Good question. Chocolate, almost any type of fried food, pizza. Many different types of processed foods. It's an ever evolving list it seems, but I've got a good grasp of what foods I can expect breakouts from and which foods I can safely consume. When I stick with the latter group my skin clears up considerably and in most cases I avoid any pimples whatsoever. When I start to stray away from my safe foods and venture into the unsafe and unknown zone I break out quickly and considerably without exception. It's become such a predictable pattern that I simply can't ignore it.
I can say 100% that if I eat something that contains a certain chemical substance that I will get a cystic spot,only one at a time,after 40 years and my first 10 years from 15 to 25,when I had a cystic spot pop up every other week,at the age of 25 I realised,quite by accident what foods/drink/sauces caused this,if I was to eat a pot noodle or ramen or something similar today,I can guarantee a cystic spot within a few days,
the two photos below show a spot on my nose that has nearly diminshed after 5 days of squeezing the pus out of it,the other showing a typical cyst I get from this chemical additive,
now dairy products,peanut butter,sweets,chips etc etc don't affect me at all,I have never used creams on my face or took medicines,I have always inserted a pin in my spots and have sometimes sliced a spot open with a razor with no scarring.
I never had "true acne" just the one huge spot and I wonder if people in later life(twenties upwards)who suddenly develop spots are eating something they are intolerant/allergic too.
SORRY seems I can't attach the photos,if you want to see,go to adult acne,title "phew my spot is fast dissappearing in time for xmas"
Dark chocolate (70% and above) is anti-inflammatory and can have beneficial effects on your heart and skin. Other kinds of chocolate (milk, white etc) are often loaded with sugars, preservatives and gluten which will provide an inflammatory response in your body. Whilst eating one chocolate bar is unlikely to give you acne, eating several increases the inflammation levels in the body and thus the probability that you will develop acne.