Acne isn’t just something that needs to be treated topically. You can apply all the cleansers in the world to your acne prone skin but sometimes the problem is about more than just what you’re putting on your skin to keep the oils and acne at bay. After all, while bacteria levels can be maintained with surface cleaners and certain brands of makeup, the oil your body naturally produces is not something you can combat away. It’s a genetic link to your acne problem and can only be managed by lifestyle changes, mainly, the food you eat.

If you’re prone to acne or oily skin, these are the four foods you’ll want to avoid to help curb the acne breakouts in addition with any cleansers or face wash you’re using.

This is something of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you’ve got a nice amount of calcium in dairy items which are actually very healthy for your skin. But the hormones in dairy products like milk, such as estrogen, can cause breakouts to occur. As a result, it’s best to avoid dairy and seek out your calcium needs through plant-based sources like broccoli and other green vegetables.

This might seem obvious, but the link here isn’t for the reason you think. Consuming oily food doesn’t necessarily result in excess skin oil, it’s that fatty, fried food can mess with the insulin levels in your body which, in turn, mess with your hair follicles. It’s in these follicles that pimples are born. And when they’re irritated or excited, bacteria or dead skin cells can become trapped, resulting in the acne outbreak. However, natural oils such as olive or avocado are actually very good for your skin.

This is another acne cause thanks to the hormone situation. While caffeinated beverages don’t carry the level of hormones as certain dairy products do, it can knock your hormones out of whack and induce stress in the body, which is also an acne trigger.

It’s a wide known fact that too much sugar intake can lead to acne breakouts. This happens for a similar reason as fried food and processed oils. And, though many people don’t realize it, alcohol is actually incredibly high in sugar across the board (that includes pints of Guinness just as much as a fruit cocktail from the bar). You’ll want to avoid high sugar foods and foods with processed sugar in them as well.