171 replies to this topic

[grape fruit]

dairy breaks me out terrible..

i love dairy i want it... is there a digestive aid that would help me tolerate dairy??
would soy bother me?

[uncle buck]

Soy should bother you if you ever plan to have kids.

[overthis]

Today was supposed to be my last day on accutane, I say supposed to because 2 days prior I developed a cyst on my forehead (first one in 2 months) and a large one under my ear. Now I am facing another month. The only this I can tell that changed is an extra amount of dairy each day. I normally did not have any, but have been have 1 glass a day as a late night snack. Since I went 2 months cyst free I am thinking the dairy is the problem so I am cutting it out, anyone think any differently on this? Any and all input will be greatly appreciated.

If it's an allergy or intolerance, accutane can't help.

Are you positive? When I was 14 I was put on accutane and it did clear me up for a few years, but then it all came back when I was 18. I am about to go on an elimination diet. If it's not an allergy or intolerance, what is it?

[breakthehabit8]

I think I might try this dairy free thing at least for a month or two. I have wondered in the past if I am allergic to dairy (for other symptoms other than acne) and now after reading this, I think there's a pretty good chance that I could be. Might as well try it and see if it helps. I will miss yogurt though... I love Greek yogurt so much! Oh well...


Oh, and this article/commentary is pretty interesting.

http://www.acnehelp.org.uk/papers/Commentary.pdf

[AmaraG]

Soy should bother you if you ever plan to have kids.

I have heard some disturbing things about soy...is it true that it can give males brasts among other things? Please explain. I was freaking out because we gave our son soy for a while when he was small..and I thought it was better than milk!

[dulaney]

Grass fed dairy and Iceland butter seem to be fine for me.

All store brand milks and butter are bound to cause problems. Try grass fed and see how that goes.

I went dairy free for 10 months and still had awful acne. Getting my milk from a local, small farm where the cows are grass fed makes more sense to me.

Since my state prohibits raw milk, the next best thing is grass fed, organic.

Edited by dulaney, 06 August 2011 - 03:30 PM.

[byemystaryeyes]

yes. dairy does make ance worse for many many people! i started getting ance when i was 8 years old i tried everything... retin-a... antibotics... chemicals peels... nothing worked. then when i was 20 i became vegan for ethical reasons (i had been vegetarian for many years) and within 2 weeks my ance went away completely. that's when i found out that i'm allergic to dairy and very sensitive to the hormones that are present. as far as living with cheese/milk/ice cream... honestly, it's not bad once you do it... that stuff isn't good for you and your body literally stops craving it once you get it out of your system... and life without ance is soooo much better! PS! 'coal face' soap from lush is amazing! i use it to make sure pimples don't come back into my life to haunt me. if your ance isn't allergy related try coal soup and exfoliate!!!

[OneTwoPassIt]

Butter as a fat source is way too practical to give up.

[OmgZep]

It all seems to make perfect sense.
The main reason why no matter what I do to my face (Proactiv, Clearasil, Lemons, and even honey) i usually get these very short term results then acne just keeps coming back.
The only food that i consumed on a regular basis from the last 6 years was dairy products.....
Staying away from dairy products is difficult because you had no idea how much foods containing dairy out there are until you eliminate it from you diet.

I have given up dairy products for about 5 days and i see a very small tiny improvement.
I will keep yall guys updated whenever i reach the 2 week mark, and 1 month mark.


Also i am using Paulas chioce just to speed up the process a bit.

[numbaunstunna]

Dairy definitely has an effect on acne. I used to have really bad acne (cystic) on my chin that went away when I stopped drinking milk.

[dana_yu56]

I came on here looking for anything pertaining to dairy and acne. This thread has certainly proved to be helpful

I, too, believe that dairy has aggravated my acne, after an inadvertent experiment I fell into these past few weeks. For whatever reason we were out of milk and butter in our household and due to laziness, we neglected to go to the store for a long while. During this time I consumed very little dairy (2 tbsp of half and half in my coffee in the AM) but no big bowls of cereal, yogurt and granola, or buttered bagels. I started to notice the texture of my skin improving (no hard bumpies under the surface) and when usually I would come home and be mortified by the whiteheads that had erupted on my face during the day, there was nothing new. My skin stopped over-producing oil, and the cystic sore lumps that usually adorned my jawline and forehead were not returning.

I thought it might be too good to be true, so I started to reintroduce dairy back into my diet. It takes 48-72 hours for what you eat to show up on your face and sure enough I started to see small red itchy pimples and small whiteheads pop up again (gross I know!)

I have stopped deliberately eating dairy for awhile again to see if I am crazy. I will tell you though, looking in the mirror to put on my make-up (a normally arduous process that takes 30 minutes or more to cake it all on) I noticed how smooth and even my skin is, and how I had no zits to conceal with extra makeup. I will have to post a picture to show you the difference. This is the first time in three years I have found something that is actually working for me, and it was as simple as changing my diet!

If there is something I have learned in recent years, it is that natural approaches are always the best place to start. Whynot? Before you hop on Accutane (I'm not putting anyone's decisions down, to each their own) why not start with an elimination test to see if there is something that is aggravating your skin? Dairy obviously isn't the key for everyone, because everyone's body chemistry is different. For example, Soy, as awesome as it can be, contains phyto-estrogens (one of which is 'genistein') which can mimic estrogen in the body, so cancer survivors and people sensitive to the hormone are advised to stay away from it. What we can take away from this discussion is that everyone's chemical make up is different, so you have to be proactive about finding what bothers you individually. It is not easy, but it is possible.

I highly recommend my nutrition class textbook (I had an older version, but newer is better because nutrition science is a relatively young field and it's always changing) It will teach you the basics about everything from the digestive system to vitamins and minerals. It's very helpful for those who want a solid basic understanding of nutrition.

'Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies by Frances Sizer and Ellie Whitney (Nov 12, 2007) Edition 11 or 12'
Cost: $20-$35 online.

Good Luck!

P.S. Sorry I don't have any before pictures (I think I have been avoiding cameras for years now) but I have had a constant barrage of red sore bumps on my t-zone and cheeks, whiteheads and cystic acne on my forehead, chin, and jawline. It takes me 30-45 minutes every night to pick at my face (I know it's terrible, but I get obsessed!)



This picture is of me today. My skin looks pretty even..

[Lo81]

I have a question I hope someone with some info can answer-

If it's the hormones in commercial milk/dairy that is the problem (injected or otherwise) then doesn't it follow that the hens who lay commercially-produced eggs would have the same hormone issues? Are they not made to be so that they are constantly producing eggs? And the only way to get them to do so would be added hormones, right?

I am grateful for this discussion, as well as all the insightful information on the horrors of dairy. I am definietly going dairy-free for a month and see if I see a marked improvement for my severe acne. Though I think the real test will be seeing what happens when I do ingest a bit of dairy after the month!