Surely everyone remembers Samuel Marshak’s poem “What are girls made of? From sweets and pastry and all kinds of sweets. This is what girls are made of!” And they know that due to the abundance of sweets, you can spoil your healthy figure and the functioning of many organs and systems will malfunction.
But the very first thing that reacts to a large number of chocolates or cakes is our skin.
Acne from sweets is a problem not only for children (they often break out on sweets), but also for adults. Why rashes from sweets appear and how to deal with them, read below.
What causes
Acne can occur for various reasons. Often the culprit is poor nutrition - fatty, spicy, floury, smoked foods. But mostly acne appears due to sweets.
Products containing caffeine
What caffeine contains:
- instant and bean coffee;
- black and green tea, mate;
- Energy drinks, Pepsi and Coca-Cola contain huge amounts of sugar in addition to caffeine;
- cocoa and chocolate;
- painkillers.
Caffeine contributes to acne in the following ways: It increases the production of cortisol, which leads to stress. Pimples often appear due to nervous disorders. Products with caffeine are especially harmful on an empty stomach.
Nuts
They are only useful in small quantities. Frequent consumption of nuts can cause acne. This is a very fatty product.
Acne is caused by:
- peanut;
- pistachios;
- walnuts;
- almond.
Some people have a nut allergy, which can cause acne.
You cannot eat fried and salted nuts, then there will be no benefit from them, and the harm will increase.
Confectionery
Such products have a greater influence on the development of acne than others. They contain the whole range of harmful ingredients: white flour, butter, nuts, chocolate.
These ingredients are found in different products, but the main component of each of them is sugar. Not a single confectionery product can do without it.
Almost everyone contains excess amounts of sugar, which causes harm to the body, including causing acne.
Dairy
Milk and all its derivatives can negatively affect the condition of the skin. Excessive consumption of dairy products leads to blockage of the sebaceous glands and disruptions in their functioning.
Acne also appears in those people who are allergic to this food. The reaction is identified as acne.
Store-bought dairy products are very harmful. They contain much more fat and hormones. To increase milk yield, cows receive more than required with food and medicines. These substances also end up in milk.
Almost all dairy products presented in the store contain excessive amounts of hormones and fats. If you want milk or sour cream, you should find a person from the village who sells it to order.
How to replace sweets
Loved by many, but harmful, sweets can be replaced with healthy or less harmful products:
- Natural honey. It has a positive effect on the condition of the skin due to the content of a large number of vitamins. But you need to use it carefully, as it can cause allergies.
- Dried fruits. They improve intestinal function and have a positive effect on the entire body. They can be used as snacks between meals. Prunes are especially beneficial for skin health.
- Homemade jams and preserves. They can be added to tea instead of sugar or topped with yogurt and cottage cheese.
- Fresh fruit. They are rich in vitamins and microelements, and the fiber they contain slows down the process of sugar absorption.
- Natural marmalade. The product contains a sufficient amount of pectin and agar-agar (analogue of gelatin), which reduce cholesterol levels and remove toxins.
- Real marshmallows. A product made from natural ingredients has a positive effect on the condition of the skin.
- Pastila. It is prepared from fruit and berry juice or puree, so it contains a large amount of vitamins and beneficial elements.
- Creamy ice cream. This is what nutritionists recommend to use. Unlike other types, creamy ice cream enriches the body with healthy milk protein. But the daily intake of the product should not exceed 70 grams.
- Dark chocolate with high cocoa content. It is preferable to white or milk.
- Stevia (vegetable sugar substitute). It is many times sweeter than sugar, but is absorbed much more slowly.
You can curb your cravings for sweets by eating protein foods. It has been noticed that the more protein a person consumes, the less he craves sweets.
Another way to reduce the desire to eat sweets is mint or mint tea. Consuming the plant in any form (fresh, dried or as an essential oil) will dull the feeling of hunger and cravings for sweets.
If your body gets the nutrients it needs from substitute foods every day, limiting or eliminating sugar will not cause stress.
What skin pathologies are typical for diabetics?
With diabetes mellitus, the condition of the skin changes. It becomes rough and dry, which can be easily determined by palpation. There is a decrease in elasticity and turgor; upon examination, you can see the appearance of pimples, blackheads and spots.
Also, the underlying disease provokes the frequent appearance of skin fungus and the addition of bacterial infections. There are several types of diabetic skin changes:
- Pathologies of the skin that arise from diabetes mellitus itself. Such processes are observed as a result of damage to the peripheral nervous system, blood vessels, as well as changes in metabolism. The group includes diabetic neuropathy, pemphigus, the development of xenthomatosis, lipoid necrobiosis, as well as various types of rashes.
- Skin pathologies that arise due to the addition of a bacterial and fungal infection against the background of the “sweet disease”.
- The appearance of medicinal dermatoses caused by drug treatment during treatment of the underlying disease. This includes the development of urticaria and toxicoderma.
The manifestations of a rash in diabetes mellitus and its nature can be assessed from the photo.
Appearance of wrinkles
After eating too much sugar-laden food, the sugar interacts with the protein collagen, which is essential for maintaining the beauty of our skin. Because of this, a glycation process occurs, resulting in the formation of substances that destroy collagen. In other words, due to your passion for sugary foods, the condition of your skin can significantly worsen, and many unsightly wrinkles will appear.
Reasons for appearance
Before starting treatment, you need to understand why acne can form from sweets in people of different ages and genders.
The occurrence of acne due to sweets is always associated with hormonal imbalances. This is facilitated by the presence of simple sugar glucose in sweets.
Read how to treat red subcutaneous pimples. About ointments for acne on the face. More details here.
Hormonal changes
Excessive consumption of sweets leads to the production of two hormones that affect the appearance of acne:
- Male hormones androgens can be produced in both female and male bodies. They increase sebum production. This leads to blockage of the sebaceous ducts and the formation of acne.
- Insulin is produced to reduce high levels of sugar in the blood. High levels of insulin also lead to rashes and promote the release of sex hormones into the blood.
Why does chocolate cause rashes?
Frequent consumption of chocolate can cause acne. This is explained by the fact that this product contains a huge amount of sugar. Because of chocolate, certain processes occur in the body that can also cause rashes:
- An allergic reaction to the product and its ingredients. In this case, acne is accompanied by severe itching.
- Disturbances in the functioning of the endocrine system, due to which insulin production increases.
- Stimulating the production of male hormones, in particular androgens, which leads to the active functioning of the sebaceous glands.
- Disturbance of the bacterial balance in the organs of the digestive system, which then manifests itself on the skin.
Regular and uncontrolled consumption of chocolate can quickly lead to the development of acne.
How do acne appear?
According to statistics, acne vulgaris (acne vulgaris) most often affects the skin, although a more severe form, cystic acne, also occurs. The former are common rosacea that affect a person's cheeks and forehead, while the latter are serious skin lesions filled with fluid and cysts.
Where do they come from? Each hair follicle contains 7–9 sebaceous glands that produce sebum, which is designed to lubricate the skin and prevent water loss. However, for various reasons, the glands repeatedly increase the production of sebum, and the surface cells of the skin begin to actively produce valuable protein - keratin. These substances block the hair canal, causing the formation of comedones, which are soon joined by bacteria. Comedones become inflamed and turn into characteristic acne.
Pimples on the face from sweets: causes
Sugar really affects our body. The reason is that sugar contains glucose, which affects hormonal levels. A large amount of androgens are produced - male hormones. They stimulate the production of sebum, which clogs the pores. Of course, if you thoroughly cleanse your face and exercise, the process of pore clogging will not be as large-scale. But the likelihood of acne and comedones increases in any case.
Glucose helps produce insulin. This is a necessary substance for the processing of glucose and stimulates the release of sex hormones. Insulin is an important component for life, but when it is in excess, the pancreas works in intensive mode. The work of the sebaceous centers is enhanced. Sebum comes out through the epidermis and provokes inflammatory processes.
Insulin starts the glycation process. This process involves the attachment of enzymes produced by insulin to skin collagen through oxidation. As a result, collagen and elastin are destroyed and the process of early skin aging begins. In addition to skin aging, glycation reveals skin problems such as acne and comedones. Frequent consumption of sweets can lead to insulin resistance, which leads to male pattern hair growth.
The good news is that not all sweet foods are harmful to humans. Fresh and dried fruits are quite sweet, but their sweetness comes from fructose. This substance gives a lot of activity and energy to a person. But sweets contain sucrose, which is more difficult for the body to break down, and requires insulin.
Where acne appears due to sweets
Rashes caused by consuming large amounts of sugar can appear on any part of the body.
On the face
They are red and inflamed and sometimes contain pus. Mainly found on the chin, cheeks, and forehead. Sometimes it is a scattering of small pimples.
In adults, it is mainly the face that suffers from acne from sweets. You cannot crush inflamed acne; first you need to draw the purulent contents to the surface.
On the body
These are small inflamed rashes that have common channels and therefore connect with each other. Most cases appear on the back, but they can occur on other parts of the body.
Multiple small pustular rashes form on the legs due to impaired carbohydrate metabolism.
In children, sweets rash is more often located on the body than on the face. The limbs, back, stomach, chest suffer.
How to solve your acne problem from sweets forever
I’ll say right away that if you dream of clear skin, limiting or completely abstaining from sweets is the best thing you can do in this situation. But not everyone can reduce their consumption of sweets. Why? The reason is that most often sweets are a way to “eat up” stress, irritation, depression, anger and disappointment. Let me give you a small example.
With a busy daily schedule, your brain needs extra stimulation. And nothing better than chocolate in this case simply does not help. And now, the result is obvious. And this is not surprising.
It so happens that a person wants to feel happy and joyful. Endorphins (also known as happiness hormones) are responsible for a good mood. Any stress, any negative event lowers the level of endorphins, which leads to sadness and despondency.
And here sweets come into the picture, which is an excellent “charge of happiness” that helps temporarily improve your mood. The truth behind the scenes is that the charge is not a gift, but a loan that will soon have to be returned with interest.
Therefore, you should fight not with the consequences (consumption of sweets) but with the causes that caused you dissatisfaction (by the way, this advice applies to all drugs and stimulants).
This path was chosen by my friend, who had an avid sweet tooth. While working to improve her life, she forgot that she had recently consumed tons of cakes, chocolates, sweets, ice cream, etc.
You may say that I'm going off topic too much, but if our goal is to minimize our sugar intake without causing undue emotional toll, this advice will greatly help you.
Completely giving up sweets, especially for those with a sweet tooth, is a rather difficult decision. It will be very difficult to suddenly exclude sweets and your favorite chocolate from your life; the best way is to gradually replace sweets with healthier foods. For example, store-bought juices can be safely replaced with natural ones, or even with simple fruits.
A balanced diet that avoids “fast carbohydrates”, which are found in sweet desserts, will definitely help to achieve a positive result. And the issue of acne from sweets or sugar will no longer be an issue for you forever!
I hope the article was useful to you. We share our advice and experience in the comments, together we can solve this problem faster.
