I gave up milk and this is what happened to my skin.

Who knew the key to clear skin could be as easy as changing your diet?

I never thought of giving up dairy for my skin. In fact, the reason I stopped drinking milk all came down to a harrowing video I watched on Facebook. I’ll spare you the details. But basically, I couldn’t get over it and so vowed to never drink milk again.

I didn’t give up all dairy though. I’m mildly addicted to cheese and the thought of not ever eating a baked camembert again or enjoying a goat’s cheese salad was just to much for me to bear.

But what started out as a ban on milk, simply because I didn’t like it anymore, turned into something much bigger for my skin. And I couldn’t ignore the effect it was having, so eventually, I even cut back on my beloved cheese.


The changes didn’t happen immediately. But over the period of about 3 months without milk, I noticed that my skin was less inflamed and I wasn’t suffering from as many regular breakouts.

My daily flat white became a thing of the past, Oatly! replaced Cravendale milk in my family home fridge, indulging in cheese became a monthly treat and leafy greens like Bok Choy became my primary source of Calcium.

After years of visiting dermatologists, changing my skincare routine and subjecting myself to medications, a change in diet proved to be the salvation in my battle against acne.

There are a number of proposed hypotheses surrounding how dairy products may worsen skin disease.  For instance, it’s possible that dairy acts by a similar mechanism to diets rich in carbohydrates by promoting insulin and IGF1 production’, says Dr Anjali Mahto, Consultant Dermatologist & British Skin Foundation spokesperson. ‘There are also other suggestions that milk from dairy cows either naturally contains growth hormones or is treated with growth hormones.  These can in turn increase androgen levels, which drive oil glands to release more sebum.’


In fact, Doctors have suspected a connection between gut and the skin for well over 50 years now, with studies showing that people with acne have a far stronger reaction against gut bacteria.


That’s not to say that this happens to everyone. I know a lot of people who consume dairy all the time without any side effects. But, it’s definitely something to consider if you’ve tried everything else to no avail. It actually forced me to love my skin again too. Treat it with respect and nurture it, instead of continue with – what was for me – bad habits and cover it up with make-up.