At this point, we’ve all been through the horrors of puberty and have had our fair share of acne and embarrassing pimples. Many of us like to blame puberty, our oily skin and stress for causing us these troubles, but of course there are many contributing factors that affect our skin and it’s appearance. In many recent studies, the question whether or not chocolate can cause and further the development of acne has come up. Will eating more chocolate cause you to have a face full of pimples? Or are all sugary, fatty foods bad for us and our skin? Or is dark chocolate really that much better for us and our bodies?
Before you cut chocolate out of your diet completely, it is important to understand why people link chocolate and increased blemishes. In an interview with Dr. Ava Shamban, she explains that “a high-sugar/high-fat diet can increase sebum production and promote inflammatory responses in the body — which can lead to acne.” Although chocolate is high in sugar and can be fatty, there are plenty of other junk foods out there that can cause the same effects in the body. Cookies, cakes, pies, soda and candy can all fall into this category, along with chocolate. While it is still not even certain that these types of food can be a direct cause of acne, it is more likely to develop the condition when these foods are consumed. In this video, a Proactiv specialist tackles the dilemma of chocolate causing acne and claims it to be a myth.
As there are many contributing factors to our horrific breakouts, there is a apparent connect between chocolate and women who are menstruating. It is discussed in the Huffington Post, that women are more likely to breakout from their menstrual cycle than the chocolate they consume (or crave) during this time. The changes in the body due to estrogen levels and changing hormones can cause skin to become oily and kick start the development of acne during that period.
Before you point fingers and blame chocolate for your nasty breakout, think again! Your body is constantly changing due outside medications, hormones and of course your diet. Just because you eat one chocolate bar, does NOT mean you will breakout. But be careful what you eat, those sugary junk foods may be all fun and games for now..
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/05/does-chocolate-cause-acne_n_1566076.html
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/acne/basics/causes/con-20020580
I luckily never had problems with acne during high school. Of course i had the occassional pimple that would ruin the day, but never reoccuring or constant arrays of blemishes. Until I came to college. About a week after arrival I noticed that my skin was breaking out serverly. At the time i was not eating very bad; no abundant amount sof choloclate or junk food (yet). So the pimples had to be caused by something else. I chalked it upto stress. I looked into it and found that stress pimples are the most common cause for teens. This is what is happening. The change of pase and surroundings, the chnage of weather and friends has my head going in circles and it is causing me to break out. Instead of panicking and making it worse, I remembered what Beyonce once said; moisturizing is golden. I have been religiously been putting moisturizer on my faceand not a single pimple has appeared since. Check out this link if you want proof that it works:
http://www.facingacne.com/moisturizer-answer-acne-issue/
Trust me, If you are having trouble with acne, toss aside the expensive pro-active and crazy remedies. Just moisturize! It works. And when it does, come find me, and thanks me 🙂 haha
I am excited as well to hear that chocolate does not contribute to acne as I struggled with acne in high school and was under the impression that there was a correlation between the two but now I know correlation does not equal causation. But did you know there may be a link between dairy products and acne? There haven’t been any definitive studies but there are reports and blog about people who have given up consuming dairy products and seen an dramatic change in their completion. That could be something worth delving into as well. This website discusses several studies done linking acne to diet and dairy in particular.
After reading your article, I am super excited to hear that chocolate doesn’t create acne. Now, I will be consuming much more chocolate than normal (Haha). The correlation you made between chocolate, acne, and the menstrual cycle was interesting because I never thought of it in this point of view. Normally, I associated all sugary/unhealthy foods to having inflamed acne. Have you ever eaten incredibly unhealthy for a few days straight, and find your skin to break out days later? I know this from experience last year! During THON last year, I was forced to eat the greasy, oily, fattening foods from the concession stands. In return, I was breaking out like crazy! If you attended THON, you probably know exactly what I am talking about.