Acne: How Food Can Cause It
Acne may be one of the most common conditions known to humans. It can be embarrassing, frustrating, and downright unfair. Fortunately, most of the time, it is also avoidable.
The Traditional View of Acne and Its Treatment
Most people assume that getting acne is a normal part of life. But why do some people get acne when others do not? And why do certain people have such bad cases of acne? Commercial treatments for acne focus on keeping the skin clean and clearing clogged pores. This sounds reasonable, but again, why do some people have to obsessively clean their skin when others do not? And why do some people cleanse, exfoliate, deep clean and still get acne?
What's Wrong with this Approach to Acne?
The real problem with this approach to acne is that acne develops from inside the body, not outside. The skin is an organ, and it is an organ of elimination. We eliminate waste products through our skin, just as we loose minerals when we sweat.
Too many toxins inside the body can lead to inflammation in the skin resulting in clogged pores and acne. In order to treat the cause of the acne we must first remove the toxins.
Why Do Antibiotics Help, but Only Temporarily?
The inflamed and clogged pores of acne become infected. This is what causes puss. Antibiotics may help treat this infection. Unfortunately, acne comes back when the antibiotics are discontinued because the underlying cause that leads to inflammation and clogged pores, toxins in the body, still exists.
What Really Causes Acne?
A majority of acne cases, as well as many other skin blemishes, are caused by food allergies. Hormone imbalances may also play a role, but are largely over-rated. Fortunately both are treatable.
How Do Food Allergies Cause Acne?
Food allergies are the number one cause of acne, and the worse the acne the more likely food allergies are involved. Eating a food to which the body is allergic leads to a continuous toxic reaction. In such a case the immune system fights the food as if it were an invading organism. This can cause inflammation in the skin (and many other conditions), as well as the need to eliminate the toxin.
What Foods Cause Acne?
There isnít just one food that causes acne. Any food allergy is capable of causing acne. However, the most common cause of acne that I see in my practice is dairy products.
Why Is It So Difficult to Recognize One's Own Food Allergy?
This is problematic because of the often delayed nature of food allergies. Allergy symptoms may show up hours or even a day later, after a food is well absorbed into your system. And acne generally doesnít come and go quickly enough to be associated with food.
This difficulty is compounded by the fact that certain foods, such as dairy and wheat, are so prevalent in our diet that many people eat them nearly every day. Therefore connecting your symptoms with your eating habits is often nearly impossible.
What Causes a Food Allergy?
It is most likely that food allergies are genetically predetermined. In the big picture, humans have only recently introduced many current day foods into the diet, so itís not surprising that the immune system doesnít recognize every food as a friendly substance.
However, we undoubtedly do not understand everything there is to know about food or food allergies.
How Do I Determine if I Have a Food Allergy?
The only sure way to determine if you have a food allergy is to have your blood tested for antibodies to a variety of foods. This is done with an ELISA Food Allergy Panel, which measures your immune response to approximately 100 different foods.
If you experience acne be sure to call 206-264-1111 to schedule an appointment.
Acne Case Studies
Case #1: 15 year old male with severe facial acne. This patient had undergone several rounds of antibiotics, which had temporarily treated his acne. However, the acne continued to return. ELISA food allergy testing demonstrated a high antibody reaction to several foods, including dairy and eggs. The removal of the offending foods resulted in noticeable improvement within 2 weeks, and over several weeks the patientís his skin had cleared for good.
Case #2: 25 year old male with acne, predominantly on the back. This patient had experienced back acne and mild facial acne since his early teenage years. He also experience periodic digestive problems, including diarrhea, and had fatigue and frequent itchy skin. Following food allergy testing and the removal of gluten and dairy, both of which were positive, his acne gradually cleared and his other symptoms resolved.
Case #3: 20 year old female patient with acne. Patient was otherwise very healthy and ate a healthy diet. ELISA food allergy testing demonstrated high antibodies to dairy. The removal of dairy from her diet resulted in the clearing of her skin.
No More Acne!