Acne?

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ccano
ccano Posts: 149 Member
Do you guys know anything about food sensitivities and acne? Is it true dairy products are more likely to cause breakouts?

I have been breaking out very badly in the last few weeks, and I've struggled with body acne (shoulders) since I was a teenager. It was considerably better when I was on birth control, and I suppose I will just get back on that again to get the acne more under control. But I want to make sure what I'm eating isn't affecting my skin. With my husband gone, I only wear make up maybe once a week, and when I do, it's Bare Minerals. It has never given me problems before and I honestly don't think it has anything to do with the way my skin is acting now. I tend to break out a lot on my neck now, where my hair sweats and touches my neck while I'm working out. Same thing around the edges of my hair all the way around my face. Obviously the sweating isn't helping anything, but it's not like I am going to stop working out to avoid getting acne.

Any advice? Info? Suggestions?

Replies

  • ccano
    ccano Posts: 149 Member
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    Do you guys know anything about food sensitivities and acne? Is it true dairy products are more likely to cause breakouts?

    I have been breaking out very badly in the last few weeks, and I've struggled with body acne (shoulders) since I was a teenager. It was considerably better when I was on birth control, and I suppose I will just get back on that again to get the acne more under control. But I want to make sure what I'm eating isn't affecting my skin. With my husband gone, I only wear make up maybe once a week, and when I do, it's Bare Minerals. It has never given me problems before and I honestly don't think it has anything to do with the way my skin is acting now. I tend to break out a lot on my neck now, where my hair sweats and touches my neck while I'm working out. Same thing around the edges of my hair all the way around my face. Obviously the sweating isn't helping anything, but it's not like I am going to stop working out to avoid getting acne.

    Any advice? Info? Suggestions?
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
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    not sure about the food senitivites but-

    when I was in h.s. i had very bad acne and it got so bad I went to a dermatlogist who said my age and raging hormones etc but he suggested I start swimming in the pool...the chlorine dries out acne so I joined the h.s. swim team and the acne cleared up and I fell in love with swimming and even won a state finals....if you have accsess to a pool...you might try that
  • heather0mc
    heather0mc Posts: 4,656 Member
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    ugh, acne. my nemisis! my evil! i too suffer from acne. not so much on my neck and shoulders but i do have an idea.

    you could be sensitive/allergic to the shampoo, conditioner, or body wash you use. stay away from sodium lauryl sulfate. its in almost everything really, but in high school my dermatologist reccomended to steer clear.

    i use dove bar soap. seems to work well.

    another thing to remember is not to scrub too hard. its a hard lesson to learn when you feel as if scrubbing might help make it go away only to realise its only aggrivating it. be easy, use a soft wash cloth, and be patient. it should clear up.

    i have what i was once told is lazy skin (face). it is the one thing i am truly self conscious of - regardless of how much i weigh. i basically have a million zits (what seems like a million) because my skin doesnt work like normal skin. i have been lazier about it, but i am contimplating trying proactive. i just dont want to be dissapointed once again :cry:

    good luck!
  • alyfin
    alyfin Posts: 103
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    I definitely breakout if I have too much dairy. One of my sisters and a friend of mine also have that problem. I can have dairy in small amounts a few time a week, but if I have it every day I breakout like crazy. My sister can rarely have any, but she is 17 while I am 27 so hormones could make her response worse.
    It's worth trying to eliminate dairy just to see.

    I also break out if I don't shower within 30 minutes of working out.

    Good luck figuring it out!
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    I used to have really bad acne. I went to a dermatologist and got benzoyl peroxide 10% wash and Retin A for the blemishes. My face sort of peeled off for several weeks. :noway: Now I only break out around my TOM. I pretty much just wash my face once a day with Noxema and use a strong moisturizer for sensitive skin. My derm told me that I was overwashing my face. This would dry out the top couple layers of skin, which would then get caught in the pores where my sebaceous glands were over-producing oil to make up for the dryness. Then tons of bacteria would be trapped in there and I'd end up with breakouts. It's important to use a gentle scrubber to exfoliate a couple times a week and keep the skin well moisturized so you aren't producing tons of oil.
  • ChubbyBunny
    ChubbyBunny Posts: 3,523 Member
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    Yikes! Face peeling off does not sound fun!
    Makes sense though.

    I break out when I workout and around the time of the month.
  • Wolf843
    Wolf843 Posts: 16 Member
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    Acne occurs when hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells. Each hair follicle is connected to sebaceous glands, which secrete an oily substance known as sebum that lubricates your hair and skin. It also helps to fight off bacterial growth. Sebum normally travels up along the hair shaft and then out onto your skin. When your body produces too much sebum and dead skin cells, the they can build up in the hair follicle and form a soft plug. The plug may cause the follicle wall to bulge and produce a whitehead. Or, the plug may be open to the surface and may darken, causing a blackhead.

    The exact cause of increased sebum production that leads to acne is not known. But a number of factors (i.e. hormones, bacteria, certain medications and heredity ) all play a role.

    Contrary to what some people think, foods have little effect on acne. Acne also isn't caused by dirt. In fact, scrubbing the skin too hard or cleansing with harsh soaps or chemicals,as others here have already said, irritates the skin and can make acne worse

    The big risk factors for acne include hormonal changes in your body (which is why acne is much more prevalent in our teenage years and for women around their menstrual periods), direct skin exposure to greasy or oily substances (such as certain cosmetics), a family history of acne, and friction or pressure on your skin caused by items such as telephones/cell phones, or tight fitting work out clothes


    For mild acne the best treatments are lotions that may dry up the oil, kill bacteria and promote sloughing of dead skin cells. Over-the-counter lotions that contain benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid or lactic acid as their active ingredient can work well.

    If your acne doesn't respond to these treatments, you may want to see a doctor/dermatologist to get a stronger prescription lotion, that contain either Tretinoin (Avita, Retin-A, Renova) or adapalene (Differin). Both are derived from vitamin A. They work by promoting cell turnover and preventing plugging of the hair follicles. Antibiotics can also be benificial be decreasing the amount of inflamation around the follicles.


    I hope that helps!
  • tlitzner
    tlitzner Posts: 124
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    I had acne for over 16 years. I got it when I was 10. I had the little bumps all over my face and large cysts on my face. I also broke out consistently on my back and chest. I tried every topical available, both over the counter and prescription. I also tried retin-A and Proactive. I was on every antibiotic available, and after Amoxicillin for 2 years, it had killed all of the bacteria in my digestive tract. About 18 months ago I did a round of Accutane. It worked. The side effects were terrible while I was on it, but it was the only thing that worked. And just to clarify, I didn't have the bleeding "pizza face". Most people told me that they couldn't see my breakouts. But, the dermatologist woildn't have put me on it if I didn't need it. Just sharing my experience.
  • marisa0918
    marisa0918 Posts: 178
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    I use proactive and absolutly love it. I had bad acne in high school so my mom bought it for me and I have pretty much been using it ever since. I used to get it on my back too but I started using just regular dial soap in the shower and I dont have it anymore.
  • heather0mc
    heather0mc Posts: 4,656 Member
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    I had acne for over 16 years. I got it when I was 10. I had the little bumps all over my face and large cysts on my face. I also broke out consistently on my back and chest. I tried every topical available, both over the counter and prescription. I also tried retin-A and Proactive. I was on every antibiotic available, and after Amoxicillin for 2 years, it had killed all of the bacteria in my digestive tract. About 18 months ago I did a round of Accutane. It worked. The side effects were terrible while I was on it, but it was the only thing that worked. And just to clarify, I didn't have the bleeding "pizza face". Most people told me that they couldn't see my breakouts. But, the dermatologist woildn't have put me on it if I didn't need it. Just sharing my experience.

    you sound like me. people say they 'cant see it' which i dont believe, really. i do have scars but they could be a lot worse. i have tried so so many things.

    so, what kind of side effects did accutane have? how long did you have to take it?
  • hmo4
    hmo4 Posts: 1,673 Member
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    My oldest used Accutaine and luckily only had really dry lips and m outh. It worked amazing! He had to go for blood test every couple weeks can it can damage your liver. Never a problem though. Hasn't had a zit since!
  • jackeh
    jackeh Posts: 1,515 Member
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    I actully dont get a whole lot of acne except durring my TOM and i only get it on my butt:blushing: :ohwell: but i have been using antibacterial body wash (which my dr recomended to use) and i havent had any breakouts in a while... not since i have started using it...
    I buy the Dial antibacterial body wash.... but i find not all stores carry it so you might have to look for it

    and sorry if that was TMI for all of you :laugh:
  • chulie
    chulie Posts: 282
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    Ohhh acne! hahaha..I had it really bad growing up and my dr put me on ac****ane after all the other things didnt work. Well, that worked for sure, but left me with chronic dry lips!! They are soo bad I can never be without lip balm! Then it dissapeared for a while and reappeared right before my wedding...I can guarentee stress is a factor...didnt have acne for 10 years until I planned my wedding...then BAM, covered...face,arms,everything!! So my Dr put me on Tetracyclene and that cleared me up like a charm in no time at all!!!!!! Definitely not as harsh either....cleared up my arms, face and neck in like 2 weeks!! awesome stuff...I totally agree acne has nothing to do with diet or dirt. Nothing changed in me other than wedding stress and acne was uncontrollable!!!

    **edit to say....omg...i spelled acutane wrong and clearly put in a bad word! LMAO...oooppsss** hahaha
  • pettmybunny
    pettmybunny Posts: 1,986 Member
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    I never had a problem with acne as a teenager or in college. I remember moaning about the single zit that would appear at the corner of my mouth right before TOM.

    But, once I hit my 30's, all heck seemed to break loose with my face. Incredibly dry (as in peeling) skin on my forehead and one cheek. I also had an area on my chin that looked dry, but if I moisturized, became angry red juicy looking bumps. It got really bad right before my wedding (and of course, all dermatologist appointments are a month out :grumble: ). I went to my regular doctor, and they gave me a cream for rosacea, that didn't do a thing. I finally got in to the dermatologist, and he gave me antibiotics for my chin (perioral dermatitis), and a cream for my cheek and forehead.

    One treatment might not clear up everything... blech!
  • Tizzle23
    Tizzle23 Posts: 59
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    I started breaking out really bad 2 years ago I was getting these really big sore cyst like things on my face they were very painful and itched. So finally last april I started using proactive it took about 2 months for it to fully work but dang I tell you I dont get those anymore thank god:drinker: