95% of all people experience acne at some point in their lives. It can occur at any stage of life and may even continue into your 30s and 40s. Thus, it is no surprise that Statista reports higher revenues for skincare globally. Skincare was the leading category in the cosmetics industry, accounting for about 42% of the global market.
But what if we told you that instead of relying on skincare products, you could acquire clear skin through a healthy diet? Experts have long established the connection between dieting and clear skin. For those hoping to improve the condition of their skin, here is a closer look below.
Clear skin comes from your genetics and lifestyle.
Genes can indeed be responsible for a predisposition to certain skin conditions like acne or eczema. They also can play a role in how your pores clog or overproduce dead skin cells. Hence, there is no one fix or solution for different skin types, as many products on the market claim to be.
However, because clear skin stems from biochemical reactions in the body, we cannot discredit the holistic connection that lifestyle choices like sleep or diet have on our hormones. While diet is not necessarily an automatic cure for clear skin, medical professional Lisa Hodgson says diets are a helpful place to start. After all, what one eats influences everything from blood sugar to hormone and inflammation levels.
Let us examine how a propensity towards acne is observed primarily in people with obesity. That is because hormones like androgens, insulin, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factors are abundant in obese individuals — and these hormones are all known risk factors for acne. Research from NCBI notes that a patient's dietary habits, physical activity - and, if necessary, weight loss - are often included in treating acne.
If you struggle with acne, it could be time to look into your choice of diet as an aggravating factor.
What can we do?
As with any advice on diets, excluding processed foods is a good start. Processed foods are not just unhealthy, but refined and processed carbohydrates trigger the production of sugar and insulin in your body, resulting in excess oil production and acne, especially if your skin is already prone to these conditions.
Knowing what to avoid while trying to maintain a healthy weight can be tricky, so it is best to enlist the help of experts who are familiar with the varying reactions to food our bodies can have. The diet app WeightWatchers has diet and weight loss programs created after consultation with dietitians and behavior change specialists. This personalized approach can help you craft a diet to improve clear skin. If a healthy diet can be maintained, relying on supplements like commercial pills or creams may not even be necessary.
Diets differ based on the unique conditions of your body. For example, we have previously discussed 7 Surprising Benefits of Oily Skin, which many perceive to be a curse as the prime cause of horrific skin conditions. However, by supplementing your diet with food such as bananas - rich in potassium and magnesium to prevent the excess production of sebum - or dark chocolate, rich in flavonoids, you can enjoy the anti-aging properties of oily skin without fear of additional acne.
Make sure to be thoroughly familiar with the condition of your skin before trying to address it. For more helpful information on your skin, hair, and fashion, check our other blogs for the latest beauty stories and features.