Why Does Eating Dairy Cause Cystic Acne?

Why does eating dairy cause acne cysts?

Your skin acts as an excretory system to get rid of substances that don’t agree with your body. For example, if someone is allergic to shellfish, they will break out in hives all over the body. The hives is the symptom of your body trying to rid itself of this allergen.

In the case of dairy, it is mucous forming and can be difficult for the body digest—which is why many people are lactose intolerant. So when you get too much dairy for your body to digest, it comes out in the form of cystic acne on the chin and jaw line area.

Why the chin and jaw line area?In Chinese medicine, breakouts around the chin and jaw line are representational of reproductive and hormonal systems. Since our dairy cows are given growth hormones, the body may use this area to remove the excess hormones. There are a greater number of sebaceous glands in the face and since hormones are fat soluble, the body will use these glands as an avenue of excretion for fat-based hormones.

For cystic acne, you really only three options available…

1. Get a cortisone shot injected into the cyst by a dermatologist. (It works, but who has the time to wait around at a doctor’s office and run the risk of possible scarring?)

2. Dab on Renée Rouleau Anti-Cyst Treatment immediately when the cyst forms and it will dramatically reduce the infection and cut the healing time at least in half. Trust us, it’s truly a miraculous product to treat cystic blemishes.

3. Try cutting out your dairy and see if that improves the condition.

In my 20+ years of being an esthetician, I have cured many, many of my clients acne simply by suggesting they reduce or cut out their dairy intake.

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Posted January 14, 2010 by  

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33 Comments

  1. this is SO worth a shot, dairy caused me terrible acne for years and when i finally eliminated it along with fats.. flawless skin again! thank u for sharing the truth about this condition.

    Posted on Sun, 17th Jan 2010 11:59 am  by kelsey

  2. I suffer from this as well. I always see cysts pop up on my chin after I eat a lot of dairy products or have hormonal fluctuations due to changes in my birth control. I am going to have to get some of that Anti-Cyst Treatment!

    Posted on Mon, 22nd Feb 2010 11:16 am  by Emily

  3. Would calcium pills also cause cysts to skin?

    Posted on Fri, 21st May 2010 12:29 pm  by helen

  4. Dairy products or foods with high saturated fats does aggravate acne especially women like me who are hormonally challenged. I tested it by reducing my intake of these foods and skin began to clear within 7 days. I also suggest that you try buying only organic lactose free 2% or Fat Free milk. Its easier to digest. Havent tried Anti-Cyst treatment yet. I came across this page while reviewing it.

    Posted on Mon, 14th Jun 2010 9:20 am  by Teri

  5. Great info, Teri! Thanks for sharing!

    Posted on Mon, 14th Jun 2010 9:35 am  by Renée Rouleau

  6. Hi Helen,

    No, calcium in a pill form should be fine.

    Posted on Thu, 29th Jul 2010 5:09 pm  by Renée Rouleau

  7. I am a 46 yr male that has suffered from mild/moderate acne since my teens. For the past 30 yrs, I drank a gallon of 2% milk a week. Little did I know this was the culprit. Nine months ago, I eliminted milk from my diet completely, and replaced it with either Soy Milk or Almond Milk (depending on which was on sale), and my breakouts are 99% gone. If only I had known. GRRRRRR. I should also point out that I had tremendous success with Tetracycline in clearing up my skin, but really didnt like taking antibiotics long term.

    Posted on Fri, 17th Sep 2010 8:16 pm  by Neal

  8. Does anyone know if organic, hormone-free milk also causes cystic acne?

    Posted on Thu, 7th Oct 2010 8:33 am  by Julie M.

  9. It could Julie, so you have to experiment.

    Posted on Sun, 10th Oct 2010 8:06 pm  by Renée Rouleau

  10. I’d like to know what causes cystic acne on the cheeks?
    That’s my problem area and they always leave a dented scar :(
    I’m 31 know and this cystic acne came out of no where when was I was 29. Always had pretty clear skin before that.
    Can’t wait to try this anti cyst treatment!

    Posted on Wed, 13th Oct 2010 6:04 pm  by Izzy

  11. Not sure why cystic acne forms on the cheeks, we only know about why it forms on the chin area.

    Posted on Thu, 14th Oct 2010 1:19 pm  by Renée Rouleau

  12. After almost twenty years of cystic acne on my chin, I found that cutting out all dairy took it away completly. It took about three weeks for the dairy to get out of my system but my skin finally is healthy. I find it frustrating that I asked dermotologist after dermotologist and allergist and medical doctors about this being a food sensitivity or allergy and they all said, “No.” How can so many people in the medical industery be so ignorant? Will try this product to see if I can cheat and have some dairy.

    Posted on Sat, 6th Nov 2010 6:24 am  by kathryn

  13. Doctors spend a lot of their training on medications to solve problems but not always look at other alternatives. I’m so happy that you have found this to be helpful for your skin! -Renee

    Posted on Thu, 2nd Dec 2010 6:43 am  by Renée Rouleau

  14. I am a physician assistant in dermatology. Having suffered from cystic acne through my twenties and now seeing hundreds of female patients with the same problem, I have an invested interest in finding better answers to the question WHY???? It’s clear there is a hormonal component. I have speculated myself and heard similar theories about hormones and steroids that are in foods these days being the culprit. The distribution on the chin, jawline and neck is interesting to me and this explanation is one that conventional medicine tends to overlook or neglets to investigate more. I am going to start and make it more of a point to mention this theory to my patients in addition to the medications I prescribe, have them experiment, and note positive feedback.

    Posted on Wed, 22nd Dec 2010 9:31 am  by adpackham

  15. Izzy,
    I’m right there with you- I’ve suffered from cystic acne on my cheeks. Started when I was 18 and I still have trouble at 22. There are times of big trouble and times of clear skin- and by clear skin, I mean acne scars. But what I’ve found through trial and error and a few different dermatologists is that hormones can cause cystic acne on the cheeks and that seems to be the answer for me. Two years ago I was going to start Accutane. I started taking the pill a month before Accutane (part of the procedure), and saw that the pill cleared my face substantially and Accutane was put on hold. Since then, I’ve had a few flare ups and some clear times- but I’m happy with Spirnolactone, a hormone pill I’m taking now. If you haven’t looked into it, you should ask your doctor… it might help!

    Posted on Thu, 23rd Dec 2010 3:31 pm  by Tamar

  16. Hi,

    Does anyone know if dairy also includes eggs? I’m assuming cheese is also a culprit. I’m in my early 40s and still suffering! Time for the acne to go away before I get wrinkles. :-)

    Posted on Wed, 5th Jan 2011 10:12 pm  by Karen Williamson

  17. No, eggs aren’t considered dairy. Try cutting back cheese, milk, sour cream, yogurt and ice cream.

    Posted on Thu, 6th Jan 2011 2:12 pm  by Renée Rouleau

  18. I just purchased my second Anti-Cyst Treatment. I also posted a month ago about reducing my dairy to almost nothing. I still get bumps but they seem to heal quicker and not get quite as large. They are on my chin and I now have one between my eyebrows. My question: I feel like I can’t eat ANYTHING. Every pasta, snack food, salad dressing, ect has whey or some type of milk in it. Is this type of dairy product off limits for a clearer face. Milk is in everything! Thank you again,

    Lisa

    Posted on Tue, 13th Dec 2011 11:47 am  by Lisa

  19. Hi Lisa!
    Great question. It’s important to really try to determine if dairy is the cause of the breakouts. So since you have cut it out, has your skin improved? If so, then it’s certainly a sign that dairy doesn’t agree with your skin. If you have not seen any improvement at all, then it’s more than likely a hormone issue and you can introduce dairy back into your diet. If you have seen improvement with your skin since cutting out dairy, then it means that you are sensitive to it but then it’s up to you to experiment to see HOW much your body is willing to take. So for example, some clients can eat SOME dairy but when they get a lot, their skin reacts whereas some clients can eat very little. Hope that makes sense. Bottom line, you need to experiment to see how much dairy your body can take. We generally find that cheese, yogurt, ice cream, sour cream and milk are the main culprits, as opposed to salad dressing… -Renee

    Posted on Tue, 13th Dec 2011 12:58 pm  by Renée Rouleau

  20. Hi, I suffered with cystic acne on my cheeks for 10 years!! I saw numerous doctors, tried anti-biotics, and the contraceptive pill..this helped a little, but didn’t eradicate the cysts completely..When one popped up it would stay there for 4 weeks, and when one went another would pop up on the other cheek…despite me leaving the alone they left scars. I got really fed up of them, I decided to try cutting out dairy, pretty much immediately my skin cleared up, no more cysts! I had some ice cream a few months ago and within 1 hour a cyst was coming up on my jawline! I will never eat dairy products again and wish I had found out years ago, could have saved myself a lot of scarring…why did no doctor suggest this?! I want to spread the word, people with cystic acne should try cutting out dairy before going on something like Accutane. So, just because the cysts are on your cheeks, not your chin/jawline, do not rule out dairy.
    There are so many other calcium rich foods; soya, broccoli, nuts, eggs, beans, sardines. I think humans are actually the only mammals to drink milk after the age of 9 months..

    Posted on Thu, 19th Jan 2012 5:42 am  by Layla

  21. Do you have any other diet recommendations for skin improvement? I am 36 and tend to get hormonal flair ups. Mainly chin and jaw line, with cystic acne once a month. Cutting out dairy and increasing water intake have been listed. Any other recommendations? I just ordered the cystic acne treatment! Looking forward to battling these bumps!

    Posted on Thu, 2nd Feb 2012 9:45 am  by theresa

  22. Your best bet it to try cutting back on your dairy and using the Anti-Cyst Treatment both when you get cysts and used a few times a week on areas prone to getting them as a prevention measure.

    Posted on Mon, 6th Feb 2012 2:02 pm  by Renée Rouleau

  23. I wasn’t drinking milk for a week or two and I didn’t get any cystic acne at all. I was drinking Oat milk to get my calcium though. However, I didn’t know how much avoiding dairy was helping my skin until recently when I’ve been drinking milk again, two cystic spots on my chin :(
    Okay, I can definitely go without milk.

    Posted on Mon, 26th Mar 2012 4:04 pm  by Rachel

  24. Should I store anit-cyst treatment in the fridge to make the potency last?

    Posted on Thu, 26th Apr 2012 7:26 pm  by Lynne

  25. No, it’s not necessary to store in the fridge at all.

    Posted on Fri, 27th Apr 2012 1:52 am  by Renée Rouleau

  26. Hi! I have cut out dairy due to cystic acne and it has stopped 100%! My question is regarding Kefir. Do you think dairy Kefir that is lactose free is ok? I cant do yogurt because of the acne but I want the probiotics. Kefir is full of probiotics and lactose free. I know the hormones and sugar are what contribute to the cystic acne. Any thoughts on if Kefir will cause the cystic acne? Its supposed to be so good for you! Thanks!

    Posted on Wed, 1st Aug 2012 9:23 am  by Rhonda

  27. Hi Rhonda, I’m so glad to hear that your cystic acne has cleared up, that is great news! As for Kefir, it’s hard to say. I suggest that you introduce it to your system very, very slowly and just see how it goes.

    Posted on Thu, 2nd Aug 2012 10:27 am  by Renée Rouleau

  28. I am a mature woman in my 60s and have suffered with cystic acne most of my life. I am we’ll past menopause with full surgical hysterectomy. The cysts occur on my check and chin. The ones on my chin seem to be associated with white course chin hairs which lie under the skin and grow sideways. Hard to remove the chin hairs and suggestions.? Thank you.

    Posted on Sun, 28th Oct 2012 4:07 am  by Dara

  29. Hello Dara,
    Your best bet for dealing with what is ingrown hairs on your chin is not to tweeze or pull the hair out, but rather TRIM the hair. I’m making an assumption that you tweeze them out when they come to the surface. This will help reduce the cysts you get. Read more about it here. http://blog.reneerouleau.com/2009/11/is-that-a-blemish-on-your-chin-an-ingrown-hair/ But the Anti-Cyst Treatment is your best bet to heal those once they occur. Hope this helps. -Renee

    Posted on Sun, 28th Oct 2012 2:23 pm  by Renée Rouleau

  30. Hi, I’m a 27 year old female who began experiencing cystic acne upon turning 20. It would usually appear around my period and linger for months at a time. Birth Control helped… but it wasn’t practical to stay on it forever. I stumbled across this site and ordered the product immediately. I have noticed a drastic decrease in the cystic acne and though at present i have a huge one on my cheek, i believe its because i cheated this month and consumed way too much dairy. I’m about to order my 2nd bottle… the first one lasted really long as well.

    Posted on Mon, 18th Mar 2013 12:56 am  by Tamara

  31. I’m so glad to hear that the Anti Cyst Treatment is working so well for you, Tamara!

    Posted on Thu, 21st Mar 2013 12:22 pm  by Renée Rouleau

  32. Hi Renée!

    Thank you for this enlightening post. I’ve cut out dairy from my diet on and off my entire life, but consistently for the past 3 years with the exception of occasional butter, chocolate, and traces of dairy in some food. Recently I switched from a calcium supplement that was vegan to one that I am not sure of the origins (Quest brand). I have struggled with hormone imbalance as well since I went off birth control a few years ago, and since being back on it, have been much more balanced. I am 24, and recently noticed that my acne has been worse again, primarily along my jaw line (slightly above and slight below) and around my chin. They are painful and quite unsightly. Could what I’m describing be a result of dairy or other intolerance somewhere in my diet?

    I greatly appreciate your time and insight!

    Posted on Tue, 9th Apr 2013 4:33 pm  by Brittin

  33. It’s so hard to say why one gets breakouts around the chin but it sounds to me as it is more hormonal, especially if you’re not getting much dairy in your diet. The chin area can certainly be hormonal. You might want to get your hormones checked and see what is going on there. In the meantime, get our Anti Cyst Treatment as that will help treat those, and prevent new ones to when used a few times a week in areas prone to breakouts. Hope this helps! -Renee

    Posted on Wed, 10th Apr 2013 9:38 pm  by Renée Rouleau

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