What is acne?

Acne is a mass of blackheads and pimples on the skin and mainly found on the face, neck and shoulders area. Acne and pimples are caused when pores get blocked with oil or sebum and then are infected with bacteria that are lying on the surface of the skin. The pores are blocked due to the lack in the renewal process of the skin cells preventing the oil from expending naturally. This is usually caused by an over production of oil or sebum due to hormonal changes in the body this is why it is common among teenagers, pregnant women and women during their menstrual cycle.



Why do we get acne?

However there are other reasons that can cause the disruption the oil glands and that is an allergy to a certain food. When we are allergic to food or other stimuli then we develop rashes on our skin and many doctors believe that acne is another form of allergic reaction to certain food and minerals in our diets. The idea is that if you eat something that your body takes a reaction to your body will produce antibodies to fight the enemy so to speak your body thinks the food is a foreign invader an has built up no tolerance to this and so goes on the attack. These anti bodies produce
a toxic response in your body that can lead to hives, itchy skin and also acne break outs.When you eat something that you are allergic to, your body produces antibodies, which are chemicals that are meant to attack invading substances such as viruses and bacteria. These chemicals provoke a toxic response in your system, which can lead to hives and acne lesions on your skin.



How do I know which foods are causing acne?


There has been some research done in this area the most common foods that can cause an allergic reaction leading to acne breakouts are dairy products, foods containing gluten, nuts and shellfish. Determining which food your allergic to is done by a process of elimination meaning that eliminate on food group for a couple of weeks and see if there is an improvement if there is then it is likely you are allergic to this food. This process will take a couple of months to complete so is very time consuming. If you would like a quicker and more efficient route then you can try food allergy testing from a professional where they take a sample of your blood and send it away to a lab were they can test it against all types of foods, this process is very specific. You can contact your doctor for information about food allergies and the ELISA food allergy panel to schedule testing.