Fact Check: Is Dairy Bad for Skin?
This is not an easy question to answer. Dairy is associated with higher acne breakouts, but not everyone who consumes dairy faces this consequence.
It's said that individuals who drink milk are at a higher risk of developing severe acne than ones who don't. Nevertheless, it’s not something every expert agrees.
What Does Research Say About Dairy's Effect on Skin?
The most common item in dairy is milk. To check if milk is bad for the skin, researchers conducted a study. The results indicated that milk is indeed a provocator for acne. Cheese and yogurt were left off the list.
Other studies that included cheese and yogurt arrived at the same conclusion.
The problem is that there’s not a direct substitute for milk, and milk/dairy is used for more than a dish or purpose. It’s almost something that's suggested for all types of diets and for all ages. Dairy is a commonly suggested item in various diets.
Dairy's Effects on Skin
As mentioned earlier, not everyone is convinced that milk is absolutely bad for skin. However, dairy has certain properties or constituents that can affect the skin in multiple ways. Some of them are as follows:
Presence of Hormones
It's popularly believed that the androgen hormones, especially testosterone, in milk contains could be the reason for pimples and acne.
The reason is that testosterone generates dihydrotestosterone. The DHT results in oily skin, which is more often connected with acne and pimple breakouts.
Other Hormones
Another hormone that's related to acne and pimples is IGF-1. Usually, this hormone peaks during the teen years, which is when skin breakouts are at their worst.
There are times when farmers provide cows with IGF-1 hormones so they produce more milk. This hormone is found more in skim milk than whole milk.
Inflammation
Another reason why dairy or milk is bad for the skin is inflammation. Again, related to hormones, some believe hormones in milk can trigger inflammation, which can be the reason behind skin breakouts.
Should You Completely Avoid Dairy?
It’s not possible to completely avoid dairy, unless of course, you’re following a dairy-free diet. However, you can take precautions that can help in possibly avoiding skin-related problems.
First, you can maintain a log book to note your dairy consumption and skin problem breakouts. If you notice a spike in breakouts when you increase dairy consumption, it could be time to reduce your dairy consumption.
Avoid dairy when needed
You don’t need to avoid dairy all the time, but you can do so when experiencing skin breakouts. Even if you’re unsure whether dairy is the reason behind it, it’s better to take precautions, and avoid dairy that time.
Bottom Line
If you believe dairy is bad for the skin, you need to find a way to eliminate it from your diet in the longer term. Nevertheless, eliminating dairy will not fix your skin problems overnight. To completely heal your skin, you'll require professional and medical help.
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