Could Blood Sugar Be Influencing Your Acne?
How insulin, hormones, and everyday dietary patterns can influence your skin.
Acne is often approached as a surface-level concern, with a focus on cleansers, exfoliants, active ingredients, and products designed to manage excess oil. While topical care can address certain factors contributing to acne, not all breakouts are driven by excess sebum production. What we do know is that the skin is influenced by a complex network of processes happening throughout the body, including hormonal activity, metabolic function, and inflammation.
One of those processes is blood sugar regulation. In this article we'll discuss how research has identified meaningful connections between insulin signalling, certain hormones, and the skin's production of sebum.
Understanding these connections can help us look beyond the breakout itself and begin identifying patterns that may be contributing to persistent acne.
What Happens When We Eat?
When we eat foods containing carbohydrates, our digestive system breaks many of them down into glucose, which enters the bloodstream. In response, the pancreas releases insulin.
Insulin helps move glucose from the bloodstream into cells, where it can be used for energy or stored for later use. This is a normal and essential process. However, the amount and speed at which blood glucose rises can vary depending on the composition of a meal.
Highly refined carbohydrates and sugary beverages can produce a faster glucose response, particularly when consumed without much fibre, protein, or fat. For some individuals, repeated high insulin demand and underlying insulin resistance may contribute to hormonal changes that influence the skin.
The Connection Between Insulin, IGF-1 and Acne
Insulin does more than regulate blood sugar. It also interacts with growth and hormonal signalling pathways throughout the body. One important pathway involves insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).
IGF-1 is a hormone involved in normal growth, tissue development, and cellular activity. It also plays a role in the activity of sebaceous glands, which produce the skin's natural oil, known as sebum.
Insulin and IGF-1 signalling can influence several processes relevant to acne:
Sebum production: Increased signalling can stimulate sebaceous gland activity.
Skin cell turnover: These pathways can encourage the growth and accumulation of cells within hair follicles, contributing to clogged pores.
Androgen activity: Insulin can influence the availability and activity of hormones associated with oil production.
Inflammatory signalling: Metabolic and hormonal pathways may contribute to the environment in which inflammatory acne develops.
One pathway receiving considerable attention is called mTORC1, a cellular signalling system involved in growth and metabolism. Insulin, IGF-1, and nutrient availability can influence mTORC1 activity, which in turn affects processes involved in sebum production and follicular cell growth.
This helps explain why acne may be influenced by more than what we apply to our skin.
Where Do Androgens Fit In?
Androgens are hormones present in everyone, including testosterone and its more potent derivative, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). These hormones stimulate sebaceous glands. When androgen activity is elevated, or when the skin is particularly sensitive to androgens, the sebaceous glands may produce more oil.
Higher insulin levels can also reduce the liver's production of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), a protein that binds circulating sex hormones. Lower SHBG can mean a greater proportion of testosterone remains biologically available.
This relationship is particularly relevant when looking at adult female acne and conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), where insulin resistance and androgen excess may occur together. However, acne alone does not mean someone has PCOS or elevated testosterone. Many individuals with acne have hormone levels within normal laboratory ranges.
What Does the Research Say About Diet?
One of the most consistently studied dietary factors in acne is glycemic load. The glycemic index describes how quickly a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood glucose under standardized conditions.
Glycemic load considers both the type of carbohydrate and the amount consumed.
Research suggests that dietary patterns with a high glycemic load may contribute to acne severity in some individuals, while lower-glycemic-load dietary interventions have shown improvements in certain clinical studies.
This doesn't mean carbohydrates are harmful or that someone with acne needs to eliminate bread, fruit, or other carbohydrate-containing foods. Instead, it points toward the importance of the overall dietary pattern.
A meal containing carbohydrates alongside protein, fibre, and fat may produce a different glucose response than a meal composed primarily of refined carbohydrates.
Long-term consistency is generally more useful than restrictive food rules.
Practical Ways to Support Blood Sugar Regulation
Supporting steadier blood glucose doesn't need to involve a complicated diet.
Some helpful foundations include:
Include protein throughout the day.
Eggs, fish, poultry, tofu, legumes, and other protein-rich foods can help create more satisfying, balanced meals.
Choose fibre-rich carbohydrates regularly.
Oats, beans, lentils, vegetables, fruit, and whole grains support digestive and metabolic health.
Pair carbohydrates with other nutrients.
Combining carbohydrate foods with protein, fat, and fibre can help moderate the glucose response to a meal.
Eat consistently.
Regular, adequately nourishing meals can be helpful, particularly for people who frequently skip meals and then struggle with hunger or energy later in the day.
Support sleep and movement.
Sleep quality and regular physical activity influence insulin sensitivity and metabolic health.
The goal is not to maintain perfectly flat blood sugar levels. Normal glucose fluctuations are part of healthy physiology. Rather, we want to support the body's ability to regulate and respond to glucose effectively.
What About Dairy?
Dairy is another frequently discussed dietary factor in acne research, particularly milk consumption.
Milk naturally contains lactose, a carbohydrate that is broken down into glucose and galactose during digestion. Interestingly, despite having a relatively low glycemic index, milk can stimulate a notable insulin response. This appears to be influenced not only by its carbohydrate content but also by its proteins, particularly whey, and the amino acids involved in insulin secretion.
Milk consumption may also influence insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a hormone involved in cellular growth and sebaceous gland activity. Together, insulin and IGF-1 signalling can influence androgen activity, sebum production, and processes involved in acne development.
There is also growing interest in the relationship between dairy, the gut, and immune function.
Much of the body's immune tissue is associated with the gastrointestinal tract, including the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). This tissue helps the immune system distinguish between harmless dietary proteins and substances that require an immune response.
In individuals with a cow's milk protein allergy, dairy proteins can trigger an immune-mediated inflammatory response. However, this is different from lactose intolerance, and neither condition should be assumed to explain acne. Researchers continue to investigate how the gut microbiome, immune signalling, and systemic inflammation may interact with skin conditions, but a direct pathway from dairy-induced GALT inflammation to acne has not been established.
It's also important to distinguish between different dairy products. Research has found associations between acne and milk consumption, particularly skim milk, while findings for yogurt and cheese are less consistent.
Rather than automatically eliminating dairy, we can look at an individual's overall dietary patterns, digestive symptoms, acne history, and nutritional needs.
If dairy appears to be a consistent trigger, a structured dietary assessment may help clarify that relationship without unnecessarily restricting an entire food group.
Looking Beyond the Breakout: The Hälsa Approach
At Hälsa Fusion, we look at the skin as part of a larger picture.
When someone experiences persistent adult acne, especially acne that seems to change with their menstrual cycle, stress levels, or lifestyle, there may be value in exploring patterns beyond their skincare routine.
During a Hälsa Whole Body Assessment, we may discuss:
When breakouts began and how they have changed over time
Menstrual cycle patterns and hormonal transitions
Daily nourishment and meal consistency
Sleep, stress, and recovery
Digestive symptoms and lifestyle habits
Current skincare practices and skin barrier function
These conversations are not intended to diagnose insulin resistance, hormonal disorders, or other medical conditions. When symptoms suggest an underlying concern, appropriate medical assessment is important.
Our role is to help clients understand their skin, identify supportive lifestyle opportunities, and develop a thoughtful approach to skin care and whole-body wellbeing.
The Takeaway
Acne is a multifactorial condition. Genetics, hormones, follicular activity, inflammation, and the skin microbiome all play a role. Blood sugar regulation is one piece of that picture.
Research into insulin, IGF-1, and dietary glycemic load helps explain why internal metabolic processes can influence oil production and acne development.
For some individuals, improving the quality and consistency of their dietary patterns may be a useful complement to appropriate topical treatment.
Explore Your Skin Beyond the Surface
At Hälsa Fusion in downtown Stratford, Ontario, our Whole Body Assessment offers an opportunity to explore the connections between persistent acne, hormonal changes, stress, nourishment, and skin function.
Through individualized education and supportive skin care, we work toward understanding the patterns that may be influencing your skin.
Hälsa Fusion | Whole-Body Skin Therapy | Stratford, Ontario
Looking for Support With Adult Acne?
At Hälsa Fusion in Stratford, Ontario, we take a whole-body approach to acne care, exploring the connections between skin function, hormonal changes, nutrition, stress, and lifestyle. Through personalized assessments and targeted skin treatments, we work to identify contributing patterns while supporting your skin's health and resilience.
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