Has it been dairy ALL THIS TIME???

BAMFMeredith
BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,810 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have struggled with acne since I hit puberty. In high school is was pretty bad, but not bad enough to require accutane or anything, just typical teenager with oily skin acne. I thought it would go away eventually, but NOPE. I'm 27 years old and I still struggle with breakouts regularly. I am meticulous about my skin. I wash my face twice a day and use Proactiv (note, in times that I have not been using Proactiv, my skin is about 10x worse, so this at least keeps it in the "moderate" acne category), I drink tons of water, I don't use any type of foundation makeup-wise (I only use a concealer that contains acne medication on blemishes and hypo-allergenic powder to keep me from being shiny), I rarely eat fried foods, and I get plenty of rest on CLEAN sheets/pillowcases.

I literally do every single thing a dermatologist has told me to do from the natural end (I'm not into harsh medications), and I still break out WAY more than a 27 year old woman should. So I did a little research and lo and behold, is DAIRY the problem?? I don't drink milk, but I do eat cheese on a fairly regular basis; cottage cheese as a snack, a slice of colby jack or cheddar with an egg for breakfast, and shredded cheese on anything that might taste good with shredded cheese on it. I love cheese. But I have been reading article after article after blog post after blog post about diary causing acne. A friend of mine went dairy free for a couple of weeks and said her skin has never looked better.

Anybody else have this experience with dairy products? Is going totally dairy-free the way to go? And if so, can somebody PLEASE point me in the direction of a vegan cheese product that actually melts because I will lose my shiz if I can't make pizza at home :smile:

Replies

  • julieh391
    julieh391 Posts: 683 Member
    I'm 29 and probably zittier than the average person my age (or maybe it's just me being self conscious??) I ate loads of junk as a teenager, I was vegan for 6 years, then went back to meat/dairy. Now I'm a fairly "clean" eater, take great care of my skin, yada yada, and my skin has never changed except for during pregnancy. I figure it's just the way my hormones work.
  • LesleeBeAlive
    LesleeBeAlive Posts: 504
    I would like to kow this too. I break out a lot!
  • andreanicole686
    andreanicole686 Posts: 406 Member
    Yes! I've known that dairy has been an allergy of mine since I was young and when I upped my protein intake I noticed I started breaking out really bad. It was because I was using whey protein which is dairy and I was eating more cheese. Since I stopped eating meat besides fish I have also cut back on cheese, no regular milk just soy or almond milk I have noticed I'm breaking out a lot less. I have yogurt everyday but I am gonna start cutting back to maybe three times a week and see if that helps even more. I've also heard a lot of people say dairy is even worse for your body than meat. And it's a myth that you need it for calcium you can get plenty of calcium from other foods. :) I would maybe just cut back on it and if your skin is still really bad then cut it out completely.
  • Sarahbara76
    Sarahbara76 Posts: 601 Member
    I am allergic to cows milk..can't even have Whey protein powder and since I stopped eating it my skin is pimple free and my migraines happen a lot less..my face is less puffy and I don't get as many sinus infections..
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
    I found out dairy was giving me migraines and my skin has gotten way better since then. I also don't suffer from asthma or allergies anymore so to me it's worth it. I know there are a lot of common food allergens like wheat, soy and egg that can do the same thing.
  • itgeekwoman
    itgeekwoman Posts: 804 Member
    If I eat dairy it is goat cheese where possible.. or a very light sprinkle of mozzarella. Once in a while.. ie. once a month I'll have a slice of swiss cheese. I had pizza last week and was bloated for days.
    Yes.. I feel much better when I don't eat dairy.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    It would make a lot of sense for you to see an allergist.
    But in the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to experiment with completely cutting out dairy for a few weeks (at least - it takes time to see change). Don't change any other variables. Take a picture of your skin every day. Maybe you will see results, maybe you won't But consider the dairy a temporary dietary restriction until you are sure it's really the culprit.
  • tam120
    tam120 Posts: 444 Member
    Dairy is for baby cows. Try Daiya cheese. I don't like cheese so it's not something I eat but it does melt. You also have to be aware that even stuff that seems like it doesn't have any dairy in it could very well have it. Look for whey, casein, caseinate, sodium caseinate, etc in the ingredient list. Coffeemate boasts "lactose-free" but it has sodium caseinate which is a milk derivative and people are sensitive to it as well as lactose.
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,810 Member
    If I don't experience any of the other symptoms related to a diary/lactose allergy, would it still be beneficial to try cutting it out? I know that drinking milk tends to upset my stomach, but cheese doesn't really bother me for some reason (probably because I don't usually eat a lot at once). I don't eat yogurt and I only drink almond or coconut milk, plus my protein powder is lactose-free, so maybe I'll try going totally dairy free for a couple weeks, just to see if it makes a difference. Thanks for the feedback y'all!
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,810 Member
    Dairy is for baby cows. Try Daiya cheese. I don't like cheese so it's not something I eat but it does melt. You also have to be aware that even stuff that seems like it doesn't have any dairy in it could very well have it. Look for whey, casein, caseinate, sodium caseinate, etc in the ingredient list. Coffeemate boasts "lactose-free" but it has sodium caseinate which is a milk derivative and people are sensitive to it as well as lactose.

    Yeah, that's one of the reasons I don't drink milk, just because it's weird to me lol. I'm totally not opposed to going dairy free if I can find cheese substitutes that are good, just because I love cheese so much. I'll look for that at the store this weekend. Thanks!
  • v70t5m
    v70t5m Posts: 186 Member
    Go ahead and try a dairy free diet. At the bottom of an ingredients list, look for the allergen components, if it lists milk, put the product back

    I had a disease that cleared up after being dairy free for two weeks. While I never experienced "typical" dairy allergy symptoms, being disease free is worth it.

    Your cravings for dairy will probably disappear once you stop eating it ... several studies indicate dairy actually has an addictive component (found in high concentrations in cheese).

    It is amazing to me how many diseases are linked to dairy consumption.
  • Cerebrus189
    Cerebrus189 Posts: 315 Member
    I am doing a Whole30 challenge which excludes dairy altogether but I haven't found my face getting any clearer even after a few weeks of strict adherence. However, the other day I was reading a blog and somebody mentioned linoleic acid, as in Evening Primrose Oil, which is an Omega 6 fatty acid that people with acne are known to be deficient in. I figure it was worth a shot, and it has made noticeable improvements in my skin in just a few days. No new breakouts! If cutting dairy doesn't help, try EPO (I take 3000 mg a day) or Borage oil. Just thought I'd share.
  • gwenr
    gwenr Posts: 139 Member
    I had terrible Acne all my life until I discovered acne.org. I follow the instructions and use the products that they suggest and have been totally clear ever since. Note that you don't have to buy from them, the products can all be found at your local pharmacy. Every time I see someone with acne I want to tell them about this but I"m always to afraid. It seriously changed my life. I have incredible confidence now.
  • RawVeganFlirt
    RawVeganFlirt Posts: 189 Member
    YES. dairy free could change your life!!

    I had inflammed combination oily skin with severe painful cystic acne from age 13 to 19 it was a NIGHTMARE. if i had a dollar for every time i cried over my acne i swear.. but anyways, a couple month after going vegan (and using natural products like olive oil as make-up remover, baking soda and water to wash my face, etc) i have no redness, normal skin, occasional single pimples when i'm stressed/hormonal but thats all. its worth a shot!!! but give it a fair shot. it doesnt happen overnight but i really do think you should try.

    daiya is by far the best vegan cheese out there. pepperjack and cheddar, ugh to die for and melt perfectly. but the amazing thing about cutting out dairy for long enough is you honestly don't crave it at all anymore. i only used vegan cheese the first couple months and got bored and never want it now. its a great feeling to not crave cheese!! :)

    Edit: going also vegan made me lose 25 pounds in 6 months without exercise or counting calories, just saying!!!

    Good luck!! <3
  • millyvanilli321
    millyvanilli321 Posts: 236 Member
    My boyfriend is allergic to dairy and when he accidentally has it his skin is one of the first signs!! You gotta be careful with labels, because even if it doesn't say it contains milk, it can contain whey powder, which has the same effect if you have an allergy.

    Your allergy could be to either lactose (the sugar/carb in milk) or casein (the protein), my bf has the latter, which is more difficult to spot in foods!! I would say be very careful if you use protein shakes cos i would put money on them having whey powder in!

    Just cutting it out of your diet is the best place to start. It's probably where a dr would start too!
  • 9xuzts
    9xuzts Posts: 40
    I had terrible Acne all my life until I discovered acne.org. I follow the instructions and use the products that they suggest and have been totally clear ever since. Note that you don't have to buy from them, the products can all be found at your local pharmacy. Every time I see someone with acne I want to tell them about this but I"m always to afraid. It seriously changed my life. I have incredible confidence now.

    Yes! Acne.org is amazing! My skin has never been better. The other thing that helped me was to cut out wheat from my diet.
  • gwenr
    gwenr Posts: 139 Member
    I had terrible Acne all my life until I discovered acne.org. I follow the instructions and use the products that they suggest and have been totally clear ever since. Note that you don't have to buy from them, the products can all be found at your local pharmacy. Every time I see someone with acne I want to tell them about this but I"m always to afraid. It seriously changed my life. I have incredible confidence now.

    Yes! Acne.org is amazing! My skin has never been better. The other thing that helped me was to cut out wheat from my diet.

    Im so happy that others have discovered this too! Best thing ever. And so easy. I've done vegan, raw, just about every diet out there and never had the results that i've had with this simple program. It's hard to believe, really. Oh, and I'm not affiliated with them in any way..just ECSTATIC with the results.
  • Coyla
    Coyla Posts: 444 Member
    For some people, going dairy free is beneficial. But for other people, it's not, and you may be doing yourself harm by avoiding dairy just because it's fashionable to do so.

    It's worth trying, but it may not be the answer. Take all the Good Food/ Bad Food crazes with a grain of salt.
  • tam120
    tam120 Posts: 444 Member
    For some people, going dairy free is beneficial. But for other people, it's not, and you may be doing yourself harm by avoiding dairy just because it's fashionable to do so.

    It's worth trying, but it may not be the answer. Take all the Good Food/ Bad Food crazes with a grain of salt.

    How can you do yourself harm by removing dairy from your diet?
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    I had terrible Acne all my life until I discovered acne.org. I follow the instructions and use the products that they suggest and have been totally clear ever since. Note that you don't have to buy from them, the products can all be found at your local pharmacy. Every time I see someone with acne I want to tell them about this but I"m always to afraid. It seriously changed my life. I have incredible confidence now.

    I agree. I tried omitting dairy but there was no change. I didn't follow the exact acne.org regimen but used their website for product recommendations. I struggled with acne on and off from age 11 until my early/mid 20s when I discovered my holy grail routine: Purpose face cleanser (the pump) and Neutrogena On The Spot acne medication. I have been pretty much zit free since!
  • KateCon912
    KateCon912 Posts: 200 Member
    Sorry to tell you but it's probably just your hormones. Some birth control pills help a lot with acne so that would be my recommendation. Good luck :)
  • MeMyCatsandI
    MeMyCatsandI Posts: 704 Member
    It's possible. But it could also be hormones. I started breaking out when I was 25. As soon as I went back on the pill, my face cleared up. It shouldn't be too hard to test if it's dairy. And if not, talk to your doctor.

Categories