Did you know that teens in Kenya, Zambia, Malaysia and rural Japan have less acne than teens in Western societies? Studies have shown that increased acne in teens and young adults is primarily due to diet, specifically cow’s milk. You see, most dairy cows are pregnant when their milk is extracted from them, therefore most of the milk that hits the grocery stores refrigerated section is infiltrated with the hormone progesterone. This hormone has been found to cause acne. So, what does all this mean for your teen and their acne? Reduce the amount of milk and dairy products in their diets, and increase the amount of protein, vegetables, fruits, nuts and omega fats.

Another study shows that acne may be caused by an allergic reaction to dairy products. The fat content in dairy may also cause the condition to worsen. Sugar is another culprit linked to acne as it impairs the immune system. Cheese, butter and ice cream also promote acne because of the milk contained in them.

You see, your skin is an organ that excretes waste products through sweating and through acne. Acne is actually one way for your body to get rid of toxins and there are a lot of toxins in dairy products, specifically cow’s milk due to the steroids and hormones they are injected with.

Processed foods are another cause of acne. Processed meats and cheeses, junk food, white flour, white sugar, unnatural foods, such as margarine, contain chemicals and hormones which may trigger acne. So, encouraging your teen to cut back on the amount of processed foods and milk they take in, may actually solve their acne problems. However, please take note that if your teen has hormonal problems, simply changing their diet may not cure their acne.

To test and see if cow’s milk is the culprit to your teen’s acne, try switching to soy milk if they won’t give up milk all together. Some dairy producers may offer milk from non-hormone injected cows, or you can try raw milk, but the best way to see if milk is causing your teen’s acne is to cut it out all together for at least one month. If their acne problem is reduced in that amount of time, you can figure milk is the problem. Be sure they reduce their intake of other dairy products, such as butter and cheese for true and accurate results.

If you have a teen that suffers from severe acne and have done the milk test, please tell us about it. Did reducing milk and dairy intake reduce your teen’s acne? How did your teen react to having to cut milk out from their diet? We’re they happy when they saw the results? We’d like to know!

Resources: Natural remedies for acne, Four Ways Milk Causes Acne