One of the myths surrounding acne is that Acne is not caused by foods. Those who suffer with breakouts for long periods of time have usually tried many treatments, medicines, creams and methods of clearing up their acne. They are told don't worry about what you eat, you need medicine, you need to buy this, or that.
It is, however, important to use a proven medication, or acne-specific cleanser to help manage acne. Until your skin is clear enough to rely on simple acne medicated face wash, the goal is to get rid of as many acne contributors as possible.
The thing to remember is that acne is caused by an imbalance of your hormones, and malfunctioning of your skin. The skin is the largest organ of the body. One of the duties of your skin is to eliminate toxins from your body. If your body is having a hard time eliminating toxins, or dealing with the proper functioning of your skin, then there are probably toxins built up in your body, or there is a lack of vital nutrients your body needs to function. Where do we get the vast majority of our nutrients ...and toxins?
From what we eat, and drink.
Now back to the issue of acne sufferers being told to not worry about their diet. Many of those who suffer for a long time start eating better. Their skin starts to clear up. They start being skeptical of the 'myth' about diet. Research is vague on the subject, but it leads one to doubt the accepted view. If your diet is made up of mostly processed, refined, or sugary foods, and you have acne, consider eating better. Also consider what is being said from the front lines. Even those who believe the myth will recommend you stop eating something if you notice it causes your acne to flare up.
Have you ever noticed that you could smell certain foods on you after you've eaten it? Garlic is one such food. You are excreting waste from your body through your skin constantly. By excreting, don't confuse excretion with defecation. Think of sweat as a type of excretion.
You are what you eat
You have heard the cliché above a million times. We are told that we need our Daily Percentage of fat, and carbs, and protein, and vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B1, etc. Malnutrition can cause fatigue, cancer, obesity, anemia, etc.--but not acne? For the simple fact that believing that eating dangerous foods is not OK for you, you shouldn't believe that your diet has no impact on your acne.
Without getting into the exact details, let's run down some common foods that we are told not to worry about when dealing with acne. Let's also look at why we shouldn't be eating them anyway, even if acne wasn't a problem for us.
Chocolate, and Sugar
Chocolate was regarded as the food of gods by the ancient Mayan and Aztecs. It was used as a currency, and considered a gift from heaven. Chocolate and cocoa come from the cacao tree. Without sweeteners it is bitter, like coffee. It doesn't take much searching to discover the health benefits of cacao. The reason there is a myth surrounding chocolate is it is the most common form of dessert, or candy. Chocolate is in and on everything! And what is in most chocolate?
Sugar...
Refined Sugar...
Sugar found in fruits and vegetables is not the same as that which makes its way into most of our food. The sugars in fruits are complex carbohydrates, and the sugars found in processed foods are simple carbs. Studies have shown that healthier people tend to have a high intake of complex carbohydrates.
http://www.mercola.com/article/sugar/dangers_of_sugar.htm
http://www.ghchealth.com/refined-sugar-the-sweetest-poison-of-all.html
http://health.discovery.com/centers/healthbeauty/beautybasics/shunsugar.html
Read the above articles and the link between diet and acne becomes clear. Chocolate in it's natural state requires lots of sweeteners for it to taste like we normally recognize it. Ever eat unsweetened cocoa powder? Not quite the same as your favorite candy bar.
Eating high quality chocolate with no sugar or an alternative sweetener can actually be beneficial to you!
Fried Foods
Firstly, frying foods not only destroys nutrients in food, it also changes the chemical structure of food, essentially burning it. Anything that is consumed that is from a burnt material is considered carcinogenic. Carcinogens cause cancer. There may not be a significant amount of cancer causing toxins in fried foods to develop cancer, but this type of food should be avoided. It has little nutritional value.
Eating fried foods has been linked to obesity.
Frying foods produce chemicals that are harmful. Our intestinal tract is constantly shedding its outer layer, giving us protection from toxins we may eat, but this is no reason to make your body work harder at protecting itself than at providing you with nutrition.
Greasy foods
If you Google 'greasy foods' your first page of results will be on greasy foods affecting acne. The 'myth' is discredited by the articles that come up, even though the person asking if eating such foods has any effect on her 'acne prone skin', as her doctor has blamed her stomach problems on her diet. The same 'myth' is told again. Acne is caused by hormones, not diet. But diet is also linked to hormones
'Greasy foods' usually means pre-processed high fat, low nutritional value food items. Greasy oily foods are harder to digest, and cause gastrointestinal problems. Once again, the more garbage your body has to get rid of, the easier it is for some of it to get into your system, and the harder it is for your body to perform its natural functions efficiently.
Caffeine
Caffeine, which is found in most soft drinks, coffee, and to a lesser degree, tea, can stimulate acne. One of the myths about acne is that stress doesn't cause it. Stress does, however, increase the severity of flare ups, and make breakouts worse by causing an excess amount of hormones to be produced. Hormonal imbalance is one of the root causes of acne. Caffeine is a stimulant, which can cause the body to produce chemicals, just as if it were stressed. With the high amount of refined sugar, preservatives, and caffeine in soft drinks and coffee, it's easy to see why they are associated with acne.
Some people have no problems with acne, and eating poorly isn't reflected in their complexion. If you do struggle with acne, consider avoiding the foods that make your acne worse. As a rule, if you feel overly tired or just plain bad after eating something, you should avoid it. For your own sake, you should try avoiding foods that are high in fat, have lots of sugar, are greasy or fried, or contain lots of preservatives, and also avoid large amounts of caffeine.
If you already avoid these types of foods, and are still dealing with bad skin, the next step is finding the right treatment for you. You are that much closer to finding the best way to manage your acne if you eat right!
T.Campbell
More about Acne Treatment and Information [http://acnefreelife.com] can be found at acnefreelife.com