Acne breakout

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zoer302
zoer302 Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've only been on my 'restarted' weight loss journey for 14 days now and only lost 4lb so far.

This last week I have had a mammoth breakout of spots on my face. I don't suffer with this usually.

Any correlation?

(p.s diet consists of food I usually eat - porridge, fruit, nuts, meat, eggs, veg etc - no new foods introduced)

Replies

  • must_deflate
    must_deflate Posts: 183 Member
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    Dairy products make many people break out. Any increase in consumption of yogurt, cheese, milk, etcc?
  • zoer302
    zoer302 Posts: 23 Member
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    Not really no
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
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    It's a little early for weight-loss related acne as you have only begun and likely most of the 4 pounds that you have lost is water weight. However, estrogen is stored in fat cells and upon liberation (fat loss) it can cause acne flare-ups. For me this happened at around the 20 lbs lost point.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
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    Have you been working out more than usual? Breakouts can be caused by sweat if you're not toweling off and moisturizing properly after a workout.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    I think sometimes if you have a major diet change it can cause this, or that's what I've observed. Like maybe your skin has to adjust to your new diet or something. Either that or it's being caused by your work outs and you're either not cleansing your face afterwards, or it could be that you are cleansing your face too much? I am a long-time acne sufferer and the thing that helps me the most is to just not mess with it. I wash my face 2x a day and moisturize and that's it.
  • zoer302
    zoer302 Posts: 23 Member
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    Yes, I shower straight after working out always. Hopefully it will calm down soon :)
  • FireOpalCO
    FireOpalCO Posts: 641 Member
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    You might want to improve your moisturizer. If you are washing more than you used to and you are sweating like crazy, your skin might be trying to compensate. My skin improved when I started using a heavier moisturizer at night.
  • SteamPug
    SteamPug Posts: 262 Member
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    I’m 116lbs and will get weightloss ache after eating for only a week in a deficit, so I wouldn’t rule that out.
  • Deviette
    Deviette Posts: 979 Member
    edited October 2018
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    It can happen I'm afraid. When I go back to deficit after an off few days I'll tend to break out somewhat. Remember that deficit is stressful for your body and acne can be a stress response.

    Also, I always find when I increase my water intake, I break out and it'll settle down in about a week. So that might be something.
  • 4Pop
    4Pop Posts: 53 Member
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    Stress
  • rgbmore
    rgbmore Posts: 85 Member
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    I get it all the time, but some things that cause flare ups: (Not a dermatologist, but these work for me)
    Do you wear sunscreen while working out? Might try a gentler brand, and make sure you really wash it off.
    Do you have hard water in your shower? If you are showering but not cleansing your face with an actual cleanser, this plus hard water is rough on skin. Cereve and store brand gentle cleansers (no sacylic acid) worked best for me without drying me out.
    Change out your towel, washcloth, etc more often
    Change out your pillowcase more often
    Don't touch your face as much (when sweating, use your washcloth instead, or wear something to keep hairline sweat from coming down your face)
    Try a retinoid cream at night (differin is available over the counter now) if it's really bad. Takes a few weeks to kick in.

    When I start working out and sweating, I get acne regardless of weight loss, so those are a few things that might help, and of course a dermatologist can provide the best regimen for you. Hormones freak out over diet changes too, or it could be just acne decided it was a nice day to visit your face! I hope it clears up for you, and don't let it get you down!

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