What would you do to improve the overall tone, texture, and clarity of your skin? Would you spend an arm and a leg at the dermatologist’s office? Would you smother your skin with a DIY face mask and hope for the best? Would you risk life and limb by attempting to pop your protruding pimples? (PLEASE don’t do that, by the way!)

Unless you were blessed with crystal-clear skin, chances are you’ve tried one or more of those tactics before. Sometimes, you get lucky and a trip to the dermatologist’s office works out well, but oftentimes, it doesn’t yield long-term results.

In the cases where virtually nothing seems to be clearing up the skin on any permanent level, some body-savvy docs focus in on dietary changes. For instance, you’ve probably heard that refined sugars and fried foods can cause breakouts, but did you know that dairy is one of the biggest culprits as well?

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), studies have shown that dairy products, particularly milk, have either contributed to the appearance of acne or have at least made it worse for patients who are struggling with the skin problem already. Currently, the strongest indicator is none other than skim milk.

Though there are a lot of theories on this indicator, one of them has to do with the number of carbohydrates that milk contains, which is actually a number that is probably higher than you think. This fact is notable because some of the other food-acne studies that the AAD points to are ones that attribute acne to high-carb diets.

Most often, we think of fried food, bread galore, and lots and lots of sweets when we think of carbs, but in this case, the skin problems seem to be worse for those who eat high-carb diets that also happen to be loaded with foods high on the glycemic index.

Examples of these foods are white bread, white rice, rice pasta, wheat cereals, rice cakes, popcorn, potatoes, pumpkins, and even melons and pineapple.

Alternatively, low glycemic foods include 100% whole wheat or pumpernickel bread, rolled or steel-cut oatmeal, pasta, sweet potato, corn, yams, legumes, and most fruits and non-starchy veggies.

Of course, following diets, like the high-glycemic one we just outlined, can lead to health problems far worse than bad skin, but oftentimes the prospect of improving the outward appearance is a big enough motivator to make a change. So, if clearing up your skin is enough to trade in your bad eating habits for healthier ones, then more power to you!

Now that you’re starting to get hip to the fact that dairy might not be the best for your skin, it’s time to learn even more about why skim milk, in particular, can contribute to breakouts. Watch the video below to hear dermatologists’ thoughts on the subject. We don’t know about you, but we’re definitely ready to swap out our skim milk for almond milk!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this anti-dairy revelation. Do you feel that your skin has benefited from cutting dairy out of your diet? If so, what have your results been like so far? Do you know of any other foods that can cause breakouts?