Photo Credit Kurtis Garbutt

Firstly – many times people feel totally devastated by the presence of acne, especially when they realize no skin care product is helping them out. Often in these situations, acne is actually triggered by internal hormonal changes, brought on by syndromes like Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). In these cases, there is no “outside” means of dealing with acne, and the underlining issue must be resolved first.

At the same time, acne can be triggered from inside, but not by hormones, and instead by the foods we ingest. When these enter our bodies, they can induct processes which gradually lead to a bigger chance of acne development.

Yahoo recently wrote about several problematic food groups when it comes to acne, and here are some of the most common.

Processed Sugar

There is no end to the problem processed sugar brings to our bodies, and triggering acne is one of these. Sugar aids any inflammatory process in the cells, which means it intensifies any acne outbreak, and makes it more intense and longer lasting. The good thing is that this only includes processed sugars, which are found in industrially produced sweets and pastry products like bread (carbon hydrates are actually a form of sugar). Fructose type sugar (sugar found in fruit) or honey is much less likely to act in this manner, so they could swap with candy in your everyday diet. Bread and any other products like that should be used in whole grain form, which is less rich in carbon hydrates and thus less harmful.

Dairy products

There was a lot of debate on the issue does milk encourage acne outbreaks. Lately, the scientific jury finally determined that dairy products are definitely not healthy for a good skin complexion. Milk has the capacity to impact some hormones that then lead to acne outbreak (although obviously not every person reacts to milk in this manner). This is why people who have problems with acne should try to introduce alternatives like rice, almond or hemp milk that can replace the regular cow’s milk (which tends to stir up those problematic hormones) in their diet.

Coffee

Never forget – coffee is the most widespread psychoactive substance in the world (yes, that’s right, coffee is really a mind-altering drug, although a very mild one). Apart from making you more alert and awake, it turns out that forms of acids in the beans can bring up the levels of stress hormone (cortisol) which helps the inflammation process and makes acne outbreaks worse. Even more worryingly for all you coffee lovers, decaf will not hinder this possibility because caffeine isn’t the carrier of these acids. Switching to green or black tee might be the alternative for your caffeine boost.

In conclusion, these dietary groups are generally problematic for your health – sugar and dairy bring on weight gain, while coffee can produce insomnia and aggravate heart issues – if you can, try to use them in moderation and help out your skin.