Considering going 90% vegan for better skin?

peachvine29
peachvine29 Posts: 400 Member
edited August 2019 in Food and Nutrition
I am 26 years old. I experimented with a vegan diet in high school and remember having excellent skin and vibrant energy. I got up to 200 lbs. and in February last year started counting calories, and am now 130 lbs. I did this through a high protein diet, not restricting carbs or anything, just eating meat with every meal, cottage cheese, and also some fruits and veggies.

I am still trying to lose about five more pounds or so at this point, I definitely have a very soft midsection. I am getting much happier with my body, however, I do have stretch marks (they are kind of hard to notice), my skin feels a looser but not usually noticeable unless it is tugged on, and I don't like the condition of my skin. I have been wearing sunscreen every day. But my skin I feel is not smoothly colored, it also has an inflamed, reddish look. I am still eating in a deficit and high protein, but next time I grocery shop I am considering trying to do every meal except dinner vegan. Can my skin improve? As I get older I feel I am losing hope, I have major regrets about being overweight but what can you do.
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Replies

  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,646 Member
    edited August 2019
    The actual "term" would be flexitarian or V*gan, the latter of which I don't agree with simply for the reasons that you mentioned. That being said, no way of eating is superior and everyone can make their own decisions and reasons for doing things... the only thing that really "suffers" in this instance is the ease of communication from having well defined meaning to the nomenclature.

    Edited for clarity.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,846 Member
    I am really confused when people say they are going part vegan. Surely you are either Vegan or something else.

    I was under the impression that Veganism was entirely plant based lifestyle, no animal products whatsoever in your life not just your diet.

    I am not trying to be rude but how can you be 90% Vegan I am genuinely interested in the answer. Thank you.

    Right, "90% plant-based" would be more accurate but I understood what she wanted to convey.

    My mom also says "vegan" when she means "plant-based".
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,846 Member
    My skin is much better when I don't eat dairy. Other people can have their views about it, but there is a very clear difference for me personally.

    I have been vegan, and find it difficult to sustain. I do best on what would probably be best described as a whole food, plant based diet. A lot of veg, grains, lentils, beans, etc still eating eggs and meat a couple of times a week.

    You could try increasing the number of vegetarian/ vegan meals you eat a week gradually and see how you get on.
    That way to start to learn what works for you and it's less of a shock to the system.

    Yes, I have heard of other people with issues with dairy and meant to bring this up, but got sidetracked with the sunscreen thing.

    If it were me, eliminating dairy would be the third thing I tried, after ensuring my sunscreen and skin-care products weren't causing the issue, and seeing a dermatologist.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    edited August 2019
    There are some claims that avoiding dairy can help with acne, but it's unclear whether these have any scientific evidence to support them. The studies so far have all had various flaws, so while there *might* be something to it, we don't know for sure. I would personally say the evidence is not strong enough to make me stop eating dairy, unless I also had other reasons for not eating dairy. (source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6115795/)

    If your goal is just to treat your skin symptoms and you don't have an ethical stance leading you to veganism, then I would recommend against going vegan. Visit a dermatologist instead.
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I am really confused when people say they are going part vegan. Surely you are either Vegan or something else.

    I was under the impression that Veganism was entirely plant based lifestyle, no animal products whatsoever in your life not just your diet.

    I am not trying to be rude but how can you be 90% Vegan I am genuinely interested in the answer. Thank you.

    Right, "90% plant-based" would be more accurate but I understood what she wanted to convey.

    My mom also says "vegan" when she means "plant-based".

    OK, thanks for the clarification. :)
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I am really confused when people say they are going part vegan. Surely you are either Vegan or something else.

    I was under the impression that Veganism was entirely plant based lifestyle, no animal products whatsoever in your life not just your diet.

    I am not trying to be rude but how can you be 90% Vegan I am genuinely interested in the answer. Thank you.

    I am with you on that. If someone is vegan, they use nothing produced by or taken from non plant living things. This means no honey or beeswax, no silk or wool, no leather, nothing made with traditional gelatin, no cosmetics with certain red or purple dyes, etc. Veganism is an ethical lifestyle, Vegetarianism is a way of eating which includes no animal flesh.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,913 Member
    I am really confused when people say they are going part vegan. Surely you are either Vegan or something else.

    I was under the impression that Veganism was entirely plant based lifestyle, no animal products whatsoever in your life not just your diet.

    I am not trying to be rude but how can you be 90% Vegan I am genuinely interested in the answer. Thank you.

    Heh - that's like when people say they're Paleo Vegan. And I'm like WHAT?!! HOW??? Mutually exclusive?!

    Apparently it's a thing - you eat Paleo for breakfast and lunch, then Vegan for dinner....

    It just makes me laugh though...
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,913 Member
    OP, I think looking into your sunscreen would be a good idea as a starter. And dermatologist.



  • peachvine29
    peachvine29 Posts: 400 Member
    TrishSeren wrote: »
    Unless you are getting your skin products from a certified dermatologist or a skin spa then they aren't doing anything. Supermarket, drugstore, Sephora etc, all of those products are pretty much useless because they don't have enough of the vital ingredients to have any effect on your skin.

    Retinol is a perfect example, used incorrectly it can burn the skin. There are plenty of low dose retinol products you can buy off a shelf but they wouldn't do anything because you need a higher dose for it actually work. However, for a dose that's high enough to work, it needs to be a professional product which you can only buy from a skin spa or dermatologist as they have to advise the usage.

    I spend $100s on my skincare but it's a pretty simple routine, cleanse, eye cream, serum, moisturiser and sunscreen. Retinol added in at night only. Once a week I exfoliate with an acid peel. I get asked all the time what I use and have referred so many people to my skin specialist because what the sell and recommend actually works.

    If you can't afford quality skincare then here are some basic tips from my skin specialist.
    - use a clean face cloth every day
    - don't ever exfoliate with beads or gritty exfoliators, these are too rough for your face skin and cause damage
    - take fish oil (if you don't eat heaps of fish)
    - sunscreen every day

    Thank you for the tips!! Great ones :). I have been switching a couple things to natural products, there is a booth at my local farmer's market where the products are very simple yet effective, she researches all ingredients. https://mrsbsoap.com/ I use her sensitive skin soap and facial serum.

    If anyone is interested, or wants to audit my routine...: :)

    - I shower every morning with luke warm to cool water, but only use soap everywhere every other day (other days are rinsing), except I always wash between my legs and armpits :)
    - The body soap I use Ingredients: Saponified Coconut & Organic Olive Oil • Vitamin E
    - I put on organic coconut oil after my shower to lock in moisture on my body
    - I use a super natural face serum from my local farmer's market (Ingredients: Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Essential Oil, Vitamin E)
    - I use Neutrogena daily SPF moisturizer for my face
    - Banana boat sport 50 SPF for my body (probably needs to be changed)
    - At night I use Aveeno gentle foaming cleanser and Neutrogena deep moisture night cream
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,970 Member
    There are too many titles to describe the foods we choose to eat. I didn't know I was "pescatarian" until someone here told me. 😒
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
    edited August 2019
    I can't help but wonder if you may be using too many different products on your skin. Maybe some ingredients are causing problems for you. I am not at all a skincare expert so I can't help (sorry!) but I just know from personal experience that some people just need to keep it very simple and maybe use certain products sparingly. For example, I have combination-oily skin on both face & body and some of the very deep moisturizing products that my friends swear by give me greasy feeling skin and breakouts. Similarly, if I do a multi step process every night my facial skin is not as happy/clear as when I maybe space out the steps and don't do all of them every night.

    Cutting down on dairy sounds like it would help you, too. Not personal experience w/ that but I've heard people mention this for better skin a lot, both here and in "real life".

    Completely anecdotal and not vegan but I have noticed ZERO difference in my own skin from when I was eating all kinds of meat and fast food, etc, daily, versus now when I eat about 80% vegetarian meals. I've always had okay skin. I mention this because I have friends who swear they will wake up after eating whatever item - like chocolate or pizza - with a noticeably blotchy red face or even blemishes. I'd guess that some people have skin that seems to be more sensitive to things in the environment, diet, etc. I think trial & error is best, and of course seeing a dermatologist if that's possible.