What Sugar Actually Does to Your Skin, According to an Expert

Sugar usually doesn’t make an appearance on your skin overnight. More often, it leaves quiet clues: puffiness, redness, and fine lines that feel deeper than they should. And according to Dr. Nigma Talib, those signs aren’t random.

“In Younger Skin Starts in the Gut, I explain that sugar never acts alone,” says Dr. Talib. “The moment it enters your body, it affects your skin, hormones, gut microbes, and your immune system.”

A renowned naturopathic doctor based in Beverly Hills, Dr. Talib has spent decades treating skin by looking beneath the surface, long before “gut health” became a buzzword. Her work has made her a go-to expert in the wellness field. 

Here’s what she wants you to understand about sugar (and why your skin often reacts first).

When you eat sugar, your blood glucose rises quickly. And according to Dr. Talib, those sugar molecules don’t just float by harmlessly.

“When blood sugar spikes, sugar molecules become sticky,” she explains. “They latch onto collagen and elastin, the proteins that keep the skin firm and smooth.”

She offers a visual: “Imagine pouring syrup onto a silk blouse. The delicate fibers stiffen, lose flexibility, and stop behaving the way they’re meant to.”

This process is called glycation, and it leads to the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), compounds shown in journals like the Journal of Dermatological Science to weaken collagen and accelerate visible aging.

“It’s not just theory,” Dr. Talib says. “We see it both in research and in clinic.”

To continue off what we were saying, a sugar spike doesn’t just affect collagen. It also triggers inflammation throughout the body, and the skin often takes the hit.

“After sugar, the immune system behaves as if it needs to fight something,” Dr. Talib explains. “That inflammatory surge shows up as puffiness, redness, slower healing, and breakouts that hang around longer than they should.”

Sugar also feeds certain gut microbes that thrive on quick carbohydrates. When those microbes overgrow, the skin can respond with congestion, irritation, and dullness.

“The skin doesn’t lie,” she says. “It reveals what’s happening on the inside.”

This gut–skin–immune connection has been widely studied, including in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology and the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology, and it’s something Dr. Talib sees daily in practice.

“Clinically, I kept seeing the same presentation,” Dr. Talib shares. “Puffiness under the eyes, redness in the cheeks, deeper forehead lines, and an overall dullness.” 

It was this consistent pattern that led Dr. Talib to coin the term Sugar Face back in 2015. These skin changes often appear alongside other signs, including sugar cravings, bloating, fatigue, or mood swings.

“It’s not random,” Dr. Talib explains. “It’s a visible sign that sugar has disrupted the internal systems that keep skin healthy — hormones, gut balance, and immune function.”

But here’s an important distinction we gotta make: sugar itself isn’t always the main issue. The blood sugar spike is.

Research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutritionshows that rapid spikes increase insulin, which then raises IGF-1, a hormone that signals the skin to produce more oil and shed skin cells faster — a perfect recipe for acne.

“At the same time,” Dr. Talib notes, “cortisol, the stress hormone, often rises with sugar fluctuations, adding even more inflammation.”

Timing matters, too.

“Eating sugar on an empty stomach is like throwing gasoline on a fire,” she says. “Everything spikes quickly — insulin, cortisol, IGF-1 — and your gut microbes feed aggressively.”

When sugar is eaten after protein, fiber, or healthy fats, absorption slows, and the internal response changes dramatically.

“The sweetness is the same,” she adds. “But the outcome is completely different.”

Also, have you ever noticed how sugar cravings spike during stressful or sleepless periods? There’s a reason.

“This isn’t weakness,” Dr. Talib says. “It’s biology.”

Stress raises cortisol, which pushes up blood sugar for quick energy. When that energy crashes, the body signals for more sugar. Lack of sleep worsens the cycle big time. Studies in the Journal of Sleep Research show that even one poor night increases cortisol, lowers leptin (the “I’m full” hormone), and raises ghrelin (the “I’m hungry” hormone).

To help break the loop, Dr. Talib often recommends calming, supportive compounds.

“Ashwagandha, L-theanine, and 5-HTP help regulate cortisol and calm the nervous system,” she says. “And because the gut drives cravings, a high-quality probiotic — especially one with the DDS-1 strain — can make a real difference.”

And when it comes to misconceptions around this topic, it’s important to point out that not all sugar behaves the same way.

“Natural sugars don’t act like refined sugars,” Dr. Talib explains. “Whole fruit, raw honey, and dates come packaged with fiber, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients that slow absorption.”

An apple digests slowly and feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Apple juice, on the other hand, hits the bloodstream quickly and behaves much more like refined sugar, despite coming from the same fruit.

The upside here is that when added sugar is reduced, the skin often responds pretty quickly.

“Within seventy-two hours, puffiness starts to drop,” Dr. Talib says. “Within a week, inflammation calms. By three to four weeks, hormones stabilize, the skin barrier strengthens, and the complexion looks brighter and more even.”

And before jumping to aesthetic fixes, she encourages a pause.

“If your skin isn’t looking its best, don’t rush to Botox as your first solution,” she says. “Think about what you’ve been eating.”

Sugar, she notes, can change texture, tone, and elasticity faster than most people realize.

“Keeping it in check is a form of self-care,” Dr. Talib says. “And the results last longer — and look more natural — than anything you can inject.”

Learning to keep sugar in check isn’t about restriction or perfection. It’s about awareness, and giving your body the support it needs.