Every skin expert—whether they choose to take the holistic healing route or to stick to traditional dermatology—will agree with the following statement: What you eat shows up on your face. In Indian households, the use of milk and milk products is widespread. We consume it in a variety of ways, for instance adding it to beverages such as tea, coffee, and milkshakes or consuming dairy-based products like ghee, yoghurt, and butter to our food. Milk has, over the years, developed a bad rep and is often blamed for a number of health concerns like indigestion and acne.
The dairy-skin connection
In the case of dairy products, the results of the studies are mixed. Dairy causes mucous to form in the body and is difficult to digest, which is what leads to lactose intolerance. This often shows up on your skin in the form of painful, tender-to-touch, cystic acne. A study by the researchers at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences found that over 74 per cent of the subjects from Lucknow and Bengaluru were lactose intolerant. The study found that as we age, the ability to digest milk decreases and that Indians are more lactose intolerant than Europeans and Americans. Experts believe that milk sold by some brands in India contains growth hormones that cows are injected with. These throw the skin’s sebum production off balance which promotes acne.
It is important to note that are very few conclusive studies that show that milk or dairy products directly lead to acne. If your digestive system is inflamed because of other factors, milk can push it over the edge and trigger acne. So in short, if you are already breaking out, milk could make your condition worse. Right now, all experts can do is hypothesise till we have studies that are carried out on large, diverse crowds and are conclusive.
There are also other factors to consider like is the quality of milk you are consuming breaking you out or the quantity of it? Is it skim milk or full-fat milk? The studies can be contradictory. For example, one study from 2016 published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology said that those who drank skim or low-fat milk were more likely to break out than those who drank whole milk. Another one said that whole milk was linked to the appearance of breakouts. On the contrary, to date, there is no evidence that yoghurt or cheese can lead to acne.
Your lifestyle matters too
Now that we have established that dairy can be a trigger, note that your lifestyle is equally if not more, important. Acne can be caused by sugar, stress or even a condition like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). It is a condition that is believed to be caused by inflammation so the right way to tackle it is to consider the individual, separate roots.
How to treat acne
Any change you make in your diet or lifestyle will take three to six months to show results. So, treat it like a marathon and not a sprint.
Mild acne can be treated by over-the-counter leave-on products that contain ingredients like adapalene, salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. Make sure you moisturise your skin well while using acne-fighting products as dry skin takes longer to heal. Avoid using too many products on your skin as they can worsen skin conditions.
Keep your routine simple—wash your face twice a day with a gentle cleanser, moisturise, apply a leave-on solution twice a day and wear sunscreen. The general rules apply too: Don’t touch your face, wash your hair when it gets oily and never sleep with make-up on.
If you are dealing with moderate or severe acne, you may want to consult a dermatologist because really, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to skincare.
How to know if dairy is causing you to breakout
Diary breakouts usually show up on the lower half and outer parts of the face but there is no strict research that says this is the same for every single person. You can start by maintaining a food diary. This will help you to narrow down on the food groups that are may be causing acne.
1. Keep a track of what you eat as you go about your day. Do not wait till the end of the day because you will forget something or the other that you had during the day and miss out on entries. Whether it is a quick nibble or bite during the day, include it in your food journal.
2. Estimate the size of what you have eaten with generic everyday objects. For example, compare it to a tennis ball or a regular size bowl.