This past weekend I started breaking out. Is it true what they say that certain foods can cause breakouts?

Hello saradietz,

There is a difference between acne and an allergic response skin rash.

Are you referring to breaking out with pimples?

Acne develops because a pore in the skin clogs. This clog begins with dead skin cells. Normally, dead skin cells rise to surface of the pore, and the body sheds the cells. When the body starts to make lots of sebum,which is oil that keeps our skin from drying out, the dead skin cells can stick together inside the pore. Instead of rising to the surface, the cells become trapped inside the pore.

Sometimes the bacteria that live on skin get inside the clogged pore and multiplies quickly. The pore becomes inflamed (red and swollen). If the inflammation goes deep into the skin, an acne cyst or nodule appears.

It is not true that food can cause acne.

A skin rash is a symptom of a food allergy.

The first time you eat the offending food, the immune system responds by creating specific disease-fighting antibodies. When you eat the food again, these specific antibodies spring into action, releasing large amounts of histamine in an effort to expel the "foreign invader" from the body. Histamine is a powerful chemical that can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, or cardiovascular system.

If your breakout was an allergic reaction, you need to look at what food you ate before you noticed the skin rash.

I hope this was helpful,
Maryann