Got Milk? Got Acne?

milk-william-morgan-hsu.jpg

MILK CAUSES ACNE!

It makes for a great blog headline. But is it true?

Moms have been saying for ages that eating too much pizza, French fries, and chocolate is what causes acne. Until recently, we didn’t have any research to support or refute Mom’s theory. Now there are studies linking high glycemic diets (that is, diets high in sugar and simple carbohydrates) with acne; so it looks like Mom might have been right.

But the strongest relationship between diet and acne is actually with milk.

There are current studies showing that there is an association between drinking milk and having acne. In the May issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, researchers found that drinking skim milk was associated with increased severity of acne in teenage boys.

Blockage of pores caused by hormone induced changes in your skin is a known cause of acne. Milk might contribute to acne, therefore, because milk contains hormones (androgens) that can act on your skin just like your natural hormones.

Does that mean you should stop drinking milk?

No. These findings, although interesting, do not prove that milk causes acne — many people who don’t drink any milk still get acne. But if you have acne and have difficulty controlling it with washes or other acne therapies, then you might consider cutting back on milk to see if that helps.

Remember, though, that milk is a good source of vitamin D and calcium which are critical for bone development in your early teenage years.

You might also like:

The Proper Way to Pop a Pimple

How Do Birth Control Pills Control Acne?

Are You Over-Scrubbing Your Face?

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Photo: William Morgan Hsu

May 13, 2008 | Filed Under Acne, Dermatology News 

Comments

14 Responses to “Got Milk? Got Acne?”

  1. Russ on May 14th, 2008 4:16 pm

    Interesting.

  2. John on May 15th, 2008 7:12 pm

    Great Blog - useful info.

    Maybe you can help me - I’m allergic to lots of things including parabens, which seems to be in everything.

    I am looking for parabens-free products. I found a nice moisturising cream at http://www.exederm.com and other things at a British site called elave - now I would like to find parabens free shampoo

    Any ideas ?

    What about blogging about sensitive skin and hypoallergenic products

    Keep up the good work

  3. Dr. Benabio on May 16th, 2008 3:50 am

    Russ-
    Thanks.

    John-
    That is a great topic. I’ll do a little research and write a post for you on it. Thank you for suggesting it.

  4. Tim C on May 17th, 2008 1:32 am

    Very interesting, who would have known Milk would cause Acne. I find it interesting that some people have Acne so bad and yet can get treatments that cure it, for example: http://www.crutchfielddermatology.com/treatments/acne/acne.asp

    If there a cure for Acne beyond taking medicine?

  5. Axion on May 18th, 2008 12:06 pm

    perhaps certain ethnicities that encourage the drinking of milk, are genetically susceptible to getting acne?

  6. The Fitness Diva on May 19th, 2008 5:03 am

    I’ve never had any such reaction from milk, so perhaps it might be an individual thing? A particular body chemistry that just doesn’t jibe well with dairy products or something?
    The increase of the hormones in teenage boys is probably more the culprit, then you add milk and ‘poof’ - Acne Explosion!

    By the way, I love milk!! ;)

  7. Pickel on May 24th, 2008 5:39 am

    Those are Great Tips! Thank You for this in depth information about acne and how to get rid of it.

  8. Liz on May 28th, 2008 5:36 pm

    I’ve had acne for the last 13 years (I’m 30 now). Until recently I read that milk can cause acne. I decided to forgo anything dairy in my daily diet, i.e. no milk, no cheese, no milk chocolate. After 2 months I can definitely see a whole lot difference it makes on my skin. I guess it could be all that hormones in the milk was causing MY hormones to be haywire. I feel better about myself now.

    Instead of drinking milk, I take calcium supplements and eat a whole lot of calcium-rich vegetables like broccoli and bak choy.

    But then again, the cause of acne is different from one person to another. I still do have an occasional pimple once in a while at that time of the month, but I guess that’s from my own hormones!

  9. Dr. Benabio on May 30th, 2008 4:14 am

    Tim C-
    The best way to treat acne is with medication (or just wait long enough, as it improves with age in most people).

    Axion-
    Perhaps, although it appears that the hormones in milk are responsible for causing acne and as such would not be impacted by ethnicities at all.

    Fitness diva-
    Milk surely is a small contributor to acne. Hormones peaking during teen years are a large factor. I love milk myself.

    Pickel-
    Thank you.

    Liz-
    Thanks for sharing. You are not alone, there are certainly many people whose acne benefits from less milk.

  10. antioxidants on June 11th, 2008 2:41 am

    I’m one of those who do not drink milk but still get acne. I always had acne during my teen years(sob) but it disappeared when I was in my early twenties.

    This is very informative, if it works for you then good. Teenagers should be informed of this.

  11. acne free scar on June 14th, 2008 8:06 am

    Excellent info in regard to acne. This is a serious topic, and it is so hard to find reliable acne information online. Thanks and keep up the good work!

  12. modelizer on June 14th, 2008 5:18 pm

    I don’t know if I can give up my love of milk for the few pimples I get a month. But it would explain why nothing helps any more.

  13. Ryan Liao on July 15th, 2008 5:31 am

    Something to point out, skin allergies happens for some rare cases when the patient consume milk.

  14. Pat on July 18th, 2008 9:06 pm

    Thanks for this! I’ve had acne problems for 20 years (I’m now 36). Acne creams and Retin A didn’t help much. In April, I gave up drinking skim milk (though not yogurt and cheese yet). My skin’s finally started to clear up. I really wish I’d tried cutting back on milk years ago.

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