Does creatine cause acne?

Creatine is known for its muscle building properties but does it cause acne, is a point that needs a bit of fact finding before establishing it. By etymology, creatine means ‘flesh ‘from the Greek word ‘Kreas’.This indicates its use since long. First commercial product under the name ‘Ergogenic’-; ‘energy giving’ was marketed by a French scientists and its active ingredient was Creatine. 

What is creatine? 

Creatine is an organic acid produced by kidneys and liver. Most of it is stored in skeletal system. Creatine is extensively used in preparation of food supplements used by athletes, particularly the body builders, weight lifters and race participants. 

How creatine works? 

Food componets; carbs and fats maintain the cell structure and store energy in body. It is the proteins, mainly derived from meat that builds muscles. Use of creatine supplements double or triple the muscle building capability than would have been possible with a highly nutritious diet without creatine. 

Effect of creatine on moisture content of skin 

Creatine enhances the work out efficiency and consequently muscles loose lot of moisture and in turn need lot more of water to make up. This is only too demanding on other body parts which are deprived of the water on account of meeting the muscles requirement. Skin, too has to loose lot of moisture and consequently becomes dry and dehydrated. The dehydrated skin can not detoxify as efficiently as duly moistened skin. 

Creatine also accelerates the production of male hormone namely testosterone which in turn increases production of sebum.

Is creatine consumption a cause of acne? 

In plain truth creatine consumption is not a direct cause of acne .Occasional cases have been reported by sportspersons suspecting that they developed acne due to consumption of creatine food supplements. However there is sufficient reason to believe that creatine is an indirect cause of acne.

Does Creatine Cause Acne?

As explained earlier creatine supplements enhance work out capacity and with increased work, muscles need water at the cost of other body parts, skin being one of them. Effect is that skin dehydrates, can not detoxify, cracked and uneven skin hosts causative commensals like Propionibacterium acne and staphylococcus aureus. The former organisms cause acne and the later cause pus. Combined with extraneous matter and cellular debris, the bacteria form plugs and block hair follicle openings. These bacteria also cause and spread acne lesions.

Creatine does not directly cause acne however the repercussions of creatine consumption on body, cause acne. One of the indirect causes is that rate of transpiration (exit of water from body) correlates with the work out efficiency, which is obviously greatly increased with the consumption of creatine supplement. Strenuous work out generates heat and causes the skin pores to open. Decayed organic material like cellular debris enters in the openings. After washing, the expanded pores shrink and enclose the extraneous matter. Lipophyllic or fat splitting bacteria thrive upon sebum and initiate ultimate development of acne lesions.