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Which Foods Can Negatively Impact Your Skin

Feb 28, 2021

Diet and skin health are more closely related than you might realize. It’s not surprising when you consider that your skin is a reflection of your total body health. A nutritious diet that keeps your insides healthy goes a long way toward maintaining a beautiful outward appearance as well. Steer clear of these foods that can negatively impact your skin.

  • Sugary food: When your blood sugar spikes suddenly, your body produces a burst of insulin to help your cells absorb the excess glucose. Some research suggests that insulin may contribute to acne, so limit your intake of donuts, candy, soda, and sweet tea to help maintain a steady blood sugar level.
  • High glycemic index (GI) foods: Not all “sugary” foods are particularly sweet. High GI foods are anything that causes your blood sugar to spike, including white bread, white rice, cornmeal, and potatoes. You can help level out your blood sugar by eating these foods with protein, such as chicken, legumes, or peanut butter.
  • Gluten (if you’re sensitive): Plenty of nutritious foods contain gluten, such as whole-wheat bread and brown rice. If you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, eating bread can cause a skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis. Keep your skin healthy by avoiding gluten if you can’t properly digest it.
  • Fried food: Some fats are essential for skin health, such as monounsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acids. But you won’t find these fats in deep-fried food like corndogs, onion rings, and French fries. Vegetable oil fats used for frying food can negatively affect circulation, which leads to skin puffiness and inflammation.
  • Salty snacks: Salt runs rampant in the typical Western diet. It hides in everything from potato chips and popcorn to canned soup and vegetable juice. Eating too much salt can lead to numerous health problems, including water retention and inflammation, neither of which is good for your skin.
  • Processed meats: In addition to being very salty, salami, bacon, pepperoni, and hotdogs are also high in unhealthy fat and preservatives. These characteristics don’t help your complexion at all. If you love easy-to-grab processed meats, look for products with fewer preservatives and lower salt and fat content. Drink extra water anytime you enjoy them as well.
  • Alcohol: The dehydrating effects of alcohol are bad for your skin. Regularly indulging in beer or wine without countering the effects by drinking more water can contribute to a sunken, washed-out look.
  • Too much caffeine: Caffeine can dry out the skin and magnify the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The excessive sugar in sweetened coffee and energy drinks doesn’t help, either.

As it turns out, many of the same foods that are bad for your waistline don’t do your skin any favors, either. At Arlington Dermatology, we offer dermatological and cosmetic procedures to treat chronic skin conditions. With our help, you’ll look and feel your very best! Call us at 847-392-5440 or set an appointment online to meet with an experienced dermatologist today.