Does Smoking Weed Cause Acne? Everything You Need To Know

As the consumption of weed is becoming more popular and most importantly more legalized in various states around the U.S., people are asking more questions about it; one of them being : “Does smoking weed actually cause acne?”

For all the acne sufferers out there that are worried that their mellow moments and daily joints might be affecting their skin, here is everything you need to know.

Does Weed Cause Acne?

The fact that smoking in general is not great for your health is a given, but there is not yet any direct connection between smoking weed and acne. However, it does indirectly aggravate acne prone skin by effecting other bodily functions that we will now go into.

Increased Appetite (Munchies):

When you smoke weed, you get more hungry, we know that. To get a bit more sciency, it does this because it triggers parts of your brain that enhance eating pleasure and taste; So everything you eat becomes x10 more yummy!

In addition to this, the usual cravings aren’t your daily intake of greens, it’s the sweet and savoury snacks that get picked, and these aren’t necessarily great for your skin health when overindulged with munchie tendencies.

So, to summarise, smoking weed increases your appetite and makes you crave all the processed foods that are full of unhealthy fats and sugars like chocolates, fast foods etc. This then spikes your blood sugar and causes more breakouts to happen.

If you are already prone to acne and smoke weed, this can be a contributing factor to the state of your skin.

It’s just a matter of finding the right balance between enjoying your edibles, pre-rolls, joints, or extracts whilst making sure you aren’t causing your skin too much distress. We would advise testing out different amounts, maybe if you smoke 5 joints a week, try smoking 2 or 3 and see if that helps, and then adjust accordingly. Everyone’s skin is different and reacts differently, so you need to take the time to figure out what works for you, and also consult a professional dermatologist if the situation worsens extensively.

Change in Hormone Levels (THC & Testosterone):

Smoking weed can have an effect on your hormone levels, which regulate the appearance of your skin. The hormone in question is testosterone. This hormone is directly connected to the production of sebum, the oil your body naturally produces for skin elasticity and health. When in excess, it causes breakouts and acne.

A recent study conducted among American males found that the connection is legitimate. What happens is that the THC element in weed impacts a part of the brain that plays a role in regulating your hormone levels.  This imbalance then contributes to the excess production of sebum (aka natural skin oil), which clogs your pores and makes your acne worse.

Slower Healing Time & Stress:

Smoke floating around your skin all the time isn’t good. It’s not a direct reason why you might be breaking out, but it’s not exactly an oxygen infused mask either!

Smoking also slows down the blood flow to the skin as well, and this makes the healing time of your skin slower. For someone with acne, this can make it seem like one spot has just finally gone, and another one has popped up in no time.

Another contributing factor to acne, is stress. If you have acne, you probably get caught in negative self talk often and suffer with a bit of anxiety. Anxiety and stress trigger the production of cortisol in the body, and this then impacts your skin, causing you to break out more.

However, THC infused TOPICAL products, so skincare, have proven anti-inflammatory benefits and thus should be kept in mind for a well-rounded skincare regimen.

This doesn’t go to say that the insides don’t need taking care of at the same time. Often times, THC ingestible like gummies are paired with other additives and sugars that aren’t good for you, so it’s important to be weary of what you are ingesting, the amount, and then using THC infused skincare products that calm and sooth your acne.

Conclusion:

So, all in all, does smoking weed cause acne? The simple answer is NO. But the relationship between weed and your skin is determined by how weed affects your physical and mental health in the ways we have mentioned above. That being said remember that everyone’s skin is unique. Some useful threads for you to check out and exchange ideas & opinions with other people that struggle with similar uses can be found here : 

Does smoking weed worsen acne.

Is my daily marijuana use contributing to my hormonal acne

Does inhaling thc oil cause acne, or skin breakouts?