Is Milk Causing Your Acne? Easy Ways To Find Out + Solutions

Does milk cause acne? The short answer is 'yes.' Many studies have now shown an association between drinking milk and a rise in acne-causing hormones, like androgen.

The good news is, other dairy products are still OK for most people. But if you like milk and don’t want to give it up, there is an easy way to find out if milk is causing your acne, or not.

Does Milk Cause Acne?

Yes. Milk, especially low fat skim milk, is associated with acne breakouts. This is because hormones that affect the skin and oil production become unbalanced which leads to inflammation and breakouts.

Drinking milk leads to a release of hormones, like insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and leucine, which trigger an increase in androgen hormones, like testosterone.

You end up with too much androgen hormones and it starts a cascade of acne-causing effects.

Milk causes acne for many people because of hormone fluctuations and the vicious cycle of sebum production causing inflammation and P. acnes bacterial overgrowth.

Why Does Milk Cause Acne?

The hormone cascade goes like this.

1. Drinking milk causes a rise in androgens, dihydrotestosterone, insulin, and IGF-1. And it also causes an increase in a hormone called leucine which also stimulates IGF-1.

2. Leucine is an essential amino acid found in cow's milk and whey protein. It stimulates the production of IGF-1 which causes an increase in sebum production and changes it from thin and watery to thick and sticky.

3. With increased sebum production and the change to being thick and sticky, your pores can't clean out sebum very easily. So they get clogged and you get breakouts.

4. The clogged pores attract P. acnes bacteria and it starts growing. This creates infections, more inflammation, and lots of acne.

The American Academy of Dermatology did a huge data collection project to determine whether cow's milk can cause acne.

They concluded that both men and women who drank cow's milk had an increase in acne versus those who did not.

In this study, dairy intake, like eating yogurt and cheese, did not increase acne.

Dairy and Acne

Drinking cow's milk, not eating dairy, has been linked to a rise in IGF-1 and another hormone called leucine. Androgen is stimulated by IGF-1 which causes the cycle of inflammation and acne.

Dairy Intake Does Not Cause Acne

So far, no studies have shown a strong connection between dairy consumption and acne. All of the studies point to cow's milk.

What is Acne?

Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease of the hair follicle that affects 85% of the world's population between ages 11–30 years old.

Acne occurs if pores are blocked by dead skin cells, bacteria, and excess oil or sebum. This results in acne lesions which usually occur on the face, neck, back, and shoulders.

Acne is regarded as an androgen-dependent disease. Testosterone, which is in a class of hormones called androgens, is the hormone that is mostly to blame for acne.

Both men and women have testosterone and it's a growth hormone that ramps up around puberty. Androgens are important for a healthy body, but when it gets unbalanced, our skin can run into problems.

Testosterone is stimulated by another hormone called dihydrotestosterone, which then stimulates IGF-1. Insulin also causes an increase in IGF-1. IGF-1 is responsible for sebum production, among other things. So when it's overstimulated, sebum production increases which starts a cascade of effects.

What Happens When Androgen Levels Rise

• Higher sebum production and sebum that is thick and sticky so it can't clear out of the pores easily

• Inflammation which is warm, red, painful, and irritated looking skin as the body attempts to heal the clogged pores

• Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is a bacteria that gets trapped in pores by sebum then multiplies and colonizes in hair follicles causing a more severe infection

• Triggers other hormones to change which keeps the cycle of acne and breakouts going

So how can foods, like milk and dairy, affect androgen and hormones associated with acne?

Studies Linking Milk to Acne

The mindset of most dermatologists has shifted to accepting a correlation between milk, and other foods, to acne. This is largely because of good quality scientific research that has been done over the years.

Studies Linking Milk Consumption to Acne

• In acne patients, associations between serum levels of IGF-1, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, dihydrotestosterone, acne lesion counts and facial sebum secretion rate have been reported.

• We found a positive association between intake of milk and acne. This finding supports earlier studies and suggests that the metabolic effects of milk are sufficient to elicit biological responses in consumers.

• We found a positive association between intake of skim milk and acne. This finding suggests that skim milk contains hormonal constituents, or factors that influence endogenous hormones, in sufficient quantities to have biological effects in consumers.

• This meta-analysis provides evidence of a positive association between milk consumption and acne risk.

In other words, your diet can play a huge role in acne breakouts because certain foods, like milk, can trigger fluctuations in androgen hormones.

Cow's Milk Causes Acne

Milk consumption triggers androgen hormone fluctuations which leads to acne by a cycle of inflammation caused by an increase in sebum production and overgrowth of P. acnes bacteria.

Growth Hormones

Milking cows receive growth hormones, including IGF-1, as part of their diet. For the farm, this helps them produce more milk than they would normally. So it makes financial sense for the farmer to give cow's growth hormones.

But these hormones are then passed onto us through whole milk, skin milk, and low fat milk. Studies have associated skim milk as being especially high in growth hormones.

Glycemic Index

The glycemic index is basically how much sugar is in the foods or drinks we eat. If it's high, your body has to produce more insulin to bring down your blood sugar. For your skin, this leads to more IGF-1 and, you guessed it, androgen production.

Elimination Diet For Acne

The best way to see how your skin is reacting to milk and dairy is through a simple elimination diet. This is literally just removing milk from your diet and seeing it your skin clears up. This means changing to plant-based milk in your morning latte, almond-milk in your cereal, sorbet instead of ice cream, and steering clear of creamy sauces and soups that you didn't make yourself.

The key is to keep doing your normal acne skin care routine, just remove milk from your diet. You can also remove dairy to see if it helps your skin, too.

Try this free 7-day acne meal plan for delicious recipes without any known acne-causing ingredients.

Step 1 - Track Your Milk and Dairy Intake

Don't change your diet...yet. Just keep track of how much milk and dairy products you eat and drink each day for 3 days. You can write it down, use a simple notepad app, or create a pretty spreadsheet, as long as it's easy and you don't forget. Then, take a before picture of your acne.

Step 2 - Eliminate Milk

Stop drinking milk completely, but keep eating your usual amount of dairy products. Don't forget about sneaky ways you drink milk. Smoothies, latte's, oatmeal, soups, and other foods can all add to daily milk consumption. Plant-based milk alternatives are fine. Buy them without sugar so you don't start spiking your glycemic index which can also cause acne.

Do this for 3 weeks, then take a picture of your skin.

Do you think your acne is better, worse, or no different? Are there new breakouts? Is the inflammation better?

If it's improved, even a little, your acne is probably getting triggered by milk, but not by dairy consumption. Keep eliminating milk from your diet and do a quick happy dance. You've pinpointed a trigger for your acne! Keep it going by eating a plant-based, low glycemic diet. This free 7-day acne meal plan can help you get started.

If your acne hasn't changed or is worse, don't give up hope, just move to step 3.

Step 3 - Eliminate Dairy Intake

As we mentioned, dairy and acne haven't really been linked, but everyone's body is unique. And a decade ago, nobody accepted that milk caused acne, and now, studies have shown that it does and perceptions have changed.

So now, stop eating dairy and milk products altogether. No more yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, ice cream, or eggs. Switch to plant-based dairy.

After 3 weeks, take a picture of your skin. Is it better, worse, or the same?

If your acne is improved, then you can assume that you're like the majority of people who's skin is affected by hormones. And be happy that you've found a way to clear up your acne!

If your acne hasn't changed at all, you haven't been cheating on your elimination diet, you definitely have acne vulgaris as diagnosed by a dermatologist, and your acne skin care routine hasn't changed, then consider sugar, alcohol, and other dietary triggers.

Find out more about eating the right foods to reduce inflammation and balance hormones to clear up your skin. 

Final Thoughts

Milk causes acne through a series of hormonal changes and fluctuations that lead to clogged pores. So far, studies have shown that dairy does not cause acne. But, some people are sensitive to dairy and it may contribute to inflammation. Try the elimination diet to see if dairy causes acne for you. And eat an acne diet to reduce inflammation and get rid of acne.