Acne and a healthy diet

tenajh · June 2013

I have been explaining to my daughter that eating clean will help her acne problem but I have no stories to back that statement up. Have any of you had a problem with acne that cleared up with eating clean?

juliec33 · June 2013

Hi! I've had severe cystic acne since I hit puberty at age 11.....I'm 44 right now. I've tried everything - including Accutane (which only worked for a few years). I am still taking antibiotics and spironolactone to help control it but diet definitely plays a role.

It's never gone away when I "eat clean" but a good diet does help with the severity of my breakouts. Sugar seems to be a trigger for me. Like clockwork, 2 days after I indulge in some candy/cookies/cake my breakouts seem to be worse....more angry and inflamed. I think it has something to do with overall systemic inflammation because my psoriasis is also worse after sugar. Once I get the sugar back under control everything seems to quiet down a little.

I wish somebody had told me all of this when I was a teenager!!!!!!! Back then the dermatologist was adamant that diet didn't have anything to do with acne. Oh, what we've learned in 33 years............

Good luck...for her sake I hope she listens :-)

toot1983 · June 2013

I suddenly developed cystic acne at around 26/27 I think it was triggered by stress. I stopped drinking cows milk and replaced it with almond milk and it has made such a difference. Taking high strength fish oil tablets played a part as well.

Monny287 · June 2013

Much to my chagrin, yes. My grandfather always told me that eating junk food wouldn't do my break outs any favors, and I (in all my teenage wisdom) told him that it was a myth that had been debunked. Low and behold, I went clean (or mostly clean) about a month ago and my breakouts have gotten much better. Especially since I switched out Diet Coke for water.

However, it only remains better so long as I eat enough calories. I have a habit of under-eating, and too many days of that will cause a breakout.

Also, using a moisturizer REALLY helped. It may seem counterproductive, especially if you have combination or oily skin and your skin feels greasy anyway. But I cleared up a ton when I started using one this past winter. I needed something to clear up my dry, chapped skin and found that my acne started to go away after a week of using it every day.

tenajh · June 2013

Thank you for your testimonials, I will try to do some online research. What I have seen so far is exactly as you all state. Grateful to hear about the Vit E. I have always moisturized with Oil of Olay and do take Fish Oil Supplements, but cannot say I have had any issues since my teenage years. Grateful for that, but she has had Accutane and countless other meds, creams and dermatology visits. She was even told that she is allergic to sunlight, not sure about that one. LOL, guess anything is possible.

thisismeraw · June 2013

I have TERRIBLE acne growing up. So bad I did have to take Accutane and although there is a lot of issues with that drug it is by far one of the best things I have done. It worked amazing for me. Sure, it was hell because of extremely dry skin, nails, hair, nose, eyes and lips but it worked really well. My acne came back a bit a few years later at which point I went on Diane 35 (birth control pill). This pill helped so much with my acne.

Now, I am still on BC but not one for acne as Diane 35 is marketed for. Since eating a healthy diet, exercising and paying more attention to my skin care my acne is not as bad as it was a while ago. I have removed meat and most dairy from my diet which helped it so much! I eat as little processed foods as possible and drink A LOT of water. When I exercise I make sure I have no make up on and I ensure I wash my face right after I am done. I also use a cleanser that is not made for acne as some of those cleansers can make it worse.

tenajh · June 2013

Thanks for that idea, anyone else out there with any helpful ideas? Accutane did not work for her, nor did the 5 different types of crèmes they put her on.

Cp731 · June 2013

Its seriously hereditary.
I experienced it for a few years, not heavily, but it was bothersome.
Our bodies change every 7 years and go thru a cycle.
Im not a pro, I may be wrong, I think she may have to just grow out of it.

Also, I can not stress the important of washing the face, neck, back. Wash Wash Wash!! It makes a huge difference.

ubcdeac · June 2013

Eating habits haven't really impacted my skin that much (unfortunately), getting enough sleep always helps though which could be tied to food. I'm 25 now and one of the things that made a big difference for me in high school was taking birth control (orthotricyclen lo) and when I stopped taking it my skin has gotten a lot worse. It just depends on the person though - in my case, my acne is clearly a hormonal thing

cdjs77 · June 2013

I had pretty bad acne on my face and back when I was younger. I was prescribed Minocycline for a while, but I got some side effects (headaches, dizziness, etc) so I stopped. Surprisingly, what worked best was birth control and clean eating. I was skeptical about the pill at first (as I wasn't involved in the "activities" that required it) but it cleared up most of my acne. I still got a few pimples here and there, but it was definitely more manageable with over-the-counter solutions. Once I started eating clean, it almost went away completely. I thought I had "grown out of it," but many relapses into unhealthy foods has taught me otherwise. In fact, I went on vacation recently and totally gave up clean eating for junk food and fried food and this week my face is starting to break out a bit. Also, as someone else mentioned, oil free moisturizer after washing can be helpful too (I, too, use Oil of Olay for sensitive skin).

thisismeraw · June 2013

Im not a pro, I may be wrong, I think she may have to just grow out of it.

Also, I can not stress the important of washing the face, neck, back. Wash Wash Wash!! It makes a huge difference.

I don't think everyone outgrows acne. Personally I have to keep things like diet, exercise and washing in check if I want to control it. Some may outgrow it though.

ANd I do agree with the washing part of your statement but do not wash too much. Washing too often or using a harsh cleanser can make the condition worse. I have found the best cleanser is something like SpectroGel or something else that is easy on the skin and light on chemicals. I use an acne cleanser once a day at most.

Also, for the OP daughter.... does she eat a lot of peanut butter? I had a doctor recommend my brother cut it out for his terrible acne and once he did his acne cleared up quite a bit. Also, have your daughter make sure she cleans her phone, headbands, makeup tools, etc and doesn't touch her face often. I noticed when I was working in an office I ended up getting a lot of acne along my chin and by my ears... turns out it was the phone as I wasn't cleaning it often. Wash makeup tools at least once a week but spray with rubbing alcohol or a brush spray after every use. I wash any headbands I have used when I wash my face. When I workout I make sure I wear a headband or something to ensure my hair is not always on my face... on the note of hair, if she uses a lot of styling products have her try to keep her hair off her face.

mizzougirl147 · June 2013

Hey, I too have suffered from severe acne and seen results upon changing my diet. Like others have mentioned, cow's milk and sugar are two of the most common factors that contribute to acne. I used to spend a lot of time on the forums over at www.acne.org , specifically the holistic/nutrition board. I hope it helps! Good luck to your daughter!

PaleoPath4Lyfe · June 2013

I suddenly developed cystic acne at around 26/27 I think it was triggered by stress. I stopped drinking cows milk and replaced it with almond milk and it has made such a difference. Taking high strength fish oil tablets played a part as well.

Dairy intake along with sugar plays a large role in acne.

iceey · June 2013

I've had acne since about 13 years old. I was on accutane in my 20s and it helped. I'm now 41 and still get breakouts but now they are cystic acne along my jaw which is all hormonal. So diet does not help for me at all. So everyone is different, but eating better will certainly make her healthier, even if it doesn't help her acne.

Acne and a healthy diet

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