Is Your Food Sensitivity Test Making Your Acne Worse?
What You Need to Know Before You Eliminate Another Food
If you've ever stared down a list of “reactive” foods from a sensitivity test and felt overwhelmed or slightly panicked, you're not alone. The idea that your acne could magically clear if you just cut the right foods is tempting—especially when you’re this close to giving up.
But here’s the truth: most food sensitivity tests are not only inaccurate…
They might actually make things worse.
Let’s unpack why.
🤔 So, What Is Food Sensitivity Testing?
Food sensitivity tests claim to measure how your immune system reacts to certain foods. Unlike food allergies (which trigger immediate, potentially severe responses), sensitivities tend to be delayed and more subtle—think bloating, brain fog, and yes, skin issues like acne.
Most at-home kits test for IgG antibodies, which essentially show how much your immune system “remembers” a food.
Sounds legit, right?
Here’s the catch:
IgG doesn’t mean your body is reacting in a harmful way. It often just means you’ve eaten that food recently.
👉 Example: Eat a slice of pizza → test the next day → now “sensitive” to wheat, dairy, and tomatoes. Helpful? Not really.
🧪 Are Food Sensitivity Tests Even Accurate?
Short answer? Not usually.
Major medical groups, including the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, have stated that IgG testing is not a reliable way to diagnose food sensitivities.
Why this matters:
If you eliminate a long list of “reactive” foods based on faulty testing, you might:
Needlessly restrict your diet (hello, nutrient deficiencies)
Increase stress and anxiety around food (which can trigger skin flares)
Miss the real root cause of your acne
Eggs, almonds, blueberries, and avocados are often flagged—and they’re nutrient-dense powerhouses that support your hormones, gut, and skin.
🧬 The Real Link Between Food and Acne
Yes, certain foods can influence acne—like processed snacks, sugar bombs, and inflammatory oils.
But food is just one piece of the puzzle.
Acne is an inflammatory condition. That means:
Gut health
Hormones
Stress
Liver detox
Sleep
...are all involved.
So, cutting a random list of “trigger” foods isn’t a magic fix—it’s often a distraction from the deeper issue.
🔍 Should You Skip Sensitivity Testing Altogether?
Not always.
Sometimes, food sensitivities are real and can contribute to skin issues and gut symptoms. But the test needs to be legit.
Enter: MRT (Mediator Release Test)
✅ MRT: The One Test We Actually Trust
Unlike IgG tests, MRT looks at how your immune cells actually react—specifically, how they release inflammatory chemicals like histamine and cytokines in response to foods and additives.
📌 Translation: MRT tests the inflammation, not just the memory.
At Clear Skin Lab, we only recommend MRT when:
Skin or gut symptoms aren’t improving
A client has clear signs of immune-related food reactivity
We’ve ruled out more foundational causes first
We use testing strategically—not out of fear or frustration.
🚫 Why Restriction Isn’t Always the Answer
Most of our clients come to us on restrictive diets because of poorly interpreted sensitivity tests.
And here’s what usually happens:
👉 We reintroduce those “trigger” foods slowly
👉 Nothing flares
👉 Their skin improves
👉 Their stress goes way down
👉 They finally feel like they can live again
Healing isn’t about avoiding more—it’s about giving your body what it needs to function and thrive.
🛠️ What To Do Before You Eliminate Another Food
If you’re about to toss half your pantry, pause. Here’s your clear-skin sanity checklist:
1. Reframe the Acne Conversation
Think systems, not symptoms. Acne is complex and usually not caused by just one food.
2. Work with a Pro
A qualified practitioner can help you figure out if sensitivity testing is needed, which test (if any) is valid, and how to actually apply the results. (Hi, that’s us!)
3. Focus on Gut Health
Healing your gut lining, improving digestion, and reducing inflammation will calm reactivity naturally.
4. Track It Old-School
Keep a food + symptom journal for 2–3 weeks. Sometimes, real-life data is more powerful than a lab result.
✨ The Clear Skin Takeaway
More testing ≠ more clarity.
Most food sensitivity tests create more restriction and stress than real healing.
If you're dealing with stubborn acne and mystery symptoms, there are better tools—and smarter strategies.
At Clear Skin Lab, we only use MRT testing when it makes clinical sense. And even then, our focus is on nourishment, not deprivation.
💬 Ready to Ditch the Confusion and Actually Heal?
We help clients clear their skin and calm their bodies—without unnecessary restriction or expensive guessing games.
If you're tired of stressing over every bite and still not seeing results...
📍 Book a strategy session with our team at Clear Skin Lab.
Let’s figure out what your body’s actually asking for—and build a plan to heal from the inside out.