28 User Reviews
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Then I went on a trip and wasn't eating my typical diet. My acne cleared up for the whole trip until I bought a jar of peanut butter.
I started to pay attention to what I was eating when I would break out. If I eat ANY nuts or seeds or seed oils (such as sesame oil) I break out with a vengeance. If I steer clear, my skin is entirely clear.
It's a bummer because I adore nuts, seeds, hummus, grainy breads that are full of seeds. But my skin does not appreciate these for some reason.
If you think diet might be a factor for you, I recommend paying attention to the patterns (you can keep a symptom diary) to figure out what breaks you out. It might be something unexpected.
Dietary Changes
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Dietary Changes
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Dietary Changes
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Dietary Changes
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Dietary Changes
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Dietary Changes
First, we discuss PROPER HOME CARE & CLEANING METHODS - NEVER use soap-use a cleanser with some type of alpha or beta hydroxy acid. Salicylic or lactic acids works well. In some cases, a Clarasonic type rotating brush can keep pores clear of debris and excess oil - but careful not to overdue it or can irritate your skin. Gently remove cleanser with a warm cotton wash cloth ALWAYS - great for exfoliation. Other surface causes could be: dirty makeup brushes & applicators, mineral oil in foundation, dirty pillowcases, and of course, using the wrong cleansing products-so find a cleanser that is appropriate for your skin type. An esthetician can guide you, so get facials on a regular basis - they really do help for deeper cleansing.
Second, and really IMPORTANT. Look at your DIGESTIVE SYSTEM and the FOOD you're eating. Your skin is a direct reflection of what's going on in you GUT. So, first thing is rule out are FOOD ALLERGIES -
DAIRY & WHEAT are two triggers. Most people won't even consider that conventional dairy products are injected with hormones that upset YOUR hormones - feed lot cows are eating TONS of grains loaded with antibiotics, pesticides, and hormones. It could be the milk protein, casein, that you're allergic to. You can also try to eliminate ALL DAIRY for 2 WEEKS and see what happens OR, switch to GRASS-FED milk or RAW milk which you can find at a health food store. Drinking organic milk doesn't guarantee that the cow was grass-fed, only that it might have eaten a percentage of organic grains. Not the same thing. Buy 'cultured butter' which has naturally occurring fermentation (good for the gut) and eat 'pastured' eggs which are rich in Omega-3s bc the eggs come from chickens that eat what they're supposed to eat: insects & clover.
WHEAT is the other trigger. The actual wheat grain has been cross-bred with so many different types of grasses that your body is not meant to digest - and of course, there's GLUTEN. Conventionally processed wheat products are loaded with gluten and your body is reacting - which can show up as cystic acne. Stay away from anything made with flour...even whole grains. Your gluten sensitivity w/o digestive symptoms, as with Celiac, could show up as migraines, fatigue, and brain fog. For more information, please read, 'Wheat Belly'. You will be amazed.
STRENGTHEN YOUR GUT with fermented foods that contain probiotics - like kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir (dairy, so be careful) and miso. Can also take probiotics in powder form (I like Green Vibrance products) or find probiotics in gel caps.
DRINK GREEN SMOOTHIES to alkalinize your system - the standard American diet (S.A.D.) is way too acidic. Eat LOTS OF GREENS (kale, collards, swiss chard, spinach, etc.) You can google 'green smoothies' for great recipes. EAT MORE RAW FOODS...for the enzymes.
Third, there's SUGAR. Sugar produces spikes in insulin and really does a number on your pancreas. The spike in insulin causes increases sebum (oil) production which leads to clogged pores. Going back to refined carbs (there's that flour again) creates the same reaction in the body as pure sugar so it's a vicious cycle. Make an effort to cut back and again, see what happens.
Good luck!! I love this site ~ thank you!!!!
Dietary Changes
Over the years, I've literally invested thousands of dollars in doctors, naturopaths, spas, saunas, tanning beds, cleansing and detoxification, fasting cures, prescription medications, both topical and oral, drug store acne products, natural remedies, herbals, cosmetics and reading materials. For most of my adult life, I have led a healthy lifestyle: I exercise vigorously and regularly, eat a very healthy diet, drink lots of water, get regular doses of sunshine, take vitamin supplements, avoid ingestion of chemicals and alcohol, engage in relaxing activities to de-stress from my job and try to get at least 5-6 hrs of sleep a night. I have a successful career and a large network of supportive family and friends, with whom I regularly socialize. People tell me all of the time that I look 10-15 years younger than my stated age, but I've also been insulted by the likes of aestheticians and even my ex-husband. Despite all of that, it is extremely frustrating and depressing to still walk around every day feeling I have to hide my natural skin! Even more disheartening is to watch my daughter begin her journey down this ugly road!
Most cleansing rituals & routines, as well as most topicals have led to my disappointment that my skin looked much worse, after using them, instead of clearer! The only real complete break from my cystic "adolescent-type" of acne that I have ever had was with the birth control pill. However, I choose not to take that any more, because of breast cancer, stroke and other possible risks.
I have discovered, though, that leaving corn and anything made with any of its byproducts, out of my diet seems to help. That may help to explain why some people do well on a "gluten-free" diet--maybe it's the corn, not the gluten. I have also found that eliminating non-cultured dairy and gluten-containing products does help my skin a little.
I agree with Chet from LA that the sodium lauryl and sodium laureth sulfates are a big culprit! They are even contained in many so-called "acne products. " (They want you to keep trying their products, so they put in an ingredient that actually causes acne??! ) Fortunately, there are a few inexpensive brands of shampoos and soaps that do not contain sulfates, e.g. some products from L'Oreal and Ivory and Irish Spring bar soaps.
I was wondering if anyone has had any positive experiences with CoEnzyme A/Pantothen, which I have recently seen advertised....
(Fayetteville, Georgia)
05/31/2012
(The Beach, Canada)
05/31/2012
(Houston, Tx)
05/31/2012
One option would be to stay away from what you are allergic to. Allergies however CAN be cleared successfully using NAET protocol by chiropracters and naturopaths. Google NAET and read for yourself. The goal is to have a body that can intake, consume and successfully digest and breakdown what is ingested. And NAET does just that! Good luck!
(The Beach, Canada)
05/31/2012
(Australia)
07/01/2015
I've experienced acne, the kind that hangs around for years. It's a minor annoyance, to say the least. I've also experienced anxiety, the kind where you feel uneasy and things don't seem real, and you have panic attacks when it gets bad and you feel like you're going to die.
I live with the former, and I'm really thankful I don't have to live with the latter (at least not on a regular basis).
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Acne is not just about your face. It is just a reaction to whatever is happening inside your body. If you read up on Chinese face reading, the location of your acne indicates what is going wrong with your body. For example, when I had a chest cold the same area on my face would break out (either side, between my mouth and nose) which indicates the lungs. But even though I would see my Chinese herbalist/acupuncturist they would fix it but then it would come back, again and again.
Two months ago there were a lot of changes at my work and I was really stressed. My face broke out, the worst it's ever been. Nothing would calm it down. And even worse, I kept getting sick. Colds, flus, cough, etc. One after the other. It was exhausting. Then I went to a chiropractor who just happened to be gluten intolerant and she said that I was probably intolerant to gluten. I had nothing to lose, so I took gluten out of my diet. The first week I had a horrible headache that started everyday at 2pm, then I got sick again. But after three weeks, I started feeling better. My skin is flawless. It has never looked so great. I feel that my acupuncture appointments are even working better because I'm not constantly harming my body. I keep losing inches and my energy feels a lot better. My vaginitis is gone and my fatigue is dissipating.
Just a warning: the first few weeks are hard! The headaches were really painful and I kept getting sick but I feel so much better than before! Please remember that you are not doing this just for your skin but for you entire body. Your body is just trying to tell you something!
Another warning: Most gluten intolerants specialists don't want you to stop eating gluten before they test you because they need gluten in your system for the test to be accurate. (By the way, it's a really invasive test) I chose to remove it immediately because I don't care about the test. Even if they were to give me a positive test, the only thing they would do is to tell me not to eat gluten. It's not worth my time or effort.
(Melbourne, Australia)
05/25/2011
Singer04 just an interesting aside. I read an article of a guy who makes fermented sourdough bread. He makes the starter over a couple of weeks and then when he makes the bread he ferments it for over 12 hours overnight before cooking it. He said many people who were gluten intolerant could eat the sourdough bread even though it was wheat. The secret was in the fermenting of it.
These days all our breads are quick risen and not left long enough to ferment. It was an interesting viewpoint. Here is the article if you are interested in reading it. If true it may mean you don't need to stop wheat altogether, just when you are out.
The comments section also has a good recipe.
http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/slow-ferment-sourdough-bread
Dietary Changes
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Dietary Changes
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Dietary Changes
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Dietary Changes
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I just wanted to write tell about some things that seem to be curing my acne.
First of all, I used to get pimples on my butt and I found that it was from the lotion I used (or sometimes I'd use baby oil after a shower). Anything with mineral oil or petroleum jelly or or artificial stuff like that in it would give me pimples. It took me a little while to figure it out because I'm really into moisturizing my skin and it's something I'd been doing for a long time. When I switched to using virgin coconut oil or other virgin oils (olive, grapeseed, etc.) the problem disappeared.
However, I still got pimples on my face, back, and chest. It was really embarrassing to wear a swimsuit or a dress with a low back or anything, because they were all over (esp. my back). Well, a couple of months ago I decided to become a vegetarian (for reasons other than my acne). When I did this, I also became concerned about my nutrition and started taking a tablespoon or two of both unsulphured blackstrap molasses and brewer's yeast every day, in addition to eating a diet almost entirely of whole grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and cold-pressed (virgin) oils. I couldn't believe what was happening to me, but after a week or two the zits on my chest totally went away. Next they started disappearing on my back and now they are totally gone there, too (except for some little red scars where they used to be, but they are disappearing too). Now my face is clearing up as well - and I didn't even get any new ones when I got my period. I'm putting shea butter and lotions I make myself out of olive oil or almond oil and beeswax on my face. The shea butter really seems to help the scars disappear quickly. I tried using Pond's a couple of days ago but when I did I had a big zit under my eye by the evening.
I'm convinced that my acne was caused mostly by my diet. I realized this even more after I went to the fair a couple of weeks ago and ate a bunch of deep-fried food (still vegetarian but very high fat content!). The next couple of days my acne flared up again badly. A huge pimple on my cheek, one on my chin, lots of tiny ones on my forehead, and several on my back. It didn't matter what I was (or wasn't) putting on my skin. They just came, and benzol peroxide seemed to make the one on my cheek worse. Now that I've been back to "normal" (high-fiber, low fat vegetarian) about a week all the pimples are almost gone again (and no new ones have appeared).
I know a vegetarian diet sounds extreme but it is totally worth it to me. I feel so much better and healthier and more beautiful. I can look at myself in the mirror now and see smooth skin all the way up and down my body, front and back. I think I was just taking in more toxins to my body than it could handle. This wasn't easy for me to see as I am petite and thin for my size - so I wouldn't have guessed that too much fat/toxins in my diet were causing the problem. Now I am certain this is the case! Plus I feel better and more energetic and happier than I have in years. So in a nutshell - eating vegetarian/whole unprocessed foods, making sure my diet is nutritionally sound (blackstrap molasses and brewers yeast) and not putting chemicals or mineral oils on my skin is turning out to be a wonderful acne cure I wasn't expecting. If you can do it, I'm sure it will make you better too.
Dietary Changes
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Dietary Changes
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Dietary Changes
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Dietary Changes
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I used to have many health ailments, many of which I have read about here. The only thing that works to cure them and keep them away is a raw diet. When eating a raw diet, you avoid most of the foods that cause the problems in the first place. Consuming too much cooked proteins, especially wheat and dairy, causes disease. Cooking the proteins makes them difficult for the body to break down the protein. The excess proteins clog up the lymph and other organs of elimination causing an over growth of bacteria (colds, cysts, etc.)which in turn causes disease. The disease usually shows up in the weakest organs that have usually been abused the most from a wrong diet. There is a wealth of info at waisays.com and barefoots forum at curezone.com. Herbs are a great way to aid in healing. When you just start cleansing and eating a raw diet, they can help you heal faster. Just wanted to mention this. Thanks and have a great day!
Dietary Changes
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Dietary Changes
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I have also heard that dairy products can cause acne. I stopped using dairy products about the same time i stopped eating wheat/gluten, so that could also be part of the solution.
Dietary Changes
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