Another good health habit that many people with acne practice
is eating a healthy diet. Good nutrition helps the body to work
properly. This is important in maintaining healthy skin. Eating a
balanced diet high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber helps support
the immune system and the body’s ability to fight infection, including
the bacteria that causes acne. Fiber found in fruits, vegetables,
and cereal, in particular, helps the digestive system
effectively eliminate waste. This keeps the body from eliminating
waste through the skin, which can clog hair follicles.
Although specific foods have not been proven to cause acne,
many scientists believe that certain foods may worsen acne symptoms.
For instance, eating a diet high in linoleic acid, a fatty acid
found in many fast foods and processed foods such as potato chips
and donuts, may trigger the production of chemicals in the body
that worsen inflammation. For this reason, people with acne are
urged to limit their consumption of foods high in linoleic acid.
In addition, scientists have also linked foods high in iodine with
increased acne outbreaks. For reasons that are yet unknown, the
body cannot use excess iodine for energy. Nor can iodine be broken
down effectively by the liver. Instead, it is excreted through the pores, where it can block hair follicles and cause irritation, inflammation,
and worsening of acne symptoms.
Foods high in iodine include iodized salt, shellfish, and milk. In
fact, a liter of milk contains anywhere from 450 to 1,000 micrograms
of iodine, which gets into the milk through milking equipment and
medication given to cows. According to Dr. James Fulton, the head
of the Acne Research Institute in Newport Beach, California, “In
some who are acne-prone, I’d say 1,000 micrograms or 1 milligram
of iodine a day could be a problem.”48 Therefore, in order to reduce
acne outbreaks, many people with acne avoid foods rich in iodine.
