Can Gluten Cause Acne?

Bread, pasta, pizza, cake—gluten is found in a variety of our favorite foods. But before your next bite, be aware that gluten may actually be contributing to your skincare woes. 

Delicious as it is, gluten can have unsavory effects on your skin health. Even if you don’t have celiac disease, a gluten intolerance or food sensitivity may be wreaking havoc on your digestive system, which can trigger acne. So the answer to anyone asking, “Can gluten cause acne?” is a simple yes.

About 1% of Americans suffer from celiac disease, but 83% are either undiagnosed or diagnosed with other disorders. If you’ve tried one elimination diet after another to determine potential food allergies causing your acne breakouts, targeting gluten could be the answer. 

Take a look at our comprehensive guide on how gluten can cause acne, including tips and tricks on preventing gluten-related breakouts and other skin problems. 

What is Gluten?

Gluten is a protein naturally found in the wheat, barley, and rye family. In cooking, it acts as a binding agent for ingredients—the word gluten actually comes from the Latin for “glue.” Without gluten, we’d have floppy dough and unrisen bread.

Gluten is found in lots of grains, plus some foods you may not expect, including: 

• Whole grains – Wheat, barley, rye, couscous, farro, spelt, bulgur
• Processed grains – Bread, pasta, crackers, cake, cookies, seitan
• Sauces and beverages – Malt vinegar, soy sauce, bouillon, beer, malt liquors

Especially in processed foods, gluten may be hiding in the ingredient list. 

How Does Gluten Affect the Body?

In moderate quantities, and for people without an intolerance, gluten is not inherently unhealthy. In fact, gluten has been found to act as a prebiotic of sorts, helping regulate bacteria in the gut microbiome.

However, gluten can be extremely detrimental to people with an allergy or intolerance. If your body does not have the ability to break down gluten correctly, your immune system goes into overdrive in response. This reaction causes inflammation in the gut, which can lead other parts of the body to become inflamed.  

Symptoms of gluten sensitivity disorders include:

• Diarrhea or constipation
• Bloating
• Abdominal pain/discomfort
• Skin inflammation
• Rashes or eczema

Keep in mind that a food allergy is not the same as an intolerance—more on that below. 

How Do You Know If You Have a Gluten Allergy?

Actually, there is no such thing as a gluten allergy. Rather, there are many types of gluten-related disorders and sensitivities. The four most common are:

• Gluten intolerance – Also called non-celiac gluten sensitivity, symptoms can be mild or severe depending on how gluten interacts with your intestine. 

• Celiac disease – Often incorrectly referred to as a gluten allergy, celiac disease is actually an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system treats gluten as an invading toxin. This causes inflammation, damage to the small intestine, and other gastrointestinal distress. 

• Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) – Also an autoimmune response, DH is a red, itchy, or inflamed skin rash caused by eating gluten. 

• Wheat allergy – While you can’t be allergic to gluten protein, you can be allergic to wheat proteins, so you would avoid many of the same foods as someone who is gluten intolerant.

How do you determine which, if any, of these gluten sensitivities affect your digestion and are potentially causing breakouts? Your healthcare professional can use blood tests to diagnose celiac disease. For intolerances and sensitivities, there is no surefire method. However, you can try an elimination diet to observe the effects of removing and slowly reintroducing gluten. 

Exploring the Connection Between Gluten and Acne

Both celiac disease and gluten intolerance can cause skin rashes, dryness, and other skin problems. Plus, they could also be behind your consistent breakouts. When your body cannot properly process gluten, acne is simply another type of inflammatory response, which is how gluten can cause pimples to form. 

Recent research shows the crucial role that diet plays in skin health no matter your skin type. This is because of a phenomenon called the gut-brain-skin axis. Shifts in your stomach’s microbial levels have far-reaching effects across the gut-brain-skin axis, which is why disrupting your gut microbiome can trigger an acne breakout.

Potential Mechanisms of Gluten-Induced Acne

So, how exactly can your diet promote pimples? The root cause is the gut-brain-skin axis, which involves many mechanisms that can affect your skin. Let’s break down three possible causes of the link between gluten and acne. 

• Inflammation – Your gut microbiome can become inflamed from indigestion, gluten sensitivity, or a more severe immune response (such as from celiac disease). Inflammation is one of the main causes of redness, skin irritation, and acne. 

• Hormonal imbalance – Gluten intolerance or celiac disease can cause inflammation and reduced nutrient absorption in the digestive system. Via the gut-brain pipeline, this impacts hormone production and leads to a potential imbalance. It’s highly recommended to do hormonal imbalance testing if you assume your gut issues are having an impact on your hormone levels.

• Processed foods – Processed grains are full of starch, sugar, and vegetable oil, all of which can cause inflammation, disrupt your hormone balance, and produce more oil on your skin. 

For these reasons, if you are acne-prone, your everyday diet is one of the most important considerations in promoting clear skin. 

What's the Difference Between Gluten-Caused Acne and Other Breakouts?

Gluten is most likely to cause hormonal acne. On the surface, these breakouts will not be very different in appearance from non-inflammatory acne. What is different is their root cause, which is crucial in knowing how to treat and prevent the type of acne breakout you’re dealing with. 

This is where our functional lab testing comes in. No more trial and error—from food allergies to hormonal imbalances, figure out the exact causes of your acne once and for all. All it takes is a blood work test to get one step closer to clear skin. 

How to Treat Gluten-Related Acne

So, you’ve figured out that your gluten consumption is to blame for your most recent breakout, and now you’re looking for the right acne treatment. Now it’s time to safely and efficiently treat your acne. From lifestyle changes to consistent skincare, there are many ways to start feeling your best.  

A Gluten-Free Diet

Not eating gluten sounds easier said than done. From bread to pasta and everything in between, it can seem like gluten is everywhere!

Luckily, many nutritious foods are naturally gluten-free, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and meat. There are also several tasty gluten-free whole grains, including:

• Quinoa
• Rice
• Buckwheat
• Millet
• Sorghum

With a little planning, your everyday diet can be gluten-free yet still delicious and nutritious. 

Essential Vitamins and Minerals

After cutting gluten out of your diet, you could face certain nutrient deficiencies that can also lead to a higher risk of acne. You may need to take additional supplements or plan how to get the proper nutrients in the foods you eat. In a gluten-free lifestyle, ensure you’re getting enough:

• Vitamin A – Known to reduce inflammation, prevent dehydration, and promote healthy skin cell renewal, Vitamin A is a powerhouse in skincare. Plus, it helps minimize the risk of clogged pores.  

• Zinc – This anti-inflammatory mineral helps defend against microbial infections, promoting gut health and clear skin. 

• Vitamin E – Fat-soluble and anti-inflammatory, Vitamin E is an essential antioxidant that supports your immune system and helps soothe breakouts. 

• Vitamin B5 – This vitamin helps protect against bacterial infections, promote hydration, reduce inflammation, and increase nutrient absorption, all of which reduce acne. 

Luckily, you can get many of these vitamins and more in our all-natural hormonal acne supplement, a targeted solution that clears acne from the inside out. 

Skincare Tips for Those with Gluten Sensitivity

A consistent skincare routine helps both prevent and clear breakouts stemming from gluten consumption. The first step is making sure that not only all your skincare, but any topical products, are non-comedogenic. Also known as pore-clogging, comedogenic ingredients lead to breakouts by blocking up your pores. 

To do this, you’ll have to double-check the ingredient lists of any products that come in contact with your face, including sunscreen, shampoo, toothpaste, and lip balm. Even if your gentle facial cleanser is non-comedogenic, if your haircare contains pore-clogging ingredients, you will still break out. Head to our pore-clogging checker to start testing all your products. 

Cleansing and Exfoliating

Washing and exfoliating your face every day are key to maintaining skin health. Make sure to use non-comedogenic skincare for acne-prone skin, starting out with a cleanser or exfoliator (or an exfoliating cleanser!), applying a non-comedogenic serum, and then hydrating with moisturizer.  

Lifestyle Changes

In addition to avoiding gluten, there are other everyday ways to keep pores unclogged and promote clear, glowing skin. 

• Hydration – Drink plenty of water to improve skin hydration and flush out toxins. Plus, water will help combat symptoms of gluten sensitivity.

• Exercise – Physical activity, especially in the fresh air, can help minimize breakouts—just be sure to thoroughly wash off the sweat afterward.

• Relaxation – Stress produces the cortisol hormone, which can trigger a breakout. Incorporate breathwork, yoga, meditation, or time in nature into your daily routine. 

With a holistic approach to skin health, you’ll be on the path to a breakout-free life.

Manage Gluten-Related Acne with CLEARSTEM

Gluten sensitivities are challenging enough without breakouts and other skin issues. CLEARSTEM is here to help you take control of your acne, so a gluten intolerance won’t prevent you from healthy, vibrant skin. 

Browse a range of anti-acne and anti-aging products, from cleansers for sensitive skin to serums for brightness. Get started on your personalized skincare journey today with our 60-second skin quiz, and leave gluten-related acne in the past. 

Sources: 

Harvard School of Public Health. Gluten: A Benefit or Harm to the Body? https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/gluten/. 

Merriam-Webster. Gluten. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gluten. 

Johns Hopkins Medicine. What Is Gluten and What Does It Do? https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/what-is-gluten-and-what-does-it-do. 

Healthline. What Exactly Is Gluten? Here's Everything You Need to Know. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-gluten. 

National Library of Medicine. Potential Role of the Microbiome in Acne: A Comprehensive Review. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6678709/.

Root Cause Medical Clinic. Hormone Imbalance & Gluten: More About the Connection. https://rootcausemedicalclinics.com/hormone-imbalance-gluten/. 

Gluten Free Society. Can Gluten Cause Acne? https://www.glutenfreesociety.org/can-gluten-cause-acne/.