What’s up with that?
Take good care of your skin? Then you choose a nice cleanser, a good SPF, and of course the necessary creams and serums. But we all know that radiant, healthy skin starts from within: drinking enough and eating healthy are a must. But what about it: is it true that it is indeed better to avoid dairy products for the perfect peach skin?
Conflicting scientific evidence
Of course, there is no ready-made answer to the question of whether quitting dairy products is good for your skin. Physician assistant working in dermatology Kendra Joseph explains this to Life Savvy. According to Joseph, research into this to date has yielded different results. For example, a 2018 analysis found that people between the ages of 7 and 30 were more likely to develop acne if they consumed dairy products. In contrast, 2019 research claimed that there is no link between acne and dairy products.
But even with these varying results, according to Joseph, there is a certain link. “We cannot claim that dairy causes acne,” she says. “If this were true, everyone who ingested dairy would have acne, and that’s not the case. However, it does appear that dairy may worsen acne in some people, but more research is needed.”
Possible reasons
Dairy does not necessarily cause impure skin, but some people may suffer from it. This has a number of reasons. For example, Joseph explains that certain proteins in dairy (whey and casein) can cause more inflammation in the body. Since acne is also caused by inflammation, there could be a link between these proteins and acne.
In addition, dairy products may contain certain androgenic hormones, Joseph continues. These hormones can cause the sebaceous glands to go into overdrive, and this excess sebum production increases the risk of breakouts.
To observe
As mentioned, more research is needed into the effect of dairy on the skin. Because this is not available yet, Joseph recommends keeping a close eye on your skin when consuming dairy products. Monitor whether your body reacts in a certain way if you drink or don’t drink milk or eat other dairy products for a while.
“If you eat dairy and you see that your skin is less clear, you could carefully consider eating less dairy products,” says Joseph. Don’t want to give up milk (read: cheese), but don’t want to experience any negative consequences from your dairy intake? Then, according to the assistant doctor, you can also experiment with different types of dairy. For example, Joseph knows from experience that cow’s milk and skimmed milk can cause the most severe reactions.
Source: Life Savvy | Image: Adobe Stock
