How Keto Got Rid of My Acne
I've always had sensitive skin.
I've always had sensitive skin. I'm not sure how many of you can relate, but it's something that has always been a part of my life. I always have to make sure I washed my face with the gentlest cleanser possible because anything harsher would burn and sting, leaving me red with irritation for hours afterwards.
I was desperate to get rid of my acne... permanently.
You know how frustrating it is to spend hours trying to cover up your skin with makeup only for your skin not to cooperate with whatever foundation or concealer you put on it. And even when it did cooperate with the makeup (which was rare), no matter what type of product I used—whether it be an expensive brand or something cheap from Target—nothing worked for more than a few hours before the redness and flaking was back and showing through again.
The worst part about this problem was that nothing I tried seemed like it would work permanently: Even after dozens of expensive creams purchased online, it would always come back…and there wasn't anything else left for me to do except wait it out until it went away on it's own...which it never did!
Keto is an anti-inflammatory diet.
Keto is an anti-inflammatory diet, which means it can help reduce inflammation and the symptoms of acne. Keto is a low-carb, high-fat diet that promotes weight loss by enhancing your body's ability to burn fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. This not only helps you lose weight but also reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes and depression.
But how does this relate to your skin? Acne occurs when excess oil clogs pores and triggers inflammation in the body. In addition to causing pimples on your face, acne can also lead to scarring if left untreated — which is why it's important that anyone with acne find out what causes their breakouts and treat them accordingly. Currently there are over 100 different medications available for treating acne but many people don't respond well or experience side effects from these treatments so there's been growing interest in alternative methods such as keto diets or lifestyle changes.
Sugar inflames the body.
Sugar is one of the most inflammatory foods in our diet. When we eat too much, it causes a surge in cortisol, which is an important stress hormone that helps us fight off disease and infection. This is great! Unfortunately, when cortisol stays elevated for too long, it can cause all kinds of problems from depression to weight gain and chronic fatigue.
Keto stabilizes blood sugar levels.
When you eat a high-carb meal, your blood sugar levels spike. The body reacts by producing insulin to bring the blood glucose back down to normal levels. This can cause your energy levels to drop, which in turn may leave you feeling tired and sluggish—two symptoms that make it harder for you to keep up with your daily activities or work out.
Ketogenic diets are known for stabilizing blood-sugar levels and improving insulin sensitivity. When you switch from a high-carb diet to a low-carb keto diet, your body switches from using carbohydrates as its main source of fuel (glucose) to using fat instead (ketones). Since fats are less easily converted into glucose than carbs are, they provide fewer calories per gram than other macronutrients like protein or carbohydrates when ingested. This helps prevent spikes in blood sugar after eating foods high in carbohydrates like pizza, pasta or fries!
Hormones play a large role in regulating skin problems like acne.
Acne is caused by an excess of male hormones (androgens) in your body.
Keto can help with skin conditions, including acne!
With the keto diet, there's a lot more to consider than just eating fat.
The keto diet is an anti-inflammatory diet, and inflammation plays a large role in skin conditions like acne. There are several ways that the keto diet helps fight inflammation:
-
It stabilizes blood sugar levels which can reduce insulin resistance, thus reducing the body's inflammatory response.
-
Leptin and insulin are two hormones closely tied to triggering inflammation5. By reducing carbohydrate intake, you lower leptin levels and boost adiponectin levels which decreases insulin resistance (and therefore leptin). This means your body doesn't produce as much of these pro-inflammatory factors that cause acne!