Eating for Acne

LeanMeanFitnessMachine

Are there any foods you would reccommend to help prevent acne and promote better skin? I'm already on 2 different medications for acne and nothing seems to work. My diary is open if you want to look and suggest changes to help clear up my skin.

rodegghero

Oil of oregano taken in capsule form has helped my sister immensely with acne
for dietary changes I would cut out all sugar that is not fruit and severely limit fruit for two weeks or so and see if this helps

carrie_eggo

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Larius

Foods to avoid: Dairy and refined carbohydrates.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acne_vulgaris#Diet

BeautyFromPain

Honestly? Go talk to your doctor.
I had very, very severe acne.

I was on roaccutane for 18months (this is the harshest tab you can get, takes out ALL the oil in your skin)..
Now I am off it is sooo much better but still need to take a form of birth control to keep it under control.

jesilva80

Nothing has ever helped my skin till the end of last year. I'll be 31 next week. I never really took BC because I was scared of more weight gain. My Obgyn prescribed a low dose pill low-ogestrol, it has helped immensely, my skin looks great, have had lots of complements and I've lost 30 pounds while on it. My acne wasn't severe, but was noticeable. So a pill might help, I also starting using bare minerals make up , i think makeup contributed to it as well. Drinking water helps too. Odd thing is my brother never had a problem, and never took care of his skin.

LeanMeanFitnessMachine

I'm on BC right now (not for it, but it helps a litte). I'll try cutting out dairy and limiting my sugar intake. Thanks for the help!

veganbaum

Try removing dairy - all dairy, no cheats which means no butter, milk, whey, reading packaging of those Poptarts and things, etc - for at least a couple of weeks, at least two, and see if that helps. I've known people who have discovered their severe acne was related to dairy consumption. If that doesn't work, I agree with trying some of these other suggestions. People don't all respond the same way to food, it's not like saying - oh chocolate causes acne or whatever the myths are that are still out there. It's about how your body responds to certain foods. You may have a sensitivity to certain foods that shows up as acne. Oil of oregano could be a good one to try, I've never heard of using it to help with acne but it makes sense it might work - I take it when I'm getting a cold and have found it in capsule form at health food stores.

airborne46q

Garlic capsules. Two caplets 3 times a day should provide you a lot of relief. Garlic is a natural antibiotic and antivirul that seriously works wonders. If you are worried about the smell, I'd go for the oderless kind or eat some parsely to neutralize the odor. It is always best to avoid medications whenever possible. all meds have to be processed through the liver. go natural if possible.

I know this seems basic, but also ensure you are washing your pillowcases/sheets every couple of days to avoid grinding the dirt into your skin. Wash your face gently with a mild face soap. Scrubbing hard and long actually makes the problem worse because you strip all the oil off your face, stimulating the oil glands to produce even more oil than before. It becomes a vicious cycle and you will be miserable. Then apply a good oil (I suggest avoiding all chemicals), like avocado, olive, or sesame (not the dark toasted sesame. you would need to get cold-pressed sesame oil from a natural foods store or at mountainroseherbs.com). My son had pretty bad problems and his cleared up within a month using these techniques I learned in a great book called Prescription for Natural Healing I got at my local health food store.

I know your post was specifically about foods, but studies are inconclusive about what foods may cause acne. Most suggestions are just wives tales. Nothing definitive out of the research -- except that garlic seems to work. Garlic will even cure athlete's foot (I've done it). It's such a good food that it will help your heart, lower cholesterol, etc. Should be a part of every person's diet every day. If you don't like garlic, no worries because you can't taste the capsules.

Start with those tips and grab that book. It's got remedies for just about everything and so far everything I've tried has worked like a charm. Good luck.

veganbaum

Also, don't be too harsh on your skin with washing and scrubbing and moisturizing. I found my breakouts decreased, with the exception of hormonal ones, once I stopped using a lot of products. I wash my face twice a day- I use a mild soap to wash my face once a day and the other time I simply use a warm washcloth and very gently clean my face, not scrub it. Then I use jojoba oil on it.

haha - just saw the post above, we had the same idea!

LorinaLynn

Lots of veggies and fruits, lots of water, and lots of sweating (with gentle cleansing after the sweating).

cramernh

Foods to avoid: Dairy and refined carbohydrates.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acne_vulgaris#Diet

I have worked in Dermatology before... the physician in charge took care of my daughter's severe acne issues by eliminating dairy and refined CHO's as well....

Please consider reviewing your individual circumstances with a Dermatologist...

emariec78

Personally I found the biggest things to be drinking more water and adding more healthy fats to my diet. The fats I actually discovered when I started using MFP and found I was only consuming about half of the recommended amount and when I looked up the effects one of them was healthy skin, turns out it made a huge difference for me. I had tried the dermatologist plenty of times and followed their advice, taken pills, and followed skincare regimes and was never very pleased with the results. Along with that I use a natural skincare line and a facial cleansing brush for light exfoliation. Easy and worked wonders for me.

BeautyFromPain

Nothing has ever helped my skin till the end of last year. I'll be 31 next week. I never really took BC because I was scared of more weight gain. My Obgyn prescribed a low dose pill low-ogestrol, it has helped immensely, my skin looks great, have had lots of complements and I've lost 30 pounds while on it. My acne wasn't severe, but was noticeable. So a pill might help, I also starting using bare minerals make up , i think makeup contributed to it as well. Drinking water helps too. Odd thing is my brother never had a problem, and never took care of his skin.

See, there is the difference - let's just say my DOCTOR asked if I had chicken pox first time I went to see her (in 5th grade) - imagine how terrible it must have been /:

airborne46q

ha ha, Veganbaum. you're right. there must be something to what we are saying, then!

jesilva80

Nothing has ever helped my skin till the end of last year. I'll be 31 next week. I never really took BC because I was scared of more weight gain. My Obgyn prescribed a low dose pill low-ogestrol, it has helped immensely, my skin looks great, have had lots of complements and I've lost 30 pounds while on it. My acne wasn't severe, but was noticeable. So a pill might help, I also starting using bare minerals make up , i think makeup contributed to it as well. Drinking water helps too. Odd thing is my brother never had a problem, and never took care of his skin.

See, there is the difference - let's just say my DOCTOR asked if I had chicken pox first time I went to see her (in 5th grade) - imagine how terrible it must have been /:

Im so sorry sweetie.. Mine started in the sixth grade, real bad then, nothing helped. It pretty much stayed that way till about 17 , then i thought woo hoo, its getting better and will be gone. like people kept telling me-it would go away into adulthood, Bull****... I tried everything under the sun, all the RX stuff then i just gave up. Its not so bad now, but still there. My skin comes from my dad who has scars, my mom is fine. I hope my kids dont have the issues, maybe they'll have something new by then, that works ..

aurie024

I have always struggled from severe acne. I use tea tree oil on my skin. You can get it at any health food store. I just drop some on a cotton ball and rub it all over. It works better then any cream I have tried.

ActorGirl1476

Cutting back on processed foods/ waaay upping my water intake has helped a ton. Plus, for scarring I rub vitamin e oil into my skin a couple times a week. it helps a LOT.

AP2o12

I agree on cutting out the dairy/sugar and eating more of the healthy fats. I've had issues with my skin but I've been eating a lot of salmon, omega-3 eggs, and yogurt (natural and no sugar added) yogurt also has probiotics in it that really help for skin and I'd reccomend taking a probiotic supplement as well...and if you need to supplement for healthy fats fish oil is great!

Madiann

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LeanMeanFitnessMachine

Thanks so much for all the advice everyone! You've all given me some great new ideas to try out. I'll let u know what works and what doesn't!

foster59803

Try Omega 3-6-9 Flax,, olive oil and fish (make sure the fish comes from small fish like sardines). You need to take them a couple times a day... 1 morning 1 noon and 2 at night. I have seen it work for many people including my brother. Good luck!

sleepytexan

Dairy could be the culprit. Milk proteins, whey and casein can wreak havoc on your skin.

I used to have significant acne on my face, shoulder and chest as a teen and into my 20s. I took all manner of different meds and nothing ever worked. When I was 24, a friend suggested I stop drinking milk for a month to see if my skin would improve. I didn't think I could do it, as I loved milk, but I was very motivated to improve my skin.

My skin improved dramatically within about 3 weeks and I decided to go back to milk (because I like it, hey). After 3 or 4 days of consuming milk I broke out again, so I gave it up. I enjoyed significantly clearer skin until my 30s when I started breaking out again.

Over time I have determined that I must avoid most dairy derivatives in order to keep my skin clear. I eat my pizza without cheese most of the time and use almond and coconut milks and frozen desserts. I still use butter and hard, aged cheeses without much backlash, however, on the occasion when I indulge in cheesecake or Ben and Jerry's, I will break out badly a few days later and it lasts about 2 weeks.

My 2 brothers and my son have experienced the same. My son is now 13 and has had acne since age 9, but it is getting better now that he has decided on his own to be vigilant about avoiding dairy. He also discovered that using lemon juice on his skin and drinking a small amount of lemon juice daily with ice seems to be decreasing the redness in the pimples he does get.

At 43, I am pleased to say that for the past 8 years or so my skin is very clear and unless I am performing I don't wear any makeup (except eye makeup) anymore. When I was in my teens and young 20s I could not have imagine having clear enough skin to go without makeup.

Try cutting the most egregious things first: milk, ice cream, cream for coffee. See if you have improvement over a month. That may do it. You may need to eliminate soft cheeses and watch labels for whey and casein, or you may still be able to take smaller amounts and keep your skin nice.

good luck.

backstreet1008

It's interesting that you guys mention the omega-3s. I used to take them in supplement form and they actually made my skin more oily and the same thing happened to my mom.

knittnponder

My 17 yo was suffering from some pretty acute acne. We initially figured that it was part of being a teen but it was getting worse so I suggested cutting dairy to see if that helped. It did a little bit but not much and she isn't a big dairy eater anyway. The next thing I suggested was cutting wheat out to see if that helped. I've long suspected my husband has a wheat allergy and since these things tend to run in families there was a good chance she could have the same issue.

She cut wheat out for a little while but ended up going back to it. While it was out of her system for the short time she did notice a difference but it was when she began eating it again that she really realized how big of a difference it was. So we've gone gluten free here for the most part on her behalf (and hopefully the husband will notice a difference in himself and be a little more purposeful to avoid it too!) Her skin is beautiful and glowing, there are no more circles under her eyes, her fatigue is lessening every day as she heals and her hair is shiny and beautiful! I couldn't stop looking at her yesterday. Every time I'd glance her way I'd do a double take because she is really just glowing with health and beauty now. She was so pallid and listless looking and feeling before but now she just looks radiant!

If you haven't tried eliminating things from your diet to see if one of those might be the culprit I suggest you do. Also, I drink green smoothies (not selling a thing! I make them at home with fruit and vegetables.) I have much better skin since I began drinking the smoothies probably just because I'm actually nourishing my body.

angieisslim4ever

i have pimples of my face... what should i eat :sad: ?

Yori1

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carmencar11

Read the bool "Green for Life" It is amazing. Has been a life changer for me. If you switch to a greener diet, your acne will clear. :0) without toxic prescription.