Skin clearing foods?

erickita89
erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi so i have an acne problem. I've had it forever!

I've tried every single friggen acne soap there is at the drugstore.
I've taken vitamins for this,
i've tried proactive,
i've used doctor prescribed creams and gels all to no avail.:cry:

If the product worked it would leave red splotches on my face that would burn and peel (totally not sexy:sick: ) so i stoped using all of the above (except for clearasil which helps some but doesn't ever clear it all away) and hide behind a mask of makeup everyay :embarassed:


Since i've joined MFP i've been eating loads of fruits and veggies... and i noticed that my skin has started clearing up alot.:noway:

I was wondering if anyone knows of any specific fruits or veggies that are known for clearing up acne and skin blemishes? if so i want to eat them all!
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Replies

  • DrBroPHD
    DrBroPHD Posts: 245 Member
    put peanut butter on your face

    Smooth not chunky
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    put peanut butter on you're face

    Smooth not chunky

    My sister says raw honey is super healthy to slather on your skin.
  • justgowithit17
    justgowithit17 Posts: 1,392 Member
    bump...i'm curious about this too. although i don't have acne, i get the occasional pimple and it's not cute
  • misssbluiz
    misssbluiz Posts: 43 Member
    Bump
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
    me also-i'm like the flair up face. I get nasty white heads and just ran out of proactive. Is that the ONLY thing that works??
  • happypath101
    happypath101 Posts: 534
    I'm no expert. But, when I sweat every day (or pretty much every day) and drink tonnes of water my skin is far clearer. I suspect eating more proteins and less carbs and sugar is also pretty good for the skin. As is getting lots of sleep. Good luck!
  • Charmainedelaney
    Charmainedelaney Posts: 46 Member
    Stay away from the junk food & sweet treats. Eat a balanced diet (dont try to starv yourself) because it will show in your skin.
    If after a few weeks still no joy consult with your doctor as it might be a hormone thing - worth a chat. :)
  • jk262
    jk262 Posts: 1,597 Member
    water, water, water. Keep it up with the fruits and veggies but drink a lot of water!
  • vbisnath
    vbisnath Posts: 35
    I have had occasional acne since I hit my teenage years. Now at the age of 28, my skin is clear with occasional break outs. I find the best thing is drinking water and staying away from carbonated drinks. So, even if it is diet, loves to bring on a break out. If you are going to drink carbonated drinks then wash it down with twice the amount of water. Besides this, I started a new routine of rubbing fresh aloe vera gel on my face once a week. I use the fresh aloe leaves/stems whatever you want to call them. People have been asking me what my new secret to looking so glowy is lately. Try to increase your water or decrease carbonated drinks. Hope this helps.
  • vbisnath
    vbisnath Posts: 35
    I agree with you. Water it the answer 100%.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    I don't believe there are actual foods that clear up the skin. Acne has more to do with how your body secretes oil and sheds skin. Also hormones have a role.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    Anecdote alert!

    For a few months, I drank waaaay too much caffeinated coffee and developed terrible acne for about a month. It took me a while to realize what was different in my life and it was really just the coffee (8 cups a day... whoops). I cut it out, got a terrible headache for a couple days and then the acne cleared up. So, you could try cutting out caffeine and see if it makes a difference or not.
  • erickita89
    erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
    ive been soda and coffee free for the past 3 weeks.
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
    i was the same, then my mum bought me a jar of magnesium pills before xmas and over the course of about two weeks my skin cleared up. clearly a deficiency issue! either try my fix, or visit a herbalist or someone who deals with finding out what is missing in your system
  • kozmotrouble
    kozmotrouble Posts: 2 Member
    Juicing/ blending fruits and vegetables helps my skin. I try to eat 1-2 all fruit & vegetable smoothies a day. Spinach and kale are nutrient rich so add as much as possible. And don't forget berries that are high in antioxidants, they will do wonders for you both on the inside and outside! Blending fruit and vegetables is better than juicing because the pulp is full of fiber.
  • misskerouac
    misskerouac Posts: 2,242 Member
    I think you just need to experiment, everybody reacts differently to things.

    For me I have to make sure my water intake is good and I stay away from dairy
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    ive been soda and coffee free for the past 3 weeks.

    Well that's that. Sorry I don't have anything more to offer. Good luck.
  • glitteredgrave
    glitteredgrave Posts: 194 Member
    This sounds ridiculous but the best facial soap I've used is actually clear equate hand soap. The walmart brand. I haven't tried softsoap but the equate one is AMAZING. I don't put anything else on my face, and I airbrush my makeup so my hands never touch my face. Try it, it could work for you too.

    Also going vegan helped tremendously; but the clear equate hand soap was what cleared it up initially. Sometimes in the winter my face gets dry so I use Murad Clean Scene moisturizer, once or twice.
  • CharRicho
    CharRicho Posts: 389 Member
    ive been soda and coffee free for the past 3 weeks.

    Keep going with this, it takes longer than 3 weeks for your skin to adjust. But I also agree that seeing a herbalist or nutritionist would be a good idea.

    And definitely water!
  • hufflypuff
    hufflypuff Posts: 185 Member
    No amount of eating better has ever helped my face. However, low dose dr. prescribed antibiotics did the trick for me for a while. I stopped them due to the negative side effect of getting sun burnt way too easy. Not okay in cali.
  • onmywaytobeperfect
    onmywaytobeperfect Posts: 13
    Check for skin mites and hormones. If it's not a cause then do not use any tones, powder, concealer, creams (any cosmetics) for a month. Instead wash your face with camomile water, hydrate and clean with "natural masks". Use baking soda to clean, sour cream to moisturize. There are plenty of masks you can do out of honey, aloe vera, fruits, berries-all natural.+ lots of water!
  • pinky_pinkster
    pinky_pinkster Posts: 56 Member
    I have bad skin too - have had it forever and especially over my forehead, tried lots of stuff over the last 10 years but now I realise diet has more to do with it than I thought. I found this works:
    - drink loads of water
    - cut down on sugar (I use MFP to lower my daily amount of sugar)
    - if poss cut down on dairy (I find this hard though)
    - eat veggies that have vitamin A in - e.g. sweet potato

    I also found using a very light facial scrub works wonders and doing any exercise where I sweat loads seems to make my skin look better afterwards. :smile:
  • erickita89
    erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
    All i drink now is water except for the Bolthouse 100% juiced fruit and veggie drinks.

    A lot the suggestions provided are very interesting. I really should stop wearing makeup but i am soo embarrassed to walk out of the house not wearing it.... i hate how bad my face looks some times.

    I make sure its completely off at bedtime and on the weekends i try to stay home and go without it completely.

    Since i started doing all of these things my face has cleared up like 65% ( a little more then 50% but less than 75%
  • TAMayorga
    TAMayorga Posts: 341 Member
    I have heard that carrots are good for the complexion and were used in Victorian times to clear up bad skin. Can't hurt.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    cutting down on processed, fatty, and fried foods, and upping your veggie intake will help clear up your skin. it's absolutely true. :)

    I used to have bad acne, and over the last couple years of focusing more on the foods I'm putting in my body, it's cleared up dramatically.

    give this a read: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/clear-skin-diet-foods-that-bring-acne-relief
  • danikanoodles
    danikanoodles Posts: 150 Member
    Acne can also be an indication of a food allergy or sensitivity mainly towards dairy, soy and gluten. Also too much fat in the diet can lead to breakouts like what was said above.
  • delekium
    delekium Posts: 40 Member
    I wash my face with baking soda now
  • altinker
    altinker Posts: 173
    Dr. Perricone has a Clear Skin 3 day diet on his website. He also has a blog article: http://blog.perriconemd.com/losing-the-acne-battle-try-the-dr-perricone-diet-for-clear-skin/

    I changed my skin care over to Perricone and supplement a bit with his vitamins, and I've noticed an improvement in my skin. He talks a lot about inflammation. Read up on it, and there is a link to a 3 day diet. See if it works for you.
  • MrsSardone
    MrsSardone Posts: 194 Member
    How about birth control? Since I've been on bc my skin is so clear! Your acne might get worse the first 3 months after you start the birth control, but once your hormones are regulated your acne should clear up.
  • sokkache
    sokkache Posts: 220 Member
    Fish oil pills have cleared up my skin and made it look healthy. You better believe, I take one everyday and I must say that I have pretty good skin, although with a few acne scars and dark areas. Those I can only fix with makeup. Just give it some time. Decrease the amount of grease that you eat in foods and that might help.

    I use acne wash by neutrogena, and benzoyl peroxide. Do you clean your pillow cases very often? Because germs from pillows can clog pores. Phones should be sanitized often if you use it often. makeup brushes especially should be washed as often as possible. Drinking lots of water, getting lots of sleep are huge factors. Just eating healthier in general slowly clears it up. Making sure you take off your makeup properly every night and cleanse your face.

    I do some face masks. some days, I wash my face with just plain oatmeal. It's very hydrating for the skin. Every week, at least once, I mix up this mask that consists of honey, greek yogurt, extra virgin olive oil, and coconut oil. I heat up the oils so they're all melted and warm. Then I mix it with the yogurt and honey. This mask worked wonders for me. Especially if you have dry skin during the winter, this mask hydrates so well. I'm not really sure how well it works with acne though.

    I've also heard somewhere that potato skin works well if you just put it on your skin for a while and then take it off, but I haven't tried it so I don't really know.

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