Chocolate And Spots – Is there a link?

‘Easter is approaching. It starts on Good Friday, there’s Easter Sunday and then it ends on Diabetes Tuesday’ – Jimmy Carr

As Jimmy’s joke points out, ever since the confectionery egg came along Easter time has been synonymous with chocolate overindulgence.

The good news is that, though many of you may blame your breakouts on a sweet tooth, it isn’t chocolate per se that plays havoc with your skin.

The bad news is that the bucket load of refined sugar and animal fats in popular milk chocolate eggs do (more on that here)! To get your chocolate fix without the dreaded breakouts, follow my three top tips:

GO DARK

I’ve said it before but unlike its unhealthier relatives, dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) is full of antioxidants, promotes heart health and even makes us happier!

There are plenty of dark eggs available and some are even Fair Trade too – double brownie points!

PACE YOURSELF

Although it can be easy to get over-excited about your egg, put that mindfulness into practice and eat it in small portions throughout the day rather than munching the whole thing in one go!

Dramatic increases in our sugar levels cause the body to produce more insulin, which in turn causes more sebum to be produced. Excess sebum can clog pores and cause blemishes.

Moderating your sugar intake prevents these sudden spikes, and though chocolate may still result in a little extra sebum, the skin is more likely to be able to adjust to it without breaking out. If it is breaking out regardless, scroll down to the bottom of this blog post for the products we recommend to restore balance to blemish-prone skin.

STROLL IN THE SUNSHINE

If it’s a glorious Easter weekend, why not go out for a walk? This may not strictly prevent you from getting spots, but it’s great for the mind (and for de-stressing generally) and will stop those unsaturated fats from depositing themselves in any unwanted areas…!

Happy Easter from Pai!

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