Last Updated on September 2nd, 2020
By Dr. Jaggi Rao, MD, FRCPC, Double board-certified dermatologist
Even though acne is not life-threatening, it is something that we often want to get rid of as soon as possible. The most efficient way to get rid of something is to learn as much as possible about it and thus master it, right? Therefore, while you learn about acne, you should definitely also find out more about Candida and its relation to pimples.
Candida is a yeast which is regularly available throughout our human bodily surface1. It can be found on your skin, around your genitals, in your mouth and even in your intestines.
Although Candida is not a maleficent thing per se, it can affect you adversely if it is present in abundance.
You can get it on your nails (Onychomycosis) or on your skin (Cutaneous candidiasis). You might also get Mucosal candidiasis in your mouth, or the Antibiotic and Invasive varieties too.
When does this happen? Simply put, if you find yourself on antibiotics for a long time, for instance during a nasty, long-lasting flu, then you might obtain an overabundance of Candida. In the same way that you might get a yeast infection inside your mouth, you can also get it in other places on your body. 📌 You might therefore experience the symptoms of an infection, such as itching, redness, bumps, etc. This appears to you as acne or other kinds of skin conditions. Eventually, you might even get scars from it.
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In order to begin dealing with this kind of acne, you have to know what to watch out for, right? ✔️ Pay attention to your digestive system. If your intestines are acting up while you are breaking out, that may be a sign of fungal acne. Similarly, if you are urinating all the time or sense a UTI coming along, that may also be a sign.
If you feel tired and achy all the time, this may also be a symptom, as well as continuous allergies and sinus-related problems. Skin irritation is, of course, another sign, as is the change of color in your nails. Generally, an auto-immune disorder can also make you prone to Candida-related acne, as can your specific genetic make up.
So what makes Candida acne more likely? Check out the following sections on diet, genes, birth control, and lifestyle.
Firstly, Candida can occur due to certain diets. There are many things that you need to stay clear of if you want to decrease your acne. Specifically, an acidic, sugary and simple carbohydrate-based diet, which requires lots of salivary glucose, provides an excellent breeding ground for this kind of yeast that potentially causes acne. For that reason, you should be steering clear from the aforementioned sugars, coffee and excessive booze, various nuts and fruits, soft drinks, dairy, iodized salt, any kind of processed meats and mushrooms in particular. You also need to cut down on some sauces like ketchup and soy, vinegar, various kinds of oils, wheat, barley and white rice.
What is left to eat, you might ask. This actually provides you with an excellent opportunity to go on a researching spree online and look for more varied and healthy options for your meals. 🥑🥥 Based on current research, avocados, coconut oil, fresh juices, and certain spices like ginger and turmeric are a great place to start2.
What’s more, antibiotics are a huge cause of Candida overabundance. In fact, you may already have been ingesting antibiotics to get rid of your acne! Still, taking them for too long can have adverse effects on you and your complexion.
How does that work? To be sure, antibiotics are a great invention, as they are able to efficiently fight various ailments, including acne. Despite this, they have their drawbacks3 too. For instance, antibiotics counteract both good and bad bacteria, due to their high level of potency. As your beneficial bacteria is what regulates your body’s yeast, doing away with the good kind of organism only leads to detrimental amounts of yeast in your system. That is when you get too much of it and your Candida levels rise, which triggers your immune cells to create an infection. This infection is your acne. So, cut down on antibiotics if possible.
You might also turn out to be lucky and not have to cut down on all these tasty things. Indeed, your Candida overabundance may be due to a genetic tendency4. This trait is a dominant one so it is possible that it was passed down to you by someone in your family. 👨👩👧👦 It usually results in Candida Albicans which manifests in the form of bumps and patches on your skin, in your mouth or on your nails. You might also find that your thyroid antibody count is elevated.
Unfortunately, birth control is often found to be the culprit5 behind various kinds of acne, and this one is no exception. In fact, women on birth control seem to be a lot more likely to get fungal acne due to the major shift in hormones. Specifically, if you are taking birth control that is based on androgens and contains progestin, you may be liable to high levels of Candida. If you need to remain on the pill, opt for one that incorporates both progesterone and estrogen. These may even actually end up decreasing your acne.
Nevertheless, be wary of any kind of contraceptive pill if you are prone to acne, and especially to this kind of breakout.
Taking a lot of pills cause an overabundance of Candida in the genital area, in particular, due to the overstimulation of sebum production. The pill also generally messes with the acidity of your vagina and lead to unexpected effects like fungal acne.
As with most kinds of recurring breakouts, candida acne one may also be caused by overwhelming stress. 🧘🏾♀️🧘🏻♂️🧘🏼♀️🧘🏽♂️ Of course, it is not necessarily the psychology of stress which leads to pimples, but your body’s response to it6. As your body shows signs of infection whenever it is challenged in some way, it also develops zits on your body to demonstrate that something strange is going on with your inner chemistry. This is how you can get Candida overabundance from a potentially mild fungal infection.
Your body’s irritation leads to higher amounts of androgen, which is a general cause of acne7. The inflammation also causes your pores to become stuffed with overproduced amounts of natural oils. All in all, your mental imbalance leads to a physical imbalance, which in turn causes your body to break out in a manifestation of your discomfort.
If you feel like you might have become a victim of Candida-related fungal acne, try to follow the dietary guidelines we provided, and invest more effort in a healthier lifestyle. Of course, don’t hesitate to contact a dermatologist or another kind of physician 📞⚕️ if you are worried about your condition.
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