Stress, it might as well be considered part of life since about the only time stress ends is when you are dead. We all feel the physical differences when we are stressed like your last big test and the resulting eating binge/didn’t eat. Or your last job interview and the sweaty palms. However did you know that scientists are now starting to find a link between stress and Acne outbreaks?

A recent study took a group of grad students and throughout the course of the study measured their acne and stress severity utilizing well established systems of measure. These students were observed to have correspondingly higher stress and acne severity during exam periods.

However this study had several flaws. The first is that while student’s stress was measured, their diet was not monitored to detect if there were factors affecting their acne. There was also no control group and many different environmental factors could have played significant roles in the observed changes in acne severity.

So relax!! While there as of yet is no concrete proof of a connection, there are preliminary findings that indicate a connection between stress and acne.

The Effects of diet on Acne breakouts has been and still is a much debated topic.  A search on pubmed.gov reveals well over 100 different studies involving the effects of diet on Acne.

One study in particular studied 4,273 boys over the course of 1996-1998.  The findings showed a correspondence between milk and acne.  Surprisingly the greatest correlation was found with skim milk.  One key weakness in this study; however, was the fact that it was conducted through questionnaire so there is room for variance. (Dermatol Online J. 2006 May 30;12(4):1.)

Another similar study was conducted on adolescent girls and revealed similar results. (J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008 May;58(5):787-93. Epub 2008 Jan 14.)

Anyways current research is showing more and more a startling correlation between milk drinkers and acne sufferers.  However, studies thus far have been self evaluated and required people to remember things; therefore, there is significant room for error.  So until further research either confirms or denies it would be a good idea to conduct your own study and see if reducing your milk/dairy intake improves your skin.

Another interesting article was about a study done on bread intake and acne.  The study speculates that due to the ease with which our bodies digest many processed breads, this causes an Insulin and Insulin-like Growth Factor spike within the blood.  This increase in insulin has been shown to negatively impact acne and acne outbreaks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2542801.stm)

Whatever the truth about diet and acne is, the best advice is to just pay attention to what you eat and how your skin reacts.  In fact, Keeping a journal and recording what you eat and how your skin reacts is the best way to understand how diet affects you and your skin.