Acne is an aggravating and sometimes painful condition of the skin that can cause embarrassment and scarring. It's understandable that, if you have acne, you look for possible causes to avoid breakouts. However, lactose intolerance has nothing to do with acne, and neither does milk consumption, whether or not you're lactose intolerant.
Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance is the result of producing insufficient lactase, the enzyme your small intestine uses to break down the sugar in milk, explain Drs. Reginald Garrett and Charles Grisham in their book "Biochemistry." If you're lactose intolerant, when you consume dairy, the sugar passes undigested into the large intestine. There, bacteria break it down for energy, a process that generates large amounts of gas. This causes symptoms like cramping and bloating.
Acne
Acne as a condition ranges in severity from mild to quite significant, and can include several types of skin lesions. Blackheads occur when pores become blocked by oil that solidifies and reacts with air; the oil can also mix with dirt, darkening it in color. If bacteria get trapped in a pore under an oil plug, your immune system fights them off and produces puss. This results in a whitehead. You can also develop deep cysts in oil glands.
Relationship
There's truly no relationship between lactose intolerance and acne -- lactose intolerance neither makes you more acne prone nor predicts your likelihood of struggling with acne. Furthermore, while you can treat acne, you can't treat lactose intolerance. Generally, according to MayoClinic.com, lactose intolerance increases in likelihood with age, though you can also be born with it or develop it as the result of illness or injury to the intestine. Acne generally diminishes with age.
Treatments
You can treat acne by keeping your face clean using a mild soap, and if necessary, by using topical or oral medications to control outbreaks. While some medications are available over-the-counter, you'll need to see your doctor -- preferably a dermatologist -- for stronger ones, explains MayoClinic.com. While you can't treat lactose intolerance, you can take over-the-counter lactase supplements, which temporarily allow you to digest lactose.
