Food allergies and acne symptoms

Many things can exacerbate acne prone skin.  If you continually have acne breakouts, you might have a food allergies and acne symptoms.

Food allergies and acne symptoms

Red, swollen bumps are a sure sign of some inflammation, and these acne symptoms can be from food allergies.  So, let’s dive into some food sensitivities and the acne they may cause.

Food sensitivities and acne

Do food allergies cause acne?  It is very common.  But what is a food allergy?  A food allergy is an immune system response after you’ve eaten a particular food.  The most common symptoms are a rash, itchiness, swelling (face, neck / throat, tongue) and even sinus congestion.  A really bad reaction could close your throat, making the situation life-threatening.

If you eat shellfish and then have a reaction, your body will start to produce histamines causing inflammation, rash or itching.  For some people, the inflammation manifests itself as acne – notably cystic acne.  This type of acne can be painful and be located anywhere on the body – such as the face, back, neck, chest and arms (also known as bacne).

If you suspect food sensitivity causing acne, what should you do?

Use your journal to keep a food diary along with when / if / what type of acne you get.  A good way to see if you have a food allergy (aside from a doctor’s visit) is what’s called an elimination diet.  What this means is that you actually eliminate the food or foods you think are causing the breakouts.  If, after a few weeks of “eliminating” the suspecting foods, you don’t have a breakout, you will know the cause and can continue to avoid these foods.  It’s not hard but does take some effort and time.

Will spicy food cause acne?

Here is another example of food allergies and acne symptoms.  But why does spicy food cause acne?

Everyone’s body is different.  One person may have an allergy to shellfish; another might have an allergy to dairy.  Spicy food combining acne might be your issue.   Your only solution here is to try the elimination diet again.  Eliminate the spicy food you think is contributing to your acne and see if your skin starts healing.  There’s no way around it.  If you are ingesting something that is causing inflammation, you MUST stop eating it.  There is no other way to prevent acne after eating spicy food.

To read more about the different types of acne, check out 4 Types of Acne Lesions.

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