Here's how a visit to a dietician improved my acne from PCOS
Note: This is not medical advice. If you have PCOS or suspect you may have PCOS, please consult your doctor.
Since puberty I’ve had to deal with painful, cystic acne and the deep pitted scars they’d leave in their wake. It was a long journey but these days I wake up with clear skin - a vast improvement from just a few years ago. I still have some scars but they’re on their way out. I even stopped wearing foundation recently!
The difference between then and now was a PCOS diagnosis, and learning to avoid foods that trigger it.
What is PCOS?
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder. Six out of ten women have it but most are undiagnosed. It manifests through several symptoms: severe acne, excessive weight gain and facial hair, some baldness and an increased risk for diabetes. You can read more about the experiences of women with PCOS in a Project Vanity article here.
No one knows the exact cause of PCOS and it doesn’t have a cure. PCOS symptoms can be managed but they never really go away.
The long, expensive, and confidence-shattering treatments I’ve tried
After running the gamut on over-the-counter acne spot treatments, I went to a dermatologist. Over two years, I tried so many topical treatments including clindamycin, R/S, Adapalene and Benzoyl Peroxide. We added an oral antibiotic to the mix but still nothing. Eventually my derma and I went for the nuclear missile option: Oral Isotretenoin (Accutane).
It was a long, expensive, painful, confidence-shattering journey. My life was segmented into four-month cycles of visiting the dermatologist, trying a new treatment, praying it would work and ultimately being disappointed.
A life-changing consultation with a dietician
A random visit to a dietician changed everything. He was the first and the last doctor to tell me that my acne could be caused by lactose-intolerance. I was skeptical at first. How could cheese cause acne? My stomach is nowhere near my face. But at this point I had tried everything and I was willing to give it one more shot.
I cut out all forms of milk from my diet for one month per the dietician’s advice. Surprise, surprise - I saw an immediate improvement! My hormonal pimples were less inflamed after just one week of stopping my dairy consumption. By the halfway point, my skin was mostly clear.I spent so much money, time, and effort to get clear skin over the past three years. I was able to do it in less than a month with a new diet.
The link between acne and our diet
Although conditions may vary, the link between diet and acne is stronger than we thought. Acne may be caused by overstimulation of hormones or insulin which is why dairy and sweets are common acne triggers: both stimulate growth hormones, reproductive hormones, and insulin. More Insulin and unbalanced hormones makes your skin oilier and more prone to acne.
Many recent studies that support this. Any dairy - such as milk, yogurt, and cheese - was associated with increased acne in people aged 7–30 years in this medical publication. Flare-ups were also correlated with increased consumption of milk and sweets in this randomized study on patients with active acne. Further research at the Dartmouth School of Medicine support this.
Other research goes as far as to say that restricting dairy will help prevent diseases in general. Research from Osnabrueck University connected restricting dairy to preventing common Western diseases like obesity, diabetes mellitus, cervical cancer, and acne.
That being said, in my case, cutting out dairy and sweets is a big part of PCOS management. The hormone disruptions caused by dairy and sweet food makes PCOS symptoms worse. A study from the Isfahan University showed that dairy consumption even increased the risk for hormone disorders like PCOS in the first place.
Going dairy-free worked for me because my acne was hormonal. Once I removed that trigger, I gave my hormones and my face the space to calm down. I’ve been dairy-free for a year today. My hormones are stabilized enough that I can have a bit of dairy occasionally without damaging my skin. Not gonna lie, I still miss ice cream and cheese but I’ve found good alternatives in Auro’s dairy free ice cream and In A Nutshell’s vegan cheeses.
Cutting out dairy may not be the be all and end all of your acne management but if, like me, you feel like you’ve tried everything. If you feel like you’re hitting a wall with your dermatologist treatments; give it a try and see if it helps.
