Think that piece of cheesecake, grilled cheese or slice of pizza isn't the cause of acne on your face, back or chest? A few dermatologists suggest you think again!
It was a recurring argument in our household - maybe in yours too?
Husband: “I can’t believe my back! Look at this!” he’d say while pointing to what looked like an angry bee sting right by his shoulder blade or off to the side of his lower back.
Wife: “Maybe that welt (actually acne) has something to do with all of the cheese you’re so fond of?”
Husband: “What?! No way! I asked a dermatologist in South Africa if there was any link between cheese or dairy and acne and he said no!”
Wife: “Why don’t you cut down on your cheese intake and see what happens?”
Husband: (reluctantly) “Yeah… (sounding less than enthusiastic and willing).”
Dairy Linked to Causing Acne
So, it is with much interest and eye-brow raising that we bring you this article by Canadian dermatologist Dr. F.W. Danby, who writes in a 2005 piece published in the medical journal Dermatology, dairy has been linked to causing acne!
In his paper, Dr. Danby posits, "But how could milk cause acne? Because drinking milk and consuming dairy products from pregnant cows exposes us to the hormones produced by the cows’ pregnancy hormones that we were not designed to consume during our teenage and adult years. It is no secret that teenagers’ acne closely parallels hormonal activity..."
On his excellent site Dr. Danby offers FAQ answers and other concerns brought about by his recommendation of a “No Milk Acne Diet” for those wanting to stop dairy caused acne. For example, some people might think that replacing milk with lactose-free or organic milk will skirt the problem.
Dr. Danby quickly points out that this in fact is not the case. He says, “No. Lactose intolerance has nothing to do with acne, and "organic" simply means that the pesticides and insecticides the cows are exposed to in their food are less toxic than usual.”
One Pint of Ice Cream Per Day Counts as Dairy
Dr. Danby even mentions the case of one client who couldn’t understand why in his 60s he had severe back acne. When asked what he ate every day, the patient mentioned 1 pint of ice cream- yes, every day! Dr. Danby said it took about 1 year for this man’s back to “cool” and for the oil plugs (that turn into acne) triggered by the consumption of hormones in dairy/milk products to subside.
Old habits die hard though, especially for the resident “mouse” in our house, but as Dr. Danby says, it’s all about finding your personal threshold so that you can eat what you enjoy without your skin paying the price.
** For more information about Dr. Danby's study, to learn how milk/dairy triggers acne and to read about his "No Milk Acne Diet," click here. To read Dr. Danby's Dermatology piece, click here.
The copyright of the article Does Dairy Cause Acne? in Food Trends is owned by Mary Luz Mejia. Permission to republish Does Dairy Cause Acne? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
I am a nursing mom and found that my daughter is allergic to dairy (the
dairy proteins not lactose) and so I've had to cut it out of my diet.
Interestingly, right before I became pregnant last year, a make-up person
indicated that the kind of acne I had, and that had been plaguing me during
the back half of my 20's, looked like it was caused by dairy b/c of its
placement on my face. I decided not to try going off dairy while I was
pregnant but now must cut it out and my acne has completely cleared up.
Completely. It is amazing.
Feb 25, 2009 6:21 PM
Guest
:
I am 21 years old and have suffered from acne since the 5th grade. No
kidding. Recently, during a study abroad trip, I went to Prague for a week.
Because I had no money, I ate only fruit and bread and noticed my face
cleared up IMMENSELY. When I returned from Prague, I went back to my
typical cereal and cheese-on-everything diet. The acne came right back. So
the experiment settled it... No more dairy for me, although I can have
cream in my coffee, and in baked goods and things like that.
Mar 11, 2009 12:20 AM
Guest
:
I was told by a woman at a make-up counter at the mall my acne was caused
by hormones (along my jawline area) it makes sense now!! milk has hormones!
ha.. i've suffered this acne since i was 13..i'm now 20! about 3 months ago
i completely cut out dairy! my skin has improved so much! it explains why i
got it predominantly around my cheeks/jaw! its hard saying no to ice cream
and cheese! but its definitely worth it! :)) i wish i knew this back then!
ha
Apr 2, 2009 4:00 PM
Guest
:
32 yr old male. have had acne since i was 13. It continually got worse as i
went to college so i started to see dermatologists. went through two rounds
of accutane and it kept recurring. I've been taking antibiotics for over 13
yrs, tried everything. Best dermatologists from UCLA and UCSD med center
could't figure it out> My last dermatologist did recommend cutting out
dairy but i didnt try it until a wk ago thinking i might have food
allergies causing my sinus problems. A little half-n-half w/ coffee and
some cheese everyday was all i normally had but i stopped all dairy and all
my skin problems went away...immediately! Sounds too good to be
true?! i still cant believe it myself! i want to write a letter to tell my
story to all dermatologists i have ever been to and say F-U for poisoning
my body with expensive drugs for 14 years!! If i added up all the money
i've spent trying to fight this skin problem i would probably cry. All they
had to do was tell me the truth: Dairy causes ACNE and there is a CURE.
Somebody needs to report to the FDA that the dairy industry is poisoning us
with hormones.
So anybody reading this needs to try giving up
dairy. it might change your life, seriously. dont wait til you're 32 like
me!
Now i just need to figure out how to live without dairy and
fix all these scars...
Apr 2, 2009 4:01 PM
Guest
:
32 yr old male. have had acne since i was 13. It continually got worse as i
went to college so i started to see dermatologists. went through two rounds
of accutane and it kept recurring. I've been taking antibiotics for over 13
yrs, tried everything. Best dermatologists from UCLA and UCSD med center
could't figure it out> My last dermatologist did recommend cutting out
dairy but i didnt try it until a wk ago thinking i might have food
allergies causing my sinus problems. A little half-n-half w/ coffee and
some cheese everyday was all i normally had but i stopped all dairy and all
my skin problems went away...immediately! Sounds too good to be
true?! i still cant believe it myself! i want to write a letter to tell my
story to all dermatologists i have ever been to and say F-U for poisoning
my body with expensive drugs for 14 years!! If i added up all the money
i've spent trying to fight this skin problem i would probably cry. All they
had to do was tell me the truth: Dairy causes ACNE and there is a CURE.
Somebody needs to report to the FDA that the dairy industry is poisoning us
with hormones.
So anybody reading this needs to try giving up
dairy. it might change your life, seriously. dont wait til you're 32 like
me!
Now i just need to figure out how to live without dairy and
fix all these scars...
Jun 18, 2009 11:06 PM
Guest
:
I have been having severe acne, mood swings, hot flashes off and on for a
while. I went so far as to see an Endocrinologist. She checked my estrogen
levels, etc. and they were all normal, so I did not know what was going on
still. I have noticed that every time I eat ice cream my face breaks out
even worse though, especially if I've also eaten something with a lot of
cheese. I've eaten an extreme amount of dairy here recently and my entire
jawline is severely broken out. My mood swings and hot flashes are also
severe right now. I am only 29 so I shouldn't yet be going through
menopause. I don't use birth control pills and I'm most definitely not
pregnant. (had hysterectomy, but still have ovaries) I'm going to cut all
dairy out of my diet starting tomorrow and I will report back to this site
if it clears up for sure!! Sincerely, Miserable In AL
