White bread is a refined carbohydrate; as such, it’s stripped of valuable fiber and nutrients. Refined carbs have a high glycemic index, meaning they raise blood sugar quickly, says Andrea Bailey, RD, CPT, a registered dietitian with Top Nutrition Coaching. surge of insulin leads to inflammation and increased production of androgen hormones, Bailey adds, causing skin glands to produce more oil—thus increasing your risk of acne.

Like white bread, white rice is stripped of nutritional content, leaving what’s essentially pure sugar to enter the bloodstream. A Swedish study published in 2021 found white rice to be one of three main foods that increased the risk of breakouts in participants.

Most breakfast cereals are largely made up of sugar and refined carbs. They’re a low-nutrition way to start your day—and bad for your skin, too, Bailey says. If you have a cereal craving, scope out a brand that’s more Granola-like and offers fiber-rich multi-grain clusters, seeds, and/or nuts.

They may taste good when you’re sick, but evidence suggests that crackers and your skin don’t get along due to those refined carbs. Crackers also have added sodium, an ingredient that research shows is inflammatory when consumed in large amounts.

There’s a reason you’ve seen an uptick in whole grain and alternative flour pastas as of late. The main ingredient in regular pasta is white flour, aka the king of refined carbs, making your favorite noodle dish a pro-inflammatory food.

Dr. Karam says those with adult acne or cystic acne “would be better off at least testing the avoidance of dairy and the impact on their skin,” due to “some pretty strong anecdotal relationships” between flare-ups and the beverage.

A 2018 meta-analysis supports this theory, though more research is needed. Bailey says the causal relationship may be partly due to the whey protein found in milk, which enhances acne-causing insulin-like growth factors.

Sad but true: Your favorite treat could be a double-whammy skin bully. As a dairy product it’s a possible acne trigger. It’s also high in sugar, another inflammatory ingredient that Dr. Karam says has been shown to effect skin elasticity, which Ultimately could lead to wrinkling and sagging.”

Processed meats like bacon are inherently higher in sodium. More specifically, they contain the preservative sodium nitrate, which can ravage collagen and elastin—the key skin proteins that keep it supple and bouncy, Bailey says. Processed meats have also risk been linked to increased of skin cancer and atopic dermatitis flare-ups.

“Soda, juices, sports drinks, and other foods containing sugar or corn syrup cause inflammation, along with destruction of collagen and elastin,” says Bailey. “This can lead to wrinkles and premature aging. Sugar can also increase blood glucose, which causes a surge in insulin and androgen hormones and increases risk for oily skin and acne.”

Fried foods are typically cooked in hydrogenated oil, which contains trans fats linked to inflammation (and cardiovascular risk). Fast and fried foods are also usually high in refined carbohydrates, fat, and calories, which can all “increase the risk of acne,” Bailey adds.

In excess, alcohol is dehydrating to the body and therefore, the skin, says Dr. Karam. In a 2019 study of women aged 18 to 75, more than eight drinks per week were associated with increased upper facial lines, under-eye puffiness, and mid-face volume loss.

“Splenda, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and saccharine have been shown to affect hormones similarly to sugar,” says Bailey, meaning they may cause inflammation and an androgen spike. On the flip side, research from 2020 found that these artificial sweeteners didn’t Break down collagen in quite the same way sugar does.

Candy’s sole purpose is to be an enjoyable sugar bomb, but it may cause your skin health to explode (ok, that’s a bit of word play exaggeration). For the same reasons soda and ice cream can wreak havoc on your skin—increased inflammation and blood sugar levels—candy can, too.

Hot dogs are another processed meat high in the sodium and sodium nitrates that can lead to inflammation and premature aging. Over-consumption of processed meats have also been linked to cancer.

A triple threat, in a bad way. Pizza is made of those three ingredients often researched for their links to acne and premature skin aging: refined carbs, dairy, and, often, processed meats.

You may not think of chips as a fried food, but Dr. Marcus is here to remind you that they are. Their crispiness relies on pro-inflammatory hydrogenated oils for cooking, which can worsen inflammatory skin conditions like acne, rosacea, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis.

Bananas are a high-histamine fruit. “Certain foods are known to be histamine triggers for people who are unable to adequately break down histamine,” says Anastasia Katany, DO, a family medicine doctor in Richmond, VA. “This results in increased itching , redness, and even swelling of the skin.”

Like bananas, Dr. Katany says tomatoes are high in histamines and may cause redness, itchiness, and swelling in those with sensitivities or “those who lack diamine oxidase, the enzymes needed to break down histamine.”

From the salt crystals to its refined carbs, this tasty snack is no skin savior—especially when paired with a gooey cheese sauce that’s likely chock full of hydrogenated oils.

The spongey dessert contains major complexion offenders: refined carbs, sometimes dairy, and processed sugars. The latter is particularly harmful, in Dr. Katany’s opinion.

“They feed bad bacteria in the gut and disrupt the microbiome, killing off our good bacteria and causing dysbiosis,” she says, which is essentially an imbalance. “This can lead to rashes, bumps, acne, and skin lesions.”

Margarine is dairy-free, but not free of the hydrogenated oils that Dr. Marcus deems pro-inflammatory. In fact, those oils—soybean, canola, and olive, for example—are the spread’s main ingredients.

Coffee can dehydrate when you drink a lot of it, says Dr. Karam. The caffeine content has also been thought to aggravate rosacea by way of an accelerated heart, though more research is warranted. Conversely, a growing body of research says coffee’s antioxidant properties may protect against melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers.

Ever watched someone (or yourself) break out in a sweat over a spicy meal? As spice-induced heat builds, blood vessels dilate to direct it away from the body, via the skin. That process can result in broken capillaries or “spider veins ” for those with sensitive skin, and flare-ups for those prone to rosacea, according to the National Rosacea Society.

Research on cheese’s possible correlation to acne is kind of a toss-up: Some studies posit a relationship between the two, while others found no significant association.

A balanced diet calls for both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, and research shows that Western eaters lean much more on omega-6s than omega-3s (unlike, say, the Mediterranean diet). When omega-6 fatty acids like Those in peanut butter are heavily consumed, it’s thought to cause a pro-inflammatory response linked to acne and general skin inflammation.

Citrus fruits are also high in histamines that can be difficult for some people to break down, Dr. Katany says. For those folks, over-indulgence may result in symptoms of a histamine tolerance such as swelling, redness, and itchiness.

Dr. Karam says some research has pointed to chocolate as an acne trigger, though he doesn’t consider it hard evidence by any means.