Does Chocolate Cause Acne? Explore All Reasons & Possible Solutions
As if having acne is not bad enough, you would often hear that your favorite chocolate is the culprit behind you breaking out. ‘Chocolate Cause Acne‘ – It is a belief running for ages beyond the mouth-watering, silky smooth deliciousness of chocolate lies acne and pimples.
But is it just a myth, or is there truth behind it? Before you go on looking for how to remove acne naturally, read on to know what scientists say about chocolates and acne.
The Darn Glycemic Index
Chocolate gets the bad reputation for being high on the glycemic index. If you don’t already know it – a glycemic index refers to how much a food item can affect your blood sugar level.
The higher a food is on the glycemic index, the higher the chances of blemishes, causing you to look to remove acne naturally.
What Makes Chocolate Bad For Your Skin?
According to scientists from American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, cocoa – the main ingredient in chocolates – is not very high on the index. However, the milk and sugar in them, particularly in milk and white chocolates, are known to be glycemic items. These can increase the sugar level in blood, thus causing acne.
But how much increase are we talking about? Can a single bar of chocolate make you break out? The American Acne & Rosacea Society says if you keep your indulgence at a minimum and don’t go through a whole box in a go, you should be fine and without the need to remove acne naturally. Experts, however, suggest that if you’re craving chocolate, it is better to have dark chocolate than milk or white ones.
Chocolate Can Be Delicious AND Good For Your Skin!
Why dark chocolate? Simply because it has little to no sugar and fat. It also comes with high concentrations of flavonoids, procyanidin, and catechin that act as antioxidants against free radicals and save your skin from wrinkles and aging. Dark chocolate is also known to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, so it’s a win-win for all!
What Can Cause Acne?
So with chocolate out of the way, what are the other culprits behind acne that makes you look to remove acne naturally? The biggest one is perhaps hormones, particularly testosterone.
Especially during teen years, testosterone causes skin glands to produce more sebum, or oil. This oil mixes with dead cells to clog skin pores, which turn into bumps after bacterial infection. These bumps are what we see as acne and pimples.
Apart from hormones, lithium-based or corticosteroid medicines can also clog skin pores to cause acne. Babies can sometimes be born with acne too, due to hormones passed on by their mothers. Some relatively rare conditions like Cushing’s syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome can also cause acne.
The Acne-Culprit Foods
When it comes to food, bread, milk, and sugar-based items are often the criminals. Same goes for junk foods. These are especially bad for your skin because of their omega-6 fatty acid and high glycemic index, which triggers the release of hormones that block your skin pores and cause acne.
The Verdict
Can chocolate cause acne?
In limited amount, NO.
Is chocolate bad for your skin?
High amounts of milk or white chocolate is.
Is chocolate good for your skin?
Dark chocolate – definitely.
So next time you have a craving to satisfy your sweet tooth, feel free to grab a chocolate bar. Make sure it’s a dark chocolate just to shed that last bit of worry. No more giving up on your chocolates to nourish the beauty of your skin or to remove acne naturally. The beautiful you deserve a delicious chocolaty indulgence…or two!
