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Gluten is a protein found in many foods – specifically rye, oats, barley and what. Gluten and acne may not seem related, but they may in fact be having a sordid, destructive affair that is costing you the health of your skin!



Gluten products bear a remarkable resemblance to dairy products, in that they cause digestive disorders that are signs of a food intolerance. It is characterized by a painful inflammation of the gut, as well as other health problems, including acne. Seeing it in this vein, the existence of a relationship between gluten and a chronic case of acne is not so hard to spot. “Gluten intolerance,” as a matter of fact, is a common condition – around 30% of all people are estimated to have gluten intolerance in some form or another.



Acne, on the other hand, is a very common condition. It often occurs during adolescence, when a hormone rush triggers a buildup of sebum in the skin’s pores, resulting in the pores clogging and producing skin growths that fall under the category of “acne.” Acne comes in many forms – sometimes it appears as blackheads or whiteheads, papules (red and tender bumps with no head), and pustules (a pus-filled bump similar to a whitehead, but with a more prominent white or yellow center; better known as the garden variety zit), or a combination of all of these. More than one type of acne may be present in a single area, and this area is almost always the face.



Acne is a hormonal condition, which means any imbalance in the hormones causes this condition to occur. Adolescence is not the only time in one’s life when acne frequently occurs; pregnancy is another. The rush of hormones that takes place in these periods paves the way for the overproduction of sebum, which is the medical cause of acne. This means that gluten intolerance, or any other kind of food allergy, cannot cause acne.



However, certain conditions can worsen acne. Stress and an unhealthy diet have been known to be among the main culprits that aggravate an already existing acne condition. A clear relationship has been drawn between gluten allergy and acne outbreaks, so if you are experiencing a severe acne outbreak, try to look at the foods you eat. Do any of them contain gluten? Or perhaps any other substance that you may be allergic to?



Allergies don’t always have to be severe. In fact, the symptoms of allergy are not always the same; one person may exhibit a seafood allergy by swelling up in the face and hands, another person may exclusively experience breathing difficulties, and yet another person may suffer from a combination of both. Gluten and acne may be interrelated, so if you’ve noticed that the foodstuffs that you eat when you experience severe acne outbreaks contain gluten, doing away with them may well be the best thing you’ve ever done for your skin.

Adult acne affects literally millions of people. We tend to think of acne as



a teenage problem but, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, it



is the most common skin disorder in the United States.



Consider this:

· Over 50 per cent of women of all ages suffer from acne at some stage in



their lives. .

· 80 per cent of adults between the ages of 20 and 30 suffer from mild to



moderate acne

· Even after age 50, over 15 per cent of women and over 7 per cent of men



still suffer from acne

· Adult men are not as prone as women to acne but they can suffer for longer



periods of time and have more severe symptoms



The same things cause adult acne as teenage acne – too much sebum in the body.



Sebum is oil secreted by the sebaceous glands to lubricate the skin. It is



when too much oil is produced that the problems start – the pore becomes



blocked, p.acne bacteria multiply and attacks the follicle. In the process



the bacteria produces free fatty acids that irritate the skin. The body then



reacts to defend the skin, which can cause an inflammatory response resulting



in the acne symptoms we know so well.



The main reason the body produces too much oil is an imbalance of hormones



in the body. That’s why women will have acne outbreaks when their hormones



are awry – ovulation, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. It’s also why



men have more severe and longer lasting acne – they produce more



testosterone.



The way to treat acne is to restore the body’s natural balance. That’s why a



healthy lifestyle can help – by helping the body rid itself of toxins,



controlling the production of oil and restoring hormonal balance.



Whilst there has been a long running debate about the effects or non-effects



of diet on acne, recent research has shown there is a strong link. There are



indications that a low GI diet lowers the outbreaks. The reason for this is a



high GI diet – one high in refined sugars, white flour, white rice –



increases the blood sugar level. The body needs to bring the blood sugar



level down. It does this by a surge of insulin and other male hormones. This



creates an excess of sebum, which starts the whole process of acne formation.



A well-balanced diet on its own may not cure acne but it will certainly help



control it by laying a good foundation for other treatment. Following a



healthy diet will:



· Provide nutrients to the body in the form of vitamins and minerals

· Help the body’s immune system deal with ailments

· Help the body heal itself

· Lift energy levels

· Promote a positive feeling of well being



It is no surprise then, when we learn researchers have found a strong link



between a healthy lifestyle and reduced acne breakouts.