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My quest for clear skin has been an arduous journey, which has led me to search for any and all causes to these breakouts. Stress? Hormones? Does dairy cause acne? I’ve asked all the questions and tried just about everything for clearer skin.
As a longtime sufferer of acne since my teens—not to mention adult acne now, which is basically Satan’s work—I’ve tried just about every serum, moisturizer, toner, and mask for acne in existence. I’ve tried changing my pillow and sheets every other night. I’ve tried aggressive exfoliating, or only washing my face with gentle rosewater, like the faux Parisian I am. I’ve tried chugging copious amounts of water throughout the day (12 trips to the restroom: a real time suck, but not bad for getting your steps in). Nothing ever seemed to rid the under-the-skin cystic bumps—think acne, but bigger and more painful—that were permanently positioned on my forehead and chin area.
Upon turning 26, the year I officially gave up hope my skin problems would eventually just go away, I paid a visit to my family doctor. After hearing out my symptoms, he suggested I look into Isotretinoin, previously known as Accutane, a prescription drug with some seriously harsh side effects such as dry lips and eyes, nosebleeds, joint pain, and even depression in some cases; or, perhaps, try tweaking my diet. And while I’ve always thought of myself as healthy—I exercise regularly and eat mainly whole foods—I decided to opt for the latter. After all, there was one aspect to my regimen I knew didn’t paint the perfect picture of “clean living”: my love of dairy. See, I grew up in Northern Ontario, Canada, where dairy farms are as common as corner stores, so my indulgence in creamy lattes, cheesy salads, and nightly ice creams never felt out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, my doctor didn’t agree.
Following the appointment, I embarked on a strict two-week diet, during which I only ate vegetables the first week and steadily reintroduced other foods, such as fruit, animal proteins, and gluten. By the end of it, my skin, which was suffering a particularly horrific outbreak that spring month, slowly began to clear. Those large cystic bumps on the highest points of my face? They had shrunk in size, from mountainous hills that no concealer in the world could cover up to more manageable, regular-size breakouts—but still! I decided to extend the dairy-free diet to three weeks and by day 22, the monstrous bumps were virtually deflated. My skin had completely cleared up—completely.
Does Dairy Cause Acne?
For me, the solution to my lifelong skin struggles turned out to be surprisingly simple: cutting out dairy. That combined with my still-regimented skin-care routine of cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, and rosewater spritzing, of course. Yet, despite my dramatic skin transformation, I was shocked no doctor or dermatologist had ever laid it out as an obvious, primary cause of acne. After some digging on the Internet, it became easy to understand why: Today, there are still very few studies that link dairy and acne together, and of them, very few are of high quality and include extensive research, and typically only extend to the teenage years, when acne is more common.
“Limited evidence shows that some dairy, more specifically skim milk, may be associated with acne,” says Marisa Garshick, MD, board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology. “It is though that certain types of dairy, specifically, may be associated with acne breakouts when consumed in the form of whole, low-fat, or skim milk, but not in the form of yogurt or cheese.” Garshick goes on to explain that while studies show that milk may increase your skin’s sebum production, there are still a lot of unknowns. “Many of these studies highlight an association but not causality and do not suggest that eliminating the food or drink will necessarily treat acne,” she says.
Still, the results out there are hard to ignore. According to a 2015 study from the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, for instance, the “consumption of low-fat and skim milk, but not full-fat milk, was positively associated with acne.” An article published in the journal in 2013 also concluded that dairy shows a weak but possible association with acne, and “should not be used as a sole treatment for acne but rather as a complement to proven acne treatments.”
Dennis Gross, MD, a board-certified celebrity dermatologist to stars such as Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Zoë Kravitz, said though studies cannot conclude there is a link between the two, he has seen patients whose skin have improved after scaling back dairy consumption. “There is no clinical data that shows that consuming dairy has any negative impact on the skin,” said Gross. “However, anecdotally in my career, I’ve heard people say that skin-care issues such as eczema have improved after limiting dairy consumption.”
New York–based dermatologist Ellen Marmur, MD, says patients have also seen the benefits of cutting out dairy. “Food sensitivities are intimately connected to your skin,” she said. “Swelling and inflammation of the GI tract and its surrounding interstitial fluid can cause acne and other rashes like rosacea.” The connection between internal organs and your skin has also been raised in traditional Chinese medicine; the face-mapping technique outlines what could be wrong with your body based on where breakouts are located on the face. Unsurprisingly, my two problem areas, the forehead and chin, are both linked to digestion and the stomach.
While quitting dairy may help end stubborn breakouts, it may not prove an effective cure-all for everyone. Marmur suggests tracking food intake and monitoring how the skin reacts, a process that can shine light on the real root of the problem. Gluten and even fruits or lettuce can also be dietary triggers for acne, she said. “You might see acne flares one to two days after you ingest a trigger food like dairy,” Marmur said. “If you detect a repeated pattern of milk consumption with acne developing shortly after, and you notice a pattern of clear skin when you avoid dairy, then you’ve answered your question.” She also said food sensitivities can change or develop as the body changes, especially after pregnancy, therefore it’s best to monitor when and how acne flare-ups occur.
However, if your skin’s main issue is with dairy, like myself, how it reacts also varies from person to person. Gross said it depends on how much—and what kind—of dairy each person is consuming. “Dairy consumption does, in my experience, affect a certain, selective number of people, but not everybody,” Gross said. “I think it might make a difference if someone is consuming organic milk versus milk where the animals are fed hormones. It’s possible those added ingredients can make it into the blood stream of my patients and induce acne.”
How to Actually Treat Acne
Garshick says that acne associated with dairy should still be treated like any other forms of breakouts. “Since acne is multifactorial, it is still important to use other acne-fighting ingredients such as retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, and salicylic acid to address breakouts,” she says. “Additionally, some oral medications may also be helpful to address deeper, cystic, breakouts.”
She recommends using products like Beauty Pie’s Acidenzyme Exfoliating Face Body Cleanser, which uses salicylic acid to unclog pores. She also likes Differin Gel, an adapalene that treats breakouts and helps with scarring. You can also look to benzoyl peroxide products, like CeraVe’s Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser or Neutrogena’s On-The-Spot Treatment.
Even though my skin is still far from perfect—occasional flare-ups still occur—I at least know what the main culprit is for me. Since embarking on my dairy-free quest, my skin has managed to stay relatively calm. I’ve learned dairy is actually hidden in a lot of foods—like in an innocent hummus or salad dressing, for instance. Sometimes, it’s completely unavoidable, even in a vegan-friendly place like New York City. (My skin is still recovering from a parmesan fiasco a few weeks ago—and it was barely a dusting!) And though I have yet to be officially tested for dairy intolerance, which can be determined via a hydrogen breath test or blood sugar test, my skin’s violent reaction to it continues to be a good enough diagnosis for me—even if the science isn’t all there yet
“According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), no specific dietary changes are recommended at this time in the treatment of acne,” says Garshick. “That said, some people anecdotally notice an improvement in breakouts when cutting out dairy. So if it’s working for you, it’s okay to stick with it (providing you speak with your doctor).”
