Diet taboos for acne-prone skin

Currently, there are only three dietary minefields that have been confirmed by dermatological clinical studies and are likely to aggravate symptoms in more than 90% of acne-prone skins - high GI foods, skim/low-fat dairy products, and processed high-fat foods with a high proportion of Omega-6. As for the "fat foods" that are so popular, such as spicy food, seafood, beef and mutton, these are all controversial items that vary from person to person, and there is no need to strictly limit them.

To be honest, when I received skin care consultations in the past two years, I saw too many girls who went to extremes. In order to get rid of acne, they didn’t even dare to touch the chili noodles in the dipping sauce. Instead, they switched to a cup of skim milk and a butter croissant as a fat-reducing breakfast every day. When I asked whether the acne would grow or not, I asked them that they thought these two were health foods. I couldn’t laugh or cry.

Speaking of this, some people must ask: No, I always get acne every time I eat hot pot. Isn’t it a spicy hot pot? This is also one of the most controversial points in dermatology at present: one school of thought believes that pure capsaicin itself actually has anti-inflammatory effects, and your acne breakout after eating it is purely due to the high-sugar tomato pot base, full-sugar ice milk tea, and crispy meat brown sugar glutinous rice cake. I personally tried to eat the all-red pot with only green vegetables and fresh tripe, and served it with sugar-free lemonade. There was nothing wrong with my face the next day after eating it. If I changed it to a slightly spicy pot and added a cup of pearl milk tea, I would definitely have two red and swollen pimples on my forehead. Another group of people believe that if you have inflamed red acne on your face, capsaicin will dilate capillaries and aggravate the inflammation, redness and swelling. The acne that can be eliminated in 3 days may take a week. In this case, just avoid spicy food for the time being. It is okay to eat casually when your skin is stable.

Let’s talk about dairy products, which are ranked number one on the list. I once had a client show me her food diary. She strictly avoided spicy food, sweet food, and seafood for 3 months. However, the red, swollen, cystic, and acne-prone skin on her chin still appeared repeatedly. When I turned to the end, I saw that she drank two cups of skimmed milk every morning in order to lose fat. I asked her to stop skimming milk and replace it with sugar-free full-fat yogurt. Only two weeks later, the new acne was reduced by 70%, which was more effective than the more than 200 pieces of topical acid she had applied before. The principle is actually simple: milk itself contains insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). This ingredient will directly stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce crazy oil, and will also aggravate the blockage of hair follicles. Because skim milk has removed the fat, IGF-1 is not bound by fat, so its activity is much higher than that of whole milk, and it is naturally more acne-causing. Of course, there are exceptions. Many people are completely fine if they drink whole milk. Since probiotics decompose part of the IGF-1 in yogurt, most people won’t break out acne after drinking it. If you are really worried, you can try it for a week. If you don’t have any reaction after drinking it, you don’t need to specialize in eating it.

As for high GI foods, to put it bluntly, they are things that will cause blood sugar to spike rapidly after eating them, such as refined sugar, eating white rice and noodles without side dishes, candied fruits, carbonated drinks, etc. When they enter the stomach, it is like pressing an accelerator switch for the sebaceous glands, and the oil will come out faster than the faucet is turned to its maximum. The pores are already narrow, so much oil is blocked in them, and it is strange not to suffer from acne. But there is no need to cut off carbs directly to get rid of acne. I have seen many girls eat boiled vegetables instead of staple food. As a result, my aunt postponed it for half a month. The hormones were messed up, and the acne broke out more fiercely. In fact, as long as you eat refined carbohydrates with enough vegetables and high-quality protein, the rise in blood sugar will be slowed down a lot, without touching it at all.

Another minefield that many people have not noticed is processed high-fat foods with a high proportion of Omega-6, such as fried skewers, potato chips, bread and cakes made with shortening, milk tea and coffee with non-dairy cream. Most of these foods use corn oil, soybean oil and other fats with ultra-high Omega-6 content. Eating too much will directly increase the body's overall inflammation level, and acne that has been deflated will easily pop up again and again. On the contrary, eating more deep-sea fish, avocados, plain nuts, and supplementing with Omega-3 can also help reduce inflammation and be beneficial to acne recovery.

As for the "hair-producing foods" that are most popular on the Internet, such as seafood, beef and mutton, there is currently no evidence-based medical evidence to prove that they can directly cause acne. Unless you are allergic to such foods, skin inflammation caused by allergies may induce acne, so just avoid them yourself. I have a friend who is a serious seafood lover. She eats shrimps and crabs every day. Her skin is so good that even her pores are not visible. On the contrary, she gets acne every time she drinks iced cola. There are individual differences. There is really no need to follow other people's taboo lists. There is also the acne caused by high salt that has been discussed a lot recently. The sample size of the current study is not large. If you get acne every time you eat pickled products or heavy braised food, then just eat less of it. If you don’t have any reaction, don’t take it seriously.

Finally, I have to be honest. Diet has always been just an auxiliary item for acne removal, not a magic medicine. If your face is already full of cysts, redness, and acne, don’t just think about dietary restrictions. Go to a dermatologist first and take medicines and apply medicines when needed. It’s more effective than anything else. There is no need to avoid eating anything to get rid of acne. Eating plain water and cooking vegetables every day will make you unable to keep up with your nutrition, and your face will be sallow and acne will still look unsightly. Spending a week keeping a simple food diary to understand your own skin minefields is much more effective than following the same taboo list on the Internet.