LOL, yeah, but I'm not needed as much anymore. Members aren't arguing over whether diet/food causes acne, but rather WHICH diet is the best for preventing acne!

Big change in the past few months, but we've got some brilliant members of this board and I trust they will take care of things just nicely.

I did however create this sticky thread for as a reference source months ago. Just a few weeks ago members were asking for individual sticky posts covering a variety of topics. I just don't think it's feasible to have 10 or 15 sticky posts, especially when they are all relating to various diets or b5 or some other holistic regimen...hence why this thread was created. Yet no one is adding their personal stories or providing an overview of a particular diet or cleansing method that they've found success in so...what to do.

Say, since NOD works for you, please add it to this thread and maybe more will do the same.

Peace

NOD is really simple to follow, any food that's natural and organic (N&O) eat it, if its not N&O don't eat it

this is my daily diet:

Breakfast
- muesli (rolled oats) with orange and mango juice
- vegetable juice
- corn
- sweet potatoes
- eggs (if scrambled add soy milk) - i eat the free range eggs (chickens that haven't been drugged up)
- tea
- water
- salmon
- rice cakes
- avocados
- lime or lemon for flavouring, I use a veggie spice instead of salt

Lunch

- brown rice, meat, seafood, tomatoes, carrots, bok choy, any vegetables
- cooking oil: extra virgin olive oil
- fruits

Dinner
- same as lunch

Downside: It really empties your wallet, you can only really buy like less than 1% of the food in the supermarket, its really difficult to find N & O foods but just shop over the internet - much easier, you have to keep looking at the packaging and spot stuff like no added sugar, artifical colors, flavours etc.

Upside: Greater nutritional value, greater health, you never get sick (save on indirect costs like medical bills, no need to buy skincare products, loss of labor), no acne, less oily skin

a wise man once said...."man steals but nature heals "

The important thing to understand is that the diet that will help each person will be different depending on the underlying issues. I strongly recommend getting tests as well, because they can help solve mysteries.

For me, a stool test and a blood test put me on the right track. I discovered I was extremely anemic and that I had an overgrowth of klebsiella - a 'bad' bacteria that feeds on starch. I took 2 logical steps - I started eating meat and I cut way back on the starches. Hey presto, no more acne. I'll outline my diet, but I just want to stress that I think it worked so well because it directly addressed MY issues. That being said, many people seem to have success with some type of 'low carb' diet. I read about a few of them, and now I don't follow any specific one, but instead what I have found works for me through trial and error.

I eat;
eggs, meat, vegetables, cheese, yogurt, butter, fruit/dried fruit/applesauce, nuts. I might eat beans or potatoes once or twice a week. I've been doing this (and keeping a food/symptom journal) since mid-June with good results.

I'm having troubles eating right, because last month I moved into my apartment (to get to Uni, in another town) and lunches are the worst. I usually eat something at Uni because I don't even have lunch time, and when I have it, I have to move from my faculty to another and I don't have really time for it...
So, my face is getting so muchcia worst, of course, and even at dinner because I don't live alone, and the shopping list is made from both of us, and we don't really have that much room to take all different foods...

I have never thought that my acne was diet related, since I didn't think I had that bad of a diet last year, but I surely had bad acne, (which completely cleared up after Roaccutane) but now it's returing and I'm so scared it will become that bad, because now I live with my friend, and I can't even wash my make up off at night without crying almost, because I'm sooo scared...
Anyway, 2 years ago I read here the diary effect and I stopped drinking milk in the mornings and it seems having helped, and I went on drinking goat milk or just tea... I used to eat a lot of sweets and rafined sugars, pasta, bread but I also ate salad every evening at dinner and fish and healthier things in general...

Now all I'm eating is pizza, as it's my lunch most days as said before, or sandwiches, pasta, some meat (but it's prepared in an italian way, like you bread it and then fry it...yeah, I know) fried potatos (on saturday nights, when I go out), wurstel, a sort of italian bread, yogurt, sometimes ice cream, rarely salad, coffee, coca cola (which I didn't drink it often at all), pop corn...and sweets, lots of them because her mum brings them to us when she comes visiting... So you get the situation.... Of course my face is looking sooo much worse and I'm so scared, because I won't eat as well as before, because all I can eat everyday at lunch is either pizza or hamburger or bread with something because I can't come back home...
Nevertheless I will gain so much weight (which I REALLY have no need to...).

I need advise how to improve my diet, because I don't like eating this way, and apparently my face neither..

You have to attack acne where it starts, with your diet. For me, diet was the cause and solution. Topical medications fight the symptoms. Start by eliminating trans fats and eating more fruits and vegetables. Once you start cleaning up the inside of your body, by eating properly, the outside of your body (your skin) will be get cleaned up too. I started a website to document my problem and solution.

http://www.fredstown.com/acne.html

You might find it helpful to read my story. Just remember to eat an all natural/organic diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Stay away from processed foods. Use mild, all natural cleansers and don't pick at your face. Get lots of sleep and enough water for your body weight. Remember, clean body = clean skin. While you're waiting for your skin to clear, remind yourself that acne is a challenge that you will overcome soon. Once you're rid of it, tell all your friends how you did it. That's what I'm doing. God Bless.
http://www.fredstown.com/acne.html

I'd like to reinforce how wonderful fresh, leafy greens are for those with acne. When I added leafy greens to my already healthy diet, my acne went away almost entirely within 6 weeks.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman, one of the most credible and scientifically accurate doctors in America, recommends greens more than any other food to help with skin problems.

Green smoothies are a very easy and tasty way to get in your fresh fruits and greens for the day. The smoothies taste like fruit smoothies, because the greens are blended with fruit, and the fruit masks the flavor of the greens. You also get four times the amount of nutrition, as the blender is able to more thoroughly break down the cell walls than chewing can alone. Dr. Fuhrman confirms this. Even if they don't help your skin, you'll get terrific health benefits.

To read more about green smoothies, click here: http://www.acne.org/messageboard/FABULOUS-Skin-Food-G-t108917.html

hey
where can i go to gest tested on what foods might be causing my acne?

I am wondering the same thing.

Dude.. I was reading your site and found it very helpful.

The following quote is great:

Instead I shopped the perimeter of the grocery store for fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, chicken and beef.

The leaky gut syndrome part of this thread needs some attention! And anything that has to do with digestive problems. I only just noticed this "pinned" topic today, as i suddenly worked out what LGS means

I started an anti LGS regime just under 4 weeks ago, and it's working a treat for me so far (pics in gallery under profile) - just waiting for time to pass to see if i'm right or not (100% clear is the only goal for me). I haven't messed with my diet too much, or removed any whole food groups (like grains, dairy) - and i still occasionally have really "bad" foods. So somethings definitely helping, LGS, digestion or what - as it's working i don't really care!

Any of the original posters still around?

What do you think of peppermint tea used to control androgens?


http://www.mindandmuscle.net/forum/lofiver...php/t27791.html

- Eric

This weekend I came across a small book on Leaky Gut from Vitamin Cottage and thought it made a lot of sense that this could be a major root cause of acne. This is by no means a "end your acne with my regimen" post. I simply found it quite interesting in providing a solid understanding of how acne, diet, and digestion all work together.

After reading this book, I'm finding many common themes with leaky gut and acne regimens that seem to work one way or another on this site. This book mentions so many of the methods people are using here with I felt like I was discovering the missing link Sugar, diets, B vitamins, zinc, vitamin c, a, and e, antioxidants, digestive enzymes, and probiotics are all mentioned to have positive effects in healing leaky gut which has been linked to cystic acne.

I've been battling cystic for about 13 years now. After 3 rounds on the tane, every antibiotic in the cabinet, and topicals to boot, I've finally said F-it to modern dermatology practice and starting going down the holistic road. I've gotten my skin to "somewhat tolerable" condition and only have few cysts and moderate acne elsewhere. Still its persistent, and damages my social life as so many of you can relate to. So anyway, what I'm posting here is my objective research on leaky gut, its relationship to acne, what causes it, how to diagnose it, and how to help heal your wounded digestion. This is something I just found, so I'm putting together a new regimen and putting the research here to the test myself and will track my progression as time goes on.

Since reading this book I've done the "spit test" for Candida, failed miserably, and am now fairly confident I've found what could be the root of it all: candida and leaky gut syndrome.

*Warning, this is a long post with lots of quoted material*

*Also, I'm by no means an expert I'm simply relaying information from a published source. Please take this information with a grain of salt!*

Here's a preview of the book I reference and quote throughout this post: http://books.google.com/books?id=rGs7cj5UY...ky+gut+syndrome


What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Its basically a condition where the mucus layer of your stomach (which functions as a barrier to keep bad molecules out) is weakened and thinned, which allows bacteria and fungi to pass directly into the bloodstream and into the body. The liver is then charged with clearing out these foreign bodies, but can get overwhelmed with too much work load. When that happen the liver stores this bacteria, fungi, etc into fat cells so it can get to them later. The liver often never catches up and the body is left to expel the waste in another manner, i.e. acne.

Some Common Clinical Conditions Associated with Leaky Gut

• Acne
• Aging
• AIDS
• Alcoholism
• Allergic Disorders
• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Autism
• Celiac disease
• Childhood Hyperactivity
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Crohn's disease
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Eczema
• Food alllergies or sensitivities
• Malabsorption
• Malnutrition
• Psoriasis
• ...more are listed in the book but I'm trying to not write 30 pages

The 7 stages of the "inflamed" gut.

1. When the gut is inflamed, it does not absorb nutrients and foods properly and so fatigue and bloating can occur.
2. When large food particles are absorbed there is the creation of food allergies and new symptoms.
3. When the gut is inflamed the carrier proteins are damaged so nutrient deficiencies can occur.
4. Likewise when the detoxification pathways that line the gut are compromised, chemical sensitivity can arise. Furthermore the leakage of toxins overburdens the liver so that the body is less able to handle everyday chemicals.
5. When the gut lining is inflamed the protective coating of lgA (immunoglobulin A) is adversely affected and the body is not able to ward off protozoa, bacteria, viruses and yeasts.
6. When the intestinal lining is inflamed, bacteria and yeasts are able to trans-locate. This means that they are able to pass from the gut lumen or cavity, into the bloodstream and set up infection anywhere else in the body.
7. The worst symptom is the formation of antibodies. Sometimes these leak across and look similar to antigens on our own tissues. Consequently, when an antibody is made to attack it, it also attacks our tissue. This is probably how autoimmune disease start.

What causes Leaky Gut?

Pain Medications

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like apsin, ibuprofen, and indomethacin are a common cause of leaky gut syndrom. NSAIDs work by blocking prostalglandins, which are tiny messengers that circulate throughout the body. Some prostaglandins cause healing and repair; others pain and inflammation. However, NSAIDs drugs block all prostaglandins. Since the digestive tract repairs and replaces itself every three to five days, prolonged use of NSAIDs block its repairs, which can lead to leaky gut.

Dysbiosis
Basically a fancy term for saying there isn't a proper balance of good bacteria (flora) and bad bacteria (pathogens) in your digestive tract. Quoted from the book:

Normally, we have hundreds of types of bacteria living inside our digestive tract. In fact, we have more bacteria living inside our digestive tract than cells in our body. Many of these are helpful (flora), some are neutral (commensal) and others are harmful (pathogenic).
...
The unbalanced microbes often form chemicals that are poisonous to the cells around them and to the person they live in. A wide variety of substances are product, including amines, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, indoles, phenols and secondary bile acids. These substances may hurt the intestinal lining directly by damaging the brush borders and become absorbed into the bloodstream, causing system-wide effects.
...
The most common cause of dysbiosis is use of prescription and over-the-counter medications. Antibiotics, for instance, change the balance of intestinal microbes. They simultaneously kill both harmful and helpful bacteria throughout our digestive system, mouth, vagina, and skin, leaving the territory to bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi that are unaffected by the antibiotic.
...
Published research has listed dysbiosis as a contributing cause in rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune illness, B12 deficiency, chronic fatigue, cystic acne, the early stages of colon and breast cancer, exzema, food allergy/sensitivity, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowl syndrome and steatorrhea.

Antibiotics
As mentioned above, antibiotics change the balance of intestinal microbes.

Antibiotics simultaneously kill both harmful and helpful bacteria, leaving the territory open to resistant bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. In a healthy gut these are kept in check by healthy microbes. When left unchecked, they colonize the area, contributing to inflammation, irritation and disease. Candida, a fungus, is the most common microbe to flourish in this new environment.

Chronic Stress
I think I'm a victim of this as well...

Prolonged stress changes the immune's system ability to respond quickly and affects our ability to heal. Our body reacts to these stressors by producing less secretory IgA and DHEA (an anti-aging, antistress adrenal hormone), slowing down digestion and peristalsis, reducing blood flow to digestive organs and producing toxic metabolites

Poor Food Choices

Poor food choices contribute to an imbalance of intestinal flora and pH. An intestinal tract that is too alkaline promotes dysbiosis. Low-fiber diets cause an increase in transit time, allowing toxic digestive byproducts to concentrate and irritate the gut mucosa.

Food and Environmental Sensitivities
I find this part really interesting in explaining how diets can be so different for many people, and why it would cause a spark in acne:

True food allergies affect only a small percentage of the population, but food sensitivities are common.
...
Food sensitivities, also called delayed hypersensitivity reactions, cause symptoms which are delayed, taking several hours to several days to appear.
...
Food sensitivities cause a wide number of symptoms typical of a leaky gut. Food particles enter the bloodstream through damaged mucosal membranes. The body recognizes them as foreign substances (antigens) and triggers an immune reaction. The liver also recognizes these antigens as toxins and begins breaking them down. Eating foods to which we are sensitive increases our intestinal permeability, which, in turn, increases our propensity to develop more food sensitivities.
...
Almost any food can cause a reaction, although the most common are wheat, beef, dairy products, eggs, pork, and citrus fruits.

How to diagnose Leaky Gut
I'll be brief in this section since there's a lot to it in the book and I'll explain in more detail as questions come up.

• Intestinal Permeability Testing
  

  Also called the Lactulose and Mannitol Test, measures the ability of two sugar molecules - mannitol and lactulose - to permeate the intestinal lining. Available as a take home test from physicians, this test can tell you if you have dysbiosis, food allergies, parasites, and poor digestion.

• Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis
  

  Checks for bacteria levels, presence of Candida, determines how well you digest protiens, facts and carbohydrates. http://altmedicine.about.com/od/labtestind...ocus/a/CDSA.htm

• Candida Testing
  

  There are several online questionnaires that can help you determine if you have a Candida problem. There is also a "spit test" you can do at home. I tried it this morning and failed miserbly I suggest trying it because its easy and well, what do you have to lose! http://www.adhdrelief.com/CandidaTest.html

• Parasitology Testing
  

  As it sounds, will test you for parasites in your digestive tract. Usually involves a randomly taken stool sample several times.

• Food and Environmental Sensitivity Testing
  

  If you have food and/or chemical sensitivities you probably have a leaky gut. Testing can help you pinpoint exactly which foods bother you. There are two main ways of testing: an elimination/provocation diet and blood tests. Its advisable to do both.

What you can do to help your Leaky Gut

Restoring Digestive Function

• Chew your food carefully
• Deal with your food allergies
• Treat Dysbiosis
  

  Dysbiosis is treated according to the specific bacteria, fungi and/or parasites you have. The most effective natural substances are Berberine, capryllic acid, garlic, grapefruit seed extract, mathake tea, oil of oregano capsules, pau d'arco and tanalbit.
  
  Candida fungi respond to wide variety of natural substances and dietary changes. Eat a low carbohydrate diet, and avoid sugar, alcohol, and vinegar. NOTE: When candida fungi are killed, they protein fragments and endotoxins released trigger an antibody response. This can initially produce a worsening of the person's symptoms and is common known as a dieoff, or a Herxheimer, reaction.

• Replenish Intestinal Flora
  

  Flora play an important role in our ability to fight infectious diseases, providing a front line in our immune defense. They manufacture antibiotics, acids and hydrogen peroxide which make the intestinal environment hostile to competing microbes. Some flora have anticancer and antitumor properties. Friendly flora also manufacture many vitamins, including the B-complex vitamins biotin, thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), panthothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), cobalamin (B12) and folic acid, plus vitamin A and vitamin K. Lactic acid-secreting acidophilus and bifidus increase the bioavailability of minerals which require acid for absorption: calcium copper iron, magnesium, and manganese.
  
  Dosage: Take a mixed probiotic supplement that contains at LEAST lactobacillus and bifidobacteria. Supplements that come as refrigerated as powders or capsules usually have the highest potency.

• Use Fructooligosaccharide (FOS)
  

  These sugar molecules rapidly increase the growth of food bifidobacteria and lactobacillus. Fructooligosaccharides are in many foods but are especially high in bananas and are also found in barley, fruit, garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, onions, soybeans, and wheat.

• Take Digestive Enzymes
  

  People with leaky gut syndrome usually have imcomplete digestion. Use of digestive enzymes, either plant-based or pancreatic, can significantly reduce the bloating and gas caused by the fermentation of partically digested food.
  
  Dosage: 1 to 2 tablet enzymes with meals, 3 times daily or as needed.

• Hydrochloric acid may help
  

  Low HCl levels open us to the possibility of food poisoning, dysbiosis and bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine. Adequate HCl is critical for absorption of vitamin B12 from food. Low HCl symptoms are: belching, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, food allergies, heartburn or gas immediately after meals, indigestion, nausea after taking supplements and chronic parasites and candida infections.
  
  Dosage: Begin with 10mg capsule of betaine HCl with each protein-containing meal. If you don't feel a warm sensation in your stomach, add an additional capsule the next meal. You can get up to a total of 50 mg. If you take too much and are uncomfortable, you can neutralize the acid with a glass of milk, a teaspoon of baking soda in water, or Alka-Seltzer Gold.

Reducing Oxidative Damage with Antioxidants

There's a lot on how natural antioxidants help the system so I'll be brief. The most powerful antioxidant substances are bioflavonoids, carotenoids, coenzyme Q10, glutathione, lipioc acid, selenium and vitamins C and E. All the antioxidants work together as a team to protect us. Each has a specific job which compliments the others so they must be used in balance.

Dosage: Take a multivitamin or antioxidant supplement with contains 200 mcg selenium, 400-800 IU vitamin E, 10,000 IU or more beta carotene and at least 500 mg vitamin C. It may also contain coenzyme Q10, cysteine, n-acetylcysteine, glutathione and lipoic acid, among other nutrients.

Detoxification: How to remove the toxins
There's a lot of info out there about detox programs, so I'll just list possible regimens:

• Fruit and Vegetable Cleansing
• Metabolic Cleansing
• Vitamin C Flush (can do at home)

Reducing your exposure to toxic substances
Kind of an over arching topic of how to control environmental toxins you can't control, i.e. exhaust fumes, second-hand smoke, and air pollution.

• Reduce your intake of medications, especially nonsteroidal pain medications and antibiotics
• Use alcoholic beverages in moderation, if at all
• Buy organic food when possible
• Reduce or eliminate food additives
• Use natural cleaning products and cosmetics

Rules for a Lifetime of Healthful Eating
Another broad topic of lifestyles changes that can help reduce leaky gut. These are offered in the book as good general practices to keep in mind when putting food in your body.

• Eat local foods in season
• Eat small, frequent meals to sustain energy levels
• Eat when you are hungry, stop when you are satisfied
• Avoid high-calorie, low-nutrient foods
• Eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible
• Drink clean water
• Eat lots of fiber (I've had personal acne success with this)
• Respect your biochemical uniqueness
• Relax while you eat

Rebuilding Intestinal Mucosa with Supportive Nutrients
Most nutrients help restore the digestive integrity. A comprehensive program of nutritional supplements will help the cells regenerate, providing a ladder to climb out of the deep hole we're in. You'll find the following nutrients (most important listed first) offer special benefits when healing leaky gut. You can find them in products especially designed to enhance gut function. I won't get into the details of each one, but I'll but down the book's suggested doses. Some are listed without suggested doses, sorry.

• Glutamine
  

  Dosage: From 2 to 8g daily.

• Gamma-oryzanol
  

  Dosage: 100mg three times daily for three weeks.

• Seacure
  

  Dosage: Six capsules daily in divided doses, best before meals.

• Vitamin A
  

  Dosage: 8,000 IU. More is not necessarily better since vitamin A can be toxic in high doses.

• Vitamin C
  

  Dosage: From 1,000 to 10,000 mg daily, or the amount that is three-quarters of your bowel tollerance (see Vitamin C flush)

• Pantothenic Acid/Vitamin B5
  

  No suggested dosage

• Deglycyrrhized Licorice
  

  Dosage: From 2 to 8g daily.

• Folic Acid
  

  Dosage: From 800 mcg daily.

• Milk Immunoglobulin Concentrates
• Schizandra
• Zinc
  

  Dosage: 15 to 50mg daily.

My Personal Leaky-Gut/Candida Regimen
So, armed with the knowledge I've tried to share here, I've reworked my daily routine and am starting up on a new regimen. I know lots of other folks on these boards have had success with one or several of the suggested treatments here, so hopefully this post can help connect some dots for people and have a better idea to what causes their acne.

For me, knowing its quite possible I have leaky gut and a nasty case of Candida (damn you anti-bios!), I'll be taking on a diet change as well as supplementation. Here's my current plan (subject to change)

• Diet consisting of mostly meats and veggies. I'll probably still have a small amount of wheat, rice, and beans since diets like the Paleo diet are just so hard to stick with.
• Probiotics: I use Gr8-Dophilus by Now. I'll be taking about 8 billion organisms twice a day
• 850mg Broccoli Concentrate, twice a day
• 50 mg Zinc w/ 2.5mg copper, once daily
• 1g Vitamin C and Bioflavonoids taken twice daily
• Men's multivitamin as suggest in the "Reducting Oxidative Damage with Antioxidants" section.
• Multi-Omega fatty acid supplement
• High-fiber food and Metamucil fiber pills when eating low-fiber meals.

Thats it! I hope some people find this information to be the missing-link they were looking for�€”I feel fairly confident this is where my acne stems from so wish me luck in the new regimen! I hope to open up discussion on the topic since I only found scattered information on leaky gut here on the forums. Cheers!

That's a lot of really useful information.

I and a lot of other people would agree with you that the problem stems from digestive issues.

My regimen consists of a low sugar and carb diet, probiotics and prebiotics, and taking psyllium husks for fibre. I also eat soya yoghurt that contains bifidus, this is to control DHT.

My skin has been slowly improving for months, I'm not at the point yet where I can say I'm clear but if I keep improving then it isn't far off.

I wish you every success!

serkios,
I am so with you on so much of this. Magazines and articles link lack of enzymes in your system, (as you get older, the less you have) to acne, hair loss, etc., since the nutrition in your food isn't absorbed. Also, antibiotics and all the sugar/starch we do eat is a big factor for most in regards to yeast infections and not having "friendly flora" Adding stress to the mix is something we all have to deal with. It gets worse as we stress about our face and our appearance.

Good luck, I will follow you to see what works!

DWHAA

Oh my.. this is a very interesting thread. I have alot in common with you! I stated an anti candida diet 6 weeks ago, with a nutritionist. I've been taking the herbs you mentioned, (switching every week) and following a very strict diet. Rice pasta and brown rice were ok. Also taking probiotics, but she recently found an article about fermented cabbage juice, this is an excellent source (and cheap) of good bacteria. Tastes like sauerkraut. Go to eregimens.com look for cultured cabbage juice.
So all of what you reported has clicked for me. I'm anxious to see your results. Oh so after I eliminated sugar my acne cleared, but I'm not out of the leaky gut woods yet.
Does the book say how long this may take? Well keep us posted!

serkios..
Hey so have you done anything like this ? Like diet change ect? What have you heard about this and Hair loss???!!! I've noticed a problem as I get older, thinning, whats the connection? Have you read any articles about this?

I still don't see how the skin expelling toxins is related to acne. No where in the commonly accepted pathogenesis of acne will you see anything about toxins being related to the formation of acne. I do believe leaky gut is a real problem and I can see how it would degrade overall health, but I don't see any way it majorly contributes to acne.

It didn't mention anything specific, no. Basically it was a general overview of leaky gut and isn't geared specifically to curing acne. It just lists and mentions cystic acne several times as one of the symptoms of leaky gut. They say the inner lining of the stomach is completely replaced every 3-5 days, so I'm hoping with discipline I'll results in the first week. I'd think it would be similar to many other acne treatments, and will probably take anywhere from 4-6 weeks for acne to be pushed to the surface of the skin and run its course no matter how effective the treatment.


I've only seriously started changing my diet starting back in November 07. Mostly being conscious of low-fructose, low-carbs, high-protein and getting enough fiber in my diet. This regimen has me taking more a drastic change than I've done before, but I've slowly been changing my diet over time to get rid of the bad habits I developed in college. A couple years ago I was eating out all the time, drinking several times a week, and generally not being aware of my diet or health. With the general changes in lifestyle and diet over the last 3-4 months, I've seen a much better improvement in my skin and generally energy level and seem more relaxed mentally.

Basically when I started the changes in November, I also ditched the dermatologist prescribed antibiotics they've had me on forever. From that point I've been going down a holistic search to control my acne symptoms. Part of me feared a total breakout without the antibio's... but luckily thats been far from the truth. I hated my dependence on those and am much happier trying holistic approaches even if I have some regressions, its still better for me overall.

I haven't read anything specific to hair-loss. Just across the boards I've caught sight of some people saying it may be due to a hormonal imbalance with too much estrogen. I'd look at the posts on DIM for more info on that. Leaky gut has also been linked to hormonal imbalances however, so the two may be linked.

I'm no expert, but I think it's related to the inflammation of acne, and possibly also the metabolism of hormones being affected.

If your body is having trouble dealing with toxins, it upsets the hormonal balance, which plays havoc with sebum and skin shedding, causing the blockages in pores. Perhaps then the cause of inflammation is your body reacting to the toxic build up originating in your gut by responding to any kind of infection, and therefore over-reacting to p. acne's in the blocked pores, causing inflammation.

Just my thoughts, I have thought along the same lines are you were, but that's a possible answer. Makes sense to me until someone tells me I'm wrong

Hmm, well I thought I hit this with the intro paragraph, but here's another explaination in list form!

• The interior lining of your stomach, which provides the "barrier function", works to prevent bacteria/fungi from getting into your bloodstream. Weakened linings (leaky gut) lets a high amount of those toxins into the bloodstream.
• Once those toxins are in the blood, they eventually reach the liver which would normally clean and breakdown these toxins. Remember the liver acts as a filter for nearly everything that enters our blood.
• Your liver gets overloaded with too many toxins and cannot break them all down. When this saturation point is reached, it stores those toxins in your fat cells so it can later process those toxins once its work load is freed up.
• Its these fat cells holding on to the toxins that eventually push the toxins up to the skin where they are released from the body. Note that skin excretes waste products and excess salt from the body.
  
• When the body has to use the skin to excrete the waste, it pushes this bacteria to the surface of the skin through the skin's oil glands where it has a chance to form, you guessed it, acne!

Basically you're over-saturating your body with bacteria and fungi and your body defenses are internally overwhelmed, so the waste is removed by the last line of internal defense.... your skin.

If leaky gut plays a role in upsetting hormone imbalance, then I can see how it could indirectly cause acne. Does anyone know if/how leaky gut specifically affects hormone levels?

I don't believe inflammation in and of itself causes acne either, but rather is more of a byproduct. Also, again if you have any more information about specifically what toxins are absorbed through a leaky-gut, what body tissues they are stored in and what the direct effect of those stored toxins are, and how that relates to the pathogenesis of acne, I'd love to learn more.