Any acne/ trouble skin sufferers benefit from cutting out foods?

catt952
catt952 Posts: 190 Member
edited November 28 in Food and Nutrition
Hi i am a 25 year old woman who suffers from acne and other skin problems. I am currently losing weight and am staying within my maintenance calories. I am wondering if any other members have had success with changing their diet in regards to their skin? I am thinking about cutting out refined sugars and eating fruit instead. Has anyone else tried cutting out certain foods for their skin and what changes did you notice?

Replies

  • nancyvinci92
    nancyvinci92 Posts: 9 Member
    I realized controlling my intake of oily foods reduced the formation of acne considerably. This has been working well for me
  • michaelam29
    michaelam29 Posts: 2 Member
    I noticed a huge difference in my skin when I cut out dairy. I have a slight sensitivity to dairy anyway (not full blown lactose intolerance, but close enough) so it could be related to that.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited August 2018
    My skin has always improved drastically whenever I have eaten in a calorie deficit. I didn't connect the dots until someone mentioned testosterone, which is increased during anabolic phases, which I'm in when I eat in a caloric surplus. So now I aim to keep a stable weight, and my skin is... not perfect, but compared to what I'm used to, like a baby's.
  • lulehlu
    lulehlu Posts: 87 Member
    I recommend seeing a dermatologist if you can. I wish I had gone years ago. That and regular exercise have made a huge difference.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    Biggest difference for me was when I started drinking water almost exclusively. Not sure if it's from the increase in water or the decrease in other beverages, but I'll take it!
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    My skin improved when I stopped being overly restrictive with my food choices (clean eating to the point of orthorexia)....I started an IIFYM approach and stressed less. I started incorporating collagen protein in to my diet around the same time, not sure if that's in any way related to the skin improvement.
  • laurabini
    laurabini Posts: 257 Member
    I stopped eating dairy, cut down on chocolate and cured meats and my skin has significantly improved.
    I do still have the occasional piece of dark chocolate or parma ham every now and then (probably once every few months) and still no side effects.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    Nope, not for me. The only thing that worked for me was to stop messing with it so much and stop using so much crap on my face. I used to pick at my face all the time, and I would over-wash it and smear benzol peroxide on it twice a day. Once I stopped doing all that, my skin cleared up. I tried cutting out dairy once and didn't notice anything.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    hesn92 wrote: »
    Nope, not for me. The only thing that worked for me was to stop messing with it so much and stop using so much crap on my face. I used to pick at my face all the time, and I would over-wash it and smear benzol peroxide on it twice a day. Once I stopped doing all that, my skin cleared up. I tried cutting out dairy once and didn't notice anything.

    I also have much better results using gentler products. I still wash, tone, and moisturize but with products aimed for healthy skin conditioning, not zit-blasting. It took a while for me to find the right products for my skin, but now you'll have to pry them out of my cold dead hands :lol:
  • kaleekiwi
    kaleekiwi Posts: 8 Member
    For me, the biggest positive impact on my skin was to limit alcohol. Early this spring I stopped drinking completely (just to see how it went), and my skin cleared up noticeably. Now I drink ocassionally, and when I do, it almost always results in a breakout. Ive also found that limiting dairy and added sugars has helped enormously. But every body is different and will react uniquely! I would recommend being mindful of when you breakout most and what youve been eating when that happens- perhaps you will find a correlation. Good luck! 😊
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    I used to have quite patchy skin on my face, colour-wise, as well as the odd breakout, and KP on my arms, some butt zits, the usual. I'm not sure when exactly but it has all cleaned up pretty much completely now that I eat more carefully than I used to (I really make a point to eat a lot of fruit and veg, I rarely eat candy or fried food any more, don't drink much booze). I also used to need chapstick on me at all times, and my lips hardly ever feel dry now. I still have some rosacea on my face but I don't think that's fixable.
  • Deviette
    Deviette Posts: 978 Member
    edited August 2018
    Since I started loosing I definitely noticed my skin is generally better. I also upped my water intake at the same time. However it did co-inside with getting a new job, so reduced stress may also have played an effect. Also summer. I've always found my skin generally betting in summer.

    I do find that when I don't work out as much, my skin tends to be worse.

    If you're looking to see if something makes a difference, may I recommend sticking with something for at least a month to decide if it works/not works. I've heard reports that changes can initially cause you to break out before become beneficial.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    catt952 wrote: »
    Hi i am a 25 year old woman who suffers from acne and other skin problems. I am currently losing weight and am staying within my maintenance calories. I am wondering if any other members have had success with changing their diet in regards to their skin? I am thinking about cutting out refined sugars and eating fruit instead. Has anyone else tried cutting out certain foods for their skin and what changes did you notice?

    Yes- wheat (but I cut that out to fix the joint pain, extreme fatigue, stomach bloating,.. - turns out it was also causing skin & sinus problems).
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    catt952 wrote: »
    Hi i am a 25 year old woman who suffers from acne and other skin problems. I am currently losing weight and am staying within my maintenance calories. I am wondering if any other members have had success with changing their diet in regards to their skin? I am thinking about cutting out refined sugars and eating fruit instead. Has anyone else tried cutting out certain foods for their skin and what changes did you notice?

    Replacing sugar with other sugar isn't likely to make a difference.
    Removing a food that is a common allergen/or to which many people have intolerances might potentially help though.
  • smolmaus
    smolmaus Posts: 442 Member
    ritzvin wrote: »

    Replacing sugar with other sugar isn't likely to make a difference.
    Removing a food that is a common allergen/or to which many people have intolerances might potentially help though.
    I thought the same thing, but cutting out all processed sugars can potentially remove a lot of sugar from your diet, and unless you're eating a ridiculous amount of strawberries to compensate or drinking gallons of fruit juices you'd probably still be netting a lot less.

    I'm in the same position as you OP, I started getting cystic acne on my neck just over a year ago (on top of permanently oily skin), it might be/ probably is hormone related but I'm trying to cut out as much dairy as possible just to see what the difference is. Agree with above as well, change one thing at a time and stick with it through at least a month!
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Sugars seem to trigger pimples in me, especially around my chin. Carbs in general do it to a lesser degre, but sugar seems worse.

    Dairy will also lend itself to more pimples for me.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    my skin is way better when i eat alot of fruit i have no idea why....It makes no sense. The water sure and fiber i guess but when i eat a ton of veggies like i normally do...no benefit....alot of fruit...benefits....curious. I know i have PCOS so my acne is hormonal and cystic, Which makes that make even less sense XD
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Dairy and wheat.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    Nope, not for me. The only thing that worked for me was to stop messing with it so much and stop using so much crap on my face. I used to pick at my face all the time, and I would over-wash it and smear benzol peroxide on it twice a day. Once I stopped doing all that, my skin cleared up. I tried cutting out dairy once and didn't notice anything.

    I also have much better results using gentler products. I still wash, tone, and moisturize but with products aimed for healthy skin conditioning, not zit-blasting. It took a while for me to find the right products for my skin, but now you'll have to pry them out of my cold dead hands :lol:
    Yep. Thankfully Neutragena works fine for me lol. Both wash and moisturizer. Nothing fancy. I also used to never use moisturizer because I thought it would just make my face oilier and break out more lol!
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    My adult acne is tied to my hormones not so much food.
    I think my skin looks better when I drink water and eat plenty of vegetables and protein but I have not removed foods from my diet.

    If acne is a new thing for you then you might consult your regular doctor or a dermatologist.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    Hydration and proper skincare had a much larger impact on the health of my skin than any food intake changes, but I think balance and variety has also had some impact, i.e. making sure I'm getting enough fat in my diet. I haven't had any skin changes with increasing or reducing dairy.
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