Acne Resurfaces: Intake of Milk be the problem?

Hi I am a healthy 19 year old male and have just recently had an acne outbreak. This happened a few years ago and I has prescribed acutane for the severity of my condition. The acne eventually went away, but now it has somehow resurfaced. I work out a lot and therefore drink a lot of milk, take protein supplements as well as a supplement called nitric oxide to help with muscle development. It is worth noting that before my breakout, I still drank milk and took nitric oxide so I am not sure if these are the direct causes. I used to regularly take vitamins and just noticed I stopped for a few months. I read somewhere online that a lack of vitamins could trigger acne but so could a large intake of dairy as well. I am confused as what to do and if I should rearrange my diet. This is seriously bothering me as I have been trying for weeks now to get rid of it the products including: tazorac and the "acne spot remover." I really have no idea what to do. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[loiloi]

Hi Ryan.
Acne occurs when androgens (male hormones like testosterone) stimulate the sebaceous glands in the skin. Bacteria on the skin feeds off this excess oil (sebum) blocking the pores and resulting in acne. Some people have higher levels of androgens than others. People who work out should avoid medicines which contain testosterone or steroids, as these can make acne worse.
There is a lack of medical evidence that diet affects acne. However, some people avoid milk as it contains hormones. Avoiding milk may not entirely clear the problem, if you have high levels of androgens anyway. 20% of Accutane patients warrant a second course to achieve long term remission from acne. Alternative treatments include oral antibiotics such as Minocycline/Oxytetracycline and a modern topical retinoid such as Differin (adapalene).
Best Wishes, Eloise.

[PinPinPatrick]

I disagree with loiloi she says there is a lack of scientific evidence that acne is related to diet, but this is because many dermatology reports have been made back in the 1970's and Doctors will want something... like 1 thing or 2 things to cure a problem. So they just want to prescribe you this drug... okay cured!  Patient thinks oh I'm cured! Doctor cured me!  

No matter what, a Doctor such as a general practitioner  is definitely a smart knowledgeable person... but no one is smarter than an expert in a particular field... So for example someone with a PhD that specializes and is an expert in one particular area will know more than any Doctor who is generalized... or perhaps even a Doctor that is specialized.  

There are researchers who have found out that acne is related to diet.

A dermatologist looks at treating the skin.  But not about the inside of the body.  But believe it or not, I've read up some information in which some dermatologists are opening their minds to other causes of acne... such as diet as well.

To me, the acne is from a buildup of toxins and an imbalance of hormones in your body.  It can even be a blessing to know that something is wrong internally in your body.

Let me tell you that protein stuff you are taking to build muscle is likely not so great on your acne... the nitric oxide is made from the amino acid L-arginine in your protein supplement stuff... it's not just NO in there.. NO is a gas and doesn't last long.

There is other stuff in the protein drink like whey... and stuff that may cause some problems.  Also the milk is a definite problem with acne because of all the hormones that were injected into the cows will also come out of the cow and into the milk that you are drinking.  In addition to that there is also much sugar in milk from the lactose.

[RyanFollin]

Alright knowing that milk MAY have a correlation with acne, what can I do? I am very committed to weight training and there is no other liquid that aids in muscle recovery better than milk (even soy milk is proven not to be effective). What substitutes are there for milk that will not conflict with my complexion? Thank you for your answers as they have been helpful thus far!

[PinPinPatrick]

How does milk help you?  Just because of the protein in milk??  Or is it because milk is loaded with hormones?  Milk is like a poison these days.  There is a wide range of diseases caused by milk.  You're much better off taking just the protein drink.  Milk has very complex proteins in it that are very difficult for the body to digest I don't see any benefit.

You will have to do some other things like take a lemon detox drink in the morning. 1 lemon in warm water.

Use lemons juice on your skin as well on acne prone areas.

You should take out caffeine from your diet as well.  It will greatly increase you cortisol levels.  Even if the drink is just diet coke or black coffee.

Please read my thread.  I plan to add more to it later.

[RyanFollin]

Found this on MSNBC:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22349307/

Worth discussing at all?

[PinPinPatrick]

My opinion is that milk is bad and can lead to a variety of illnesses.  There are simpler much more easily digested proteins rather than Casein that you can get your amino acids from.

You can make your own decision to take milk out of your diet, personally I would rather be acne free than have muscles, but there is scientific evidence that milk causes acne now.

So you drink your milk you get many types of hormones from a pregnant cow... who is loaded up with hormones already because she is pregnant.  There is loads of lactose in milk which causes a spike in your blood sugar causing a surge of insulin release which also causes more acne... and all this for the protein Casein which is only good for body building because it takes a very very long time to digest, is water soluble, and doesn't break down very easily at all... but apparently what I read is that's why it's beneficial to body building.

http://www.naturalnews.com/024613_acne_blood_insulin.html
http://www.acnemilk.com/the_no_milk_acne_diet
http://www.healthcastle.com/acne_milk_dairy.shtml
http://www.cure-guide.com/Natural_Health_Newsletter/Milk_and_Acne/milk_and_acne.html
http://acne.about.com/od/acnetriggers/a/milkandacne.htm

[RyanFollin]

Alright thank you for your help. I will definitely take out milk for a couple weeks and see what happens. Now I need a viable substitute because I make daily shakes and smoothies (as well as eat every meal with milk). Is fruit juice fine? Like apple and orange juice? What about "organic milk?" Again, you have been a tremendous help.

[PinPinPatrick]

No organic milk will not work because it is still loaded with hormones.  

You might need to take the juice out of your diet too for awhile because of the high sugar content.

Buy a juicer and use only fresh fruits and vegetables.

Check the ingredients of your protein drink.  Whey protein may also be a factor of acne.  But your acne may not  be so severe that require many diet changes.

[RyanFollin]

As a college student I can't afford to buy a juicer and only fruits and vegetables - hell I can barely afford to buy milk. Not sure what options are left to drink. There's always water. But what else can I drink? I mean I would mix protein for every drink but that's expensive as well.