Can milk cause acne?
The beauty of the skin always depends on what kind of food a person eats. There is a large list of products that cause this problem. This list also includes milk.
Recently, in the course of research, scientists found that people who exercise and often consume whey supplements and shakes with casein (milk protein) are more likely to suffer from severe forms of acne. However, absolutely all dairy products should not be blamed for the appearance of acne: eating yoghurts and cheeses does not cause breakouts.
Milk is more likely to cause harm to adults than benefit, because only small children under 3 years old can fully absorb milk protein. The older a person gets, the less casein is absorbed. This is one of the most common causes of acne.
The mechanism of acne on the skin
In medical practice, the main factors for the appearance of acne are hormonal imbalance, heredity and increased activity of the sebaceous glands. Diet also plays an important role in the occurrence of acne on the skin. The body's tendency to be allergic to certain foods can also cause rashes. It depends on which product the reaction occurs to.
Recently, doctors have identified a relationship between rashes and the consumption of dairy products. Cow's milk can cause inflammation. Its biologically active substances interact with testosterone in the human body and increase the secretion of subcutaneous sebum, which clogs the pores.
Also, the culprit of the rash may be the complex milk protein casein, which is present in milk in the form of a calcium salt. The specific mechanism of acne caused by casein is not fully understood, but whole milk is healthier for the skin than skim milk. Casein is added to low cholesterol milk to thicken it. It helps increase the amount of growth hormone, which causes inflammation of the skin.
Why do dairy products cause acne?
There are three main reasons why lactose acne occurs.
Individual intolerance
Many people do not even suspect that they are allergic to casein and continue to consume them in huge quantities. As a result, acne from milk does not go away for a long time, and appears again and again. They often cover the face, and sometimes other parts of the body. Acne can be short-lived, isolated, or the lesions cover a large area. Children with lactose intolerance often have a fever, they are capricious, irritable, and sometimes refuse to eat.
Excessive milk consumption
Even the most healthy foods for people will cease to be so if they eat too much of them. Moderation is the basic rule of proper nutrition, forgetting about it is fraught with adverse consequences. If you drink milk several times a week, acne will not bother you. But if you drink a few glasses of milk twice a day, the situation with acne will change dramatically.
Poor quality dairy products
Allergic reactions and acne worry most residents of megacities who buy milk in hypermarkets. People who live in villages usually do not have acne. The fact is that they eat natural and fresh dairy products, which do not contain harmful additives or preservatives. Their main function is to improve taste and extend shelf life. Unfortunately, milk sold in stores contains them in excess.
These additives are responsible for the fact that milk causes acne on the face:
- The hormone progesterone. It gets into milk because this hormone is “fed” to cattle for high milk yield. Such products disrupt human hormonal levels, which will contribute to the appearance of acne.
- Chemical additives. They negatively affect the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, it becomes harder for the body to eliminate toxins and the immune system begins to weaken. Therefore, skin cells cannot resist harmful bacteria, the functioning of the subcutaneous glands malfunctions, and the ducts begin to become clogged. After the pores become clogged, the inflammatory process begins. This is what leads to acne.
- Synthetic vitamins, in large quantities, provoke a rash.
Attention! Pimples on the forehead from milk are not the most dangerous manifestation of allergic reactions. In severe forms, angioedema may develop, which requires immediate medical intervention to restore airway patency.
Everything is good in moderation
Regular milk is a food that supplies the body with fast carbohydrates. As soon as it is in our stomach, the production of the hormone insulin increases, which enhances the work of the sebaceous glands. The epithelium does not have time to renew itself, the pores become clogged and acne appears. Individual intolerance leads to inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract, poor functioning of the liver, pancreas, and kidneys, which also affects cell regeneration. Constipation caused by dairy products poisons the body with toxins, they enter the bloodstream and disrupt the production of the sebaceous glands. As a result, red spots and acne appear. But don’t be upset, there is an opportunity to replenish the body with natural nectar, just give preference to fermented milk types - yogurt, kefir, sour cream. If there is no negative reaction, eat to your health, just know when to stop. Cottage cheese, fermented baked milk and other types generally improve peristalsis, promote cleansing, nourish the skeletal system with calcium, muscles with protein, regulate metabolism, even eliminate boils. If you had to give it up completely, replace it with vitamins that contain trace elements and minerals. Health problems may not always be associated with the consumption of a tasty product. When purchasing, pay attention to the expiration date, composition and, most importantly, shelf life. The longer it is, the more chemical preservatives there are in the product.
Buy milk that contains only the main ingredient and has a shelf life of no more than one week. Avoid yoghurts with fillings and give preference to pure ones. Today, any types of berries and fruits are available that can be added to yogurt in crushed form.
What to do if milk gives you acne
First of all, you should stop drinking pasteurized milk. It is best to purchase homemade goat or cow milk from private owners. In this case, you must make sure that the livestock has all the necessary documentation from the veterinary service. Homemade products will be whole, without preservatives and dyes. If it is not possible to drink fresh and natural dairy products, then you should give preference to store-bought fermented milk products, as they are safer. These products are less likely to be counterfeited and contain harmful additives. It is necessary to choose proven and high-quality products. Use only fresh.
If, after replacing pasteurized milk with fresh milk, your acne has not disappeared, it is recommended to completely abandon all dairy products. If it’s hard to decide on a radical change in diet, you can drink soy or almond milk instead of usual milk. If the rash continues to bother you, you need to stop eating cheese.
Milk acne needs to be treated. In addition to special ointments for acne, the skin must be treated daily with antiseptics, for example, salicylic or boric alcohol, and use special cosmetics for oily skin.
In addition to skin care, you can get rid of acne due to dairy products by following the following list of recommendations:
- At least once a week it is necessary to scrub the top layer of skin, this way you can get rid of dead epidermal cells.
- It would be a good idea to visit a dermatologist. The doctor will advise effective ways to cleanse the skin of acne.
- You need to change your diet. To get rid of acne, you should follow a diet, refrain from fatty, fried and spicy foods. It is worth giving preference to plant foods. Proper nutrition will help cleanse the body of waste and toxins.
Be sure to drink at least 2.5 liters of water to remove all harmful elements from the body.
Diagnostics
The best course of action if you have a rash from dairy products is to perform a diagnostic elimination diet. Moreover, both in the case of allergies and in cases of suspected hormonal imbalance. To do this, it is necessary to exclude all dairy products, allergenic foods, all sweet and fatty foods. To find out whether acne can occur after eating cheese or other fermented milk products, they also need to be excluded from the diet.
The diet must be followed for at least 1 month, after which they gradually begin to introduce foods that they want to test for their negative effects. If after eating such food the rashes return again, then dairy products should be eliminated or their consumption significantly limited.
To diagnose allergies, special allergological examinations are carried out: determination of general and specific immunoglobulins E or skin allergy tests.
To diagnose hormonal imbalances, special hormonal tests (for the level of androgens and estrogens) may be prescribed.
Should I give up all dairy products?
It is worth giving up milk only if a person suffers from milk protein intolerance. In other situations, high-quality and natural fermented milk and dairy products will benefit the body. If you don’t want to give up milk, and it’s not possible to consume natural or high-quality store-bought products, you need to minimize their share in the daily diet.
Most people are afraid to buy milk in stores, making the erroneous conclusion that all milk contains harmful artificial additives. This is not entirely true; it is quite possible to find a quality product in supermarkets. Particular attention should be paid to the composition of milk and buy it only from trusted manufacturers. It is not recommended to buy milk that says “pasteurized” on the packaging. It contains antibiotics that cause allergic reactions and hives. But a product marked “sterilized” or “ultra-pasteurized” can be purchased without fear. It is made using special technologies: it is alternately cooled and heated to high temperatures many times. It does not contain dyes or preservatives.
Advice! The most beneficial for the body is to consume live yogurt containing acidophilus bacteria. It has a beneficial effect on intestinal function, improves metabolism, and cleanses the body. This will have a positive effect on the cleanliness of your skin and help get rid of acne.
Dairy or fermented milk products: what to choose?
After reading the article, someone will decide to completely give up dairy products. Despite the claims of some scientists, the issue of harmfulness is controversial. If you like a drink, drink to your health, just pay attention to your health status. If they occur, you need to limit the amount or switch to fermented milk. It’s not in vain that our ancestors once started drinking cow’s milk; apparently it really contains a lot of useful substances. It has been proven that it can lift your mood due to the content of endorphins. But modern experts are ready to argue about everything and prove the dangers of food familiar to our table.
Adjust your diet, let it be varied, including fruits, vegetables, meat, fish. A balanced method will not cause harm, but will benefit every organ. Combine a healthy diet with exercise, proper hygiene, walks in the fresh air, water treatments, and there will be no trace of health and skin problems.
What to do?
Dairy products are necessary for the normal functioning of the body. The best option would be to buy homemade milk from a private owner, but only if he has all the necessary documents for animals provided by the veterinary service. This milk will be whole, without additives.
Cheese is counterfeited most often because it is popular, people love it and they get a lot of income from it. It is best to avoid eating store-bought cheeses, sour cream, and ice cream, as these products are often counterfeited and are also treated with all sorts of drugs. It is better to give preference to kefir, cottage cheese, yogurt, fresh yogurt, whey and fermented baked milk. Everything must be fresh.
Plant milk
If you still cannot normally consume animal milk, and acne constantly appears from it, you can use vegetable milk as an alternative. It completely lacks animal proteins, to which allergies can occur. But in terms of the content of fats and valuable nutrients, they are not inferior to natural milk, and sometimes even surpass it.
The most popular types of plant milk among vegans and people with lactose intolerance are:
- coconut is not a liquid that accumulates inside the fruit, but highly crushed shavings mixed with water;
- sesame - seeds processed in a coffee grinder are also dissolved in clean water;
- soybean - dry beans are soaked overnight, crushed into puree and blended with water;
- rice - prepared similarly to soy, but from raw rice grains;
- almond - the cores of unroasted nuts are used for its preparation;
- cedar milk is a very healthy, but the most expensive plant milk.
When replacing cow's milk with plant-based milk, keep in mind that it is very high in calories. Therefore, with frequent use, you can get an unpleasant bonus in the form of a few extra centimeters on the waist and hips. Soy milk contains a high content of phytohormones; men should not get too carried away with them.
How to get rid of the problem?
If you have a dairy allergy, it is recommended to gradually eliminate all types of dairy products from your diet. It is allowed to consume hard cheeses, as well as kefir and yoghurts in small quantities.
Lactazar will help cope with milk allergies
To reduce increased gas formation in the patient, enterosorbents are prescribed.
Patients suffering from this type of allergy can drink milk if they use drugs together that contain enzymes for breaking down lactase. Such medications include Lactazar. This drug helps eliminate discomfort in the intestines. It is also prescribed to people suffering from diseases such as dysbiosis, helminthiasis and intestinal infections.
Take one capsule before each dairy meal. Lactazar is allowed to be used in both adults and children.
