Some lucky people can eat anything they want and still have clear skin. If you have oily and acne-prone skin, you can experience unpleasant acne breakouts at different moments of your life. Acne, especially severe flare-ups, can make you feel self-conscious about your appearance.

The good news is that you can visit a cosmetic clinic and seek professional treatment. These effective treatments will minimize the impact acne has on your face and body. However, you may still be prone to acne from time to time. Unfortunately, acne breakouts can occur after you have eaten certain foods.

Are you ready to make a few changes to your diet? Here are 12 acne-causing foods you should try to avoid:

1. Refined sugars

Refined sugars increase blood sugar and insulin levels, which can cause acne breakouts. You should then avoid adding refined white sugar to your food and eating foods containing refined sugars.

This includes fruit juices, sodas, candies, chocolate, cake, and pastries. You can eat sweets in moderation, but avoid eating too many.

2. Refined grains

Refined grains can cause acne the same way that refined sugars can. Bread, pasta, and cereals made from refined white flour raise blood sugar and insulin levels and can make pimples appear on your skin.

A good solution is to choose products made from whole grains instead and to eat brown rice instead of white rice.

3. Dairy products

Dairy products, and especially milk, could also trigger acne breakouts. Low-fat and skim milk can promote inflammation as well as increase insulin levels. It can also encourage the skin to produce more oil, resulting in pimples.

If you notice more acne after drinking milk or eating a lot of cheese, it’s best to avoid consuming too many dairy products.

4. Fast food

 

Fast, greasy, and fried foods are also responsible for many acne breakouts. Think about burgers, hot dogs, French fries, chicken nuggets, fried chicken, pizza, and other foods that many people love.

Eating fast food once in a while shouldn’t be too damaging, but you should avoid eating these foods frequently. It’s better for your skin and your overall health.

5. Bacon

People who love bacon. But unfortunately, eating too much bacon can be bad for our skin.

Bacon is greasy, which doesn’t help. But it also contains a lot of sodium, nitrates and sulphites, leading to inflammation. Inflammation can cause acne and even cause wrinkles and skin conditions such as rosacea.

6. Potato chips

Potato chips are crunchy and delicious but high in fat and sodium. This combination can cause pimples in people who have acne-prone skin.

But potato chips can also cause pimples if you touch your face with oily fingers after eating your snack. Oil can block your pores and make the bacteria that cause acne happy.

7. Red meat

Red meat is another example of acne-causing food. This could be due to the artificial growth hormones used to raise farm cattle. These growth hormones are still present in the red meat you eat, and although they are not dangerous for you, their presence can make your skin produce more oil than necessary.

If you don’t want to stop eating red meat, look for meat from grass-fed cows, and raised without hormones.

8. Shrimp

While wild-caught shrimp contain antioxidants and vitamins that can help fight acne, farmed shrimp can cause it.

This is because farmed shrimp often contain toxins, antifungals which can damage the good bacteria in your gut, and additives which can lead to hormonal acne. Try to always choose wild-caught shrimp.

9. Processed foods

Processed foods often come in a can, a box or a plastic tray. They are very convenient but contain many artificial ingredients and too much sugar, sodium, and fat.

As a result, heavily processed foods increase insulin levels, promote inflammation, and can boost your skin’s oil production.

10. Spicy foods

Eating too many spicy foods could result in acne breakouts. Spices have many benefits for our health, but when we eat foods that contain a lot of spice, our body often starts sweating and producing excess oil.

Plus, spicy meals are often high in salt and sugar, which doesn’t help acne breakouts. If you just can’t stop eating very spicy foods, remember to wash your face whenever it makes you sweat.

11. Alcohol

Spicy foods are not the only things that can make you sweat. Alcohol consumption can raise your body’s temperature, and this warmth from within can clog your pores.

Alcohol can also dehydrate your body, which is not good if you have acne-prone skin. Drink moderately.

12. Caffeinated drinks

Caffeine can contribute to acne for different reasons. It can cause inflammation and make your skin produce more sebum, clog your pores and result in pimples.

Caffeine can also increase insulin levels and dry out your skin. Do your best to limit your coffee, tea, and energy drinks consumption.