Q: Every now and again I get an outbreak of spots. I eat healthily and exercise but I do love chocolate. Is my love of chocolate giving me spots?

A: Cocoa solids and pure chocolate (the quality 75 and 80 per cent cocoa type) will not cause spots but cheap, mass produced chocolate bars which are packed with sugar, whey, sweeteners, additives and preservatives, however, can produce a break out of blemishes. In other words it is not the cocoa that causes an outbreak but the other ingredients that go into making a chocolate bar.

 

Sugar places a huge burden on your liver and if you eat too much this can cause problems with your complexion because when the your liver can’t cope with an excess of toxins in your blood your body will push waste products out through your skin, blocking the pores of the epidermis in the process and making you more prone to spots.

 

I suspect that you really enjoy chocolate and it is very possible that you are eating too much of it.  Quality chocolate is less likely to affect your skin but my general recommendation is to reduce chocolate to only an occasional treat and not to eat it everyday because it can cause fluctuations in blood sugar.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 1st, 2008 at 1:50 am and is filed under Ask Marilyn, Skin and Hair. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.