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Beauty

05th Feb 2025

Does oat milk trigger acne? What the experts say

Kat O'Connor

Oat milk may be triggering your acne

TikTok is often full of unsolicited health advice from influencers with little to no medical experience. They’ll tell us what to eat, what workouts are cool, and why we need to cut something completely normal out of our diets.

It can be an incredibly dangerous place for sharing harmful health trends, but it can also help educate us about issues we never would’ve known about.

If you wade through the plethora of influencers, you will find dermatologists and doctors who are sharing essential advice with people.

Many of us would never be able to afford a consultation with a dermatologist or nutritionist so being able to access their knowledge so easily is one perk of social media.

I recently came across a video where a dermatologist was discussing acne triggers. I have suffered from acne since I was a teenager, but it has worsened in recent years.

It calmed down in my 20s, but now that I’m 30 I’m noticing a major change in my skin and I’ve been suffering from painful breakouts monthly.

Not only are they uncomfortable, but they can really knock your confidence for six. Societal standards make women feel guilty for having flawed skin.

We often see celebrities and influencers with perfect complexions and rarely see people embrace acne in an empowering way. I’ve always felt pressured to cover it up and thought I wasn’t enough if I had bad skin.

Acne is something I’ve been made to feel guilty about and it’s something I’d rather not deal with.

I’ve tried every lotion, potion, and skincare hack known to man but this dermatologist has made me realise it may be something in my diet causing these severe outbreaks.

In the video, the expert said oat milk has a high glycemic index which can trigger acne.

He wrote, “Dairy can be a trigger for some but not all. Out of fear, many patients opt for plant-based alternatives but they can have their own issues for acne sufferers.”

@drnomzzy Dairy can be a trigger for some but not all. Out of fear many patients opt for plant based alternatives but they can have their own issues for acne sufferers. #drnomzzy #acne #oatmilk ♬ Dirty Harry (Instrumental) – Gorillaz

Speaking to GraziaDr Justine Hextall said there is increasing evidence to prove that oat milk is triggering acne.

She said, “There is increasing evidence that food that causes a sugar spike creates a corresponding rise in insulin. It’s these sugars that can exacerbate acne. Blood sugar and insulin levels spike, affecting hormones and inducing inflammation.”

If dermatologists and doctors are noting a link between oat milk and acne then I’m definitely going to try cutting it out of my diet for at least a month.

Many women have spoken out about cutting oat milk out of their diets and are noticing a major change in their skin so giving up my daily oat milk flat white is a sacrifice I’m willing to make if it means I’ll finally feel comfortable in my own skin.

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