Your Skin and Junk Food

I felt this article was relevant to write because now being a student in college, there are more unhealthy foods surrounding me than healthy. I’ve encountered a few small break outs at school that have never happened to me at home.  Everyone says that greasy and a variety of junk foods can cause break outs. I wanted to know if this was true or if it was just a myth.

In order for acne to occur, your pores and open hair follicles become clogged with various things such as oil, bacteria, and dead skin cells. Our faces are one of the few parts of the body the body with the most oil glands, therefore break outs tend to occur here more often. Acne is known as a bacterial reaction to those pores clogging up. Mayo Clinic wrote an article describing  acne, how it forms, symptoms, and causes for acne. After their studies they wrote in this article that greasy foods and chocolate are NOT causes of acne, but certain foods which increase blood sugar are. Some of the foods they’ve listed that can trigger acne are bread, bagels, chips, and various products that are rich in dairy and carbs.

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On Acne.org, people post about their encounters with acne and experiment they have conducted to attempt to make their acne go away. Jo, a user on this site, posted about her dietary experiment to sustain from dairy, sugar, grain, and most processed foods. Jo would eat more vegetables and healthier products hoping it would make her skin clear up. She posted that a week into this diet, her skin still looked the same. She only started seeing a difference in her skin after taking certain vitamins and medicines for acne and to decrease the oil production on her skin.

After examining this information and Jo’s diet experiment, you can conclude that the greasy food causing acne statement is a myth. Changes in hormones, certain medications, make up products, fascial cleansers, and grain/ dairy products are what can be causing an individual to get acne.

Sources

1.) http://www.acne.org/messageboard/blog/4070/entry-26139-diet-experiment-for-oily-skin/

2.) http://www.acne.org/messageboard/blog/4070/entry-26139-diet-experiment-for-oily-skin/

7 thoughts on “Your Skin and Junk Food

  1. Briana Sara Blackwell

    I wrote a blog similar to this the first blogging period. I looked up if soda causes acne and I too concluded that it is a myth. In one of the sources that I found (http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/cleansing/tips/quick-tips-does-soda-cause-breakouts-.htm), the author states, “The root of virtually all acne is genetics, hormones, stress and inflammation.” And later on in the article, someone else goes on to say, “While there is no direct evidence that soda causes pimples, some ingredients may trigger the body to produce acne.”

  2. Adam Greene

    I thought that junk food did link to acne untit I read this article. I was so baffled by this that I did some additional research! According to Dr. Dave Margolius, the answer is a ‘maybe’. His view on the topic was that “Eating lots of sugar means your body produces more insulin, and more insulin causes your body to release hormones that lead to more androgens, hormones that factor into acne production.” So he is saying that junk food does not have a completely direct correlation with getting pimples, but it definitely makes a difference. An experiment should be made where they take a large random sample of people and have half of them eat junk and candy for the week and the others eat veggies and healthy food for a week. After the week is up, you measure the amount of pimples they have. However, this experiment could be extremely flawed for many reasons. There could be many third variables, such as the persons health before the experiment, the amount of food each people can consume, or the data could have been by chance. It will be tough to prove.

    For more information, click on this link: http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/08/08/ask-dr-dave-does-eating-junk-food-cause-acne

  3. Hannah Elizabeth Boothman

    I found this post really well-written and relatable. As a college student, I definitely agree it is easy to grab a quick, junky snack than to cook something healthier, especially when there is no kitchens around us. I never looked into why I took this prescribed pill from the doctor for acne because all it does is affect blood pressure, but after reading your post I know understand that raising blood pressure is what causes acne, not just sugary and junky foods.

  4. Ines Anne Montfajon

    I found your post really interesting! I know that junk food is a big factor and that it gives acne really easily, but I also think that there could be other variables such as the weather, hormones, periods, makeup etc.
    In my opinion, junk food could be correlated with another variable which could cause Acne.

  5. cmh5996

    I found this article extremely interesting because I have always had a different opinion regarding the start of acne. My theory was always if I ate too much candy, I would break out a few days after. According to your post I was very mislead. I find it very interesting that dairy products and bread can be big contributors to acne. For some reason I find that if those foods claim to be healthy they should help out our skin too. Well, I am happy for your post and will definitely take your research into my own lifestyle to prevent any acne.

  6. Caitlin Marie Gailey

    I am relieved to know that what I eat won’t cause me to break out. I was taught this when I was younger by my doctor but I wasn’t sure if this was actually proven or something she just believed. One of the things I’ve found to be interesting is the idea that your breakouts say something about you. In some cultures it is highly believed that your body alarms you of imbalances by only breaking out in certain areas. For example you many only break out on certain spots on your face if you are dehydrated. I have found some of these myths to be true and I think it would be an interesting continuation of your post.

    Here is a link to the article that I learned this information from. It’s really interesting and worth a read!
    http://thebeautygypsy.com/what-is-your-acne-telling-you/

  7. Katelyn Ann Estelow

    I was actually eating a bagel while reading this article, and it tempted me to put it down. I always saw on acne commercials that eating chocolate and other fatty foods never contributed to breakouts, so I’m glad you confirmed that. I think your article also coincides with the fact that women tend to breakout while they’re on their period, and that doctors often prescribe birth control (which controls hormones) to teenage girls battling acne. Very interesting!

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