221 replies to this topic

[SteveLewis]

very true. fresh veggies over fruits.  some fruits are high in sugar so yes limit yourself.  Learn to make healthy middle eastern food.  They have many ingredients that are very good for your health and your skin.

I'm not too familiar with middle easter cuisine. What kind of foods do they use in their recipes?

[ralu_bebe]

Diet made a HUGE difference to my acne. 

Warning:  a bit graphic:
I went from having cystic acne with pretty much every pore infected, great big purple scars all over my face and purple gel that would sometimes squirt out (once unaided -- just the pressure build up alone caused one to explode!) to having comparatively clear skin just by changing my diet.

I'd been on antibiotics for years, but whenever I'd stop taking them, the acne would come back. 

About 15 years ago I found the diet in a book called "Acne can be cured" and basically it involves avoiding all saturated fat (there's lots of hidden saturated fats in food, so it isn't necessarily that easy to follow if you prefer to buy processed foods or don't know what to look out for).  I've heard other people say that avoiding sugar helps with their acne, but I ate a reasonable amount of sugar on this diet, so it may be that different people have different dietary requirements.  It may be also though that I was eating less sugar by not eating any processed foods (I pretty much ended up eating wholegrains, vegetables, fat-free yogurt, fish and occasionally skinless chicken breast, and only used olive or low saturate veg oil as a fat -- but I did make my own fat-free desserts which would have sugar in them).

The Perricone acne diet also sounds very good, and it matches a theory I've had for a while that acne is an inflammatory response similar to atherosclerosis (but that's a whole 'nother post!)

I would very much like to know more about this diet that you are talking about.thank you.ralu

[Jay_68]

HERE IS A SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT OUR DIET AFFECTS ACNE!!!!!

High school dietary dairy intake and teenage acne
Clement A. Adebamowo, Donna Spiegelman, F. William Danby, A. Lindsay
Frazier, Walter C. Willett, Michelle D. Holmes
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, February 2005, Vol. 52, No. 2

ABSTRACT:
Background Previous studies suggest possible associations between Western diet and acne. We examined data from the Nurses Health Study II to retrospectively evaluate whether intakes of dairy foods during high school were associated with physician-diagnosed severe teenage acne.
Methods We studied 47,355 women who completed questionnaires on high school diet in 1998 and physician-diagnosed severe teenage acne in 1989. We estimated the prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals of acne history across categories of intakes.
Results After accounting for age, age at menarche, body mass index, and energy intake, the multivariate prevalence ratio (95% confidence intervals; P value for test of trend) of acne, comparing extreme categories of intake, were: 1.22 (1.03, 1.44; .002) for total milk; 1.12 (1.00, 1.25; .56) for whole milk; 1.16 (1.01, 1.34; .25) for low-fat milk; and 1.44 (1.21, 1.72; .003) for skim milk. Instant breakfast drink, sherbet, cottage cheese, and cream cheese were also positively associated with acne.
Conclusion We found a positive association with acne for intake of total milk and skim milk. We hypothesize that the association with milk may be because of the presence of hormones and bioactive molecules in milk.

[Minnym0use]

I am the mother of a 17 hear old teen, who's acne was very bad. He tried antibiotics - up to 1000 a day, (a year) tazorac, differin, BP, $2000 worth of pdt levulan non ablative laser and NOTHING has worked until we stopped listening to doctors and did research on our own. You HAVE to cut out allllll refined carbohydrates and my son also cut out all dairy. He has stopped all refined carbs such as all breads, chips, sugars, rice, noodles, etc... and all dairy. He only eats LOTS of veggies - especially green ones such as broccoli, spinach, bok choy, sprouts, and fruit, especially apples, citrus, plums, peaches and an occasional banana. His one and only grain is quinoa which has a glycemic index of 35 I believe - very low. Lots of beans, sweet potatoes and drinks lots of water. We cook with NO OIL and only eat lean proteins such as fish cooked on George Foreman grill with no oil, chicken breasts, turkey breasts, shrimp and oysters. You have to give this a try. It is very simple. Anything processed and part of our modern culture is OUT. I have been emailing back and forth with Dr. Mann from Australia who has been conducting tests at RMIT on diet and teen boys. This isn't just something I cooked up. Enter "wheat and acne" online and you will find a lot. There's even an article by MSNBC. I hope this helps. There's no secret to this - you don't have to eat raw eggs, you don't have to time your food eating patterns, you don't have to even eat organic (although it is nice when you can find it). It is common sense eating. You don't even have to apply creams. Just stop it all and clean up your act. In fact, those creams can just provoke acne. Your friends will think you are so cool that you are taking control of this situation. You will find empowerment and I am sure you could use all that money you are spending on creams, doctor visits and treatments for something special. Hey, what have you got to loose but your acne and what have you got to gain, well, you will be healthier all the way around. Go for it and trust me, I promise you this is the answer. Oh, you may ask, well, why does my friend eat all the junk he wants and he never breaks out? I thought the same thing and just knew diet wasn't the answer. The reason is that we are different from one another. Just accept that and try it and see. I will share menus and shopping lists if any one would like them. I am tired of reading where alllll of these teens are suffering just like my son did. I want you to break free.

[laukelekele]

Minnym0use, you really should add a bit of healthy unsaturated fats to that diet. They are really important for the body.

Anyway, since I stopped all dairy products I VERY rarely get pimples. I also don't eat fast carbs (which I didn't earlier either), but do eat pasta and dark bread. I don't even have to use evil BP anymore. I think there are enough people here that share my experience with diet and acne that it's safe to say that there definately is a link between the two.

[suetey81]

being a weight conscious typical female i regularly count the cals while trying to eat balanced at the asme time. I've not really notice any triggers for my acne as over christmas i eat loads of choc and drank loads of alcohol and never had a break out! but i have noticed that after the odd session of binge drinking i tend to have a break out as my skin seems to get very oily the next day- the alcohol sweating out maybe!?

[Buddavar]

I have struggled with acne vulgaris since I was 13 and I am now 33 years old. For me, diet is as integral as my hygiene habits in controlling my breakouts. It can be a long and frustrating process figuring out exactly what you should/should not eat. But if I can offer some encouragement; stick with it. You will become more aware of how what you put into your body affects your overall health and you will find an answer to improving your condition.

While advice from others can be very helpful I think that it's important to realize that persistant acne may require self-diagnosis for treatment. I know that after all this time, no doctor has recommended anything that worked for me as well as what I figured out on my own. Sites like this are terrific. I've picked up some helpful tips, but still have a regimen that is unique.

Having said all of that, I have recently discovered that I must drink at least 4 liters of water a day to control my cysts. I am even re-introducing some foods that I had previously eliminated with positive results. It took me a while to pinpoint the importance of hydration so maybe I can save someone some time.

Keep your faith and know that you are not alone.

[BlueEyedDemon]

Ok you guys might want to hear this because it's very important. Ever heard of Leo Kiesen? He is mentioned in this website. Anyway, yes diet can do some effect alone, but your organs are damaged from a lifetime of eating the bad foods. READ THE POSTS ABOUT LEO KIESEN! HE IS RIGHT! I AM A FOLLOWER! TRUST ME! The damaged colon and liver lead to the acne. Should I say more?

[eric_in_va]

If butter is 100% fat why / how can it cause acne?

it has no milk proteins if 100% butter


has anyone tried eliminating all diary except butter and had result???


:: also is BROWN RICE ok???

[MS.MONSTER]

From a spiritual point of view, it is energetically dirty to eat something that has had a sad life and then killed in a non-humanitarian way

I absolutely love you!!!!!! The best thing I ever did was become a vegetarian. Only I stopped because anything healthy or organic is sooooo freaking expensive!! I really don't have a job right now and my folks here were not very supportive of my eating habits. Anyway I really didn't see a difference in my skin though.

HOWEVER! I AM going back to the vegetarian world. You all just reminded me of how bad those animals are treated. I hated reading about all that stuff cause I just found myself waking up depressed all the time. Everyday those dern vegetarian groups sent me sad news. I had to get out of that! Geez

[haryd2005]

I've read somewhere that cocoa types of chocolate is the "best" for us...whatever that means.  Perhaps you can try to experiment with different kinds of chocolate out there.  There are lots aren't there?  Milk, dark, cocoa, white, almond, soy, goat...  lol 

Well, i must say that acne depends on the food we eat.. on our diet. We must prevent oily foods because they cause acne.

[ξ®ٱ©]

Well, i must say that acne depends on the food we eat.. on our diet. We must prevent oily foods because they cause acne.

Any food can not entirely be blamed for ance, espically creating it. It can cause flare ups and aggrivate acne, but not create it.

[Jonaas]

I don't seem to breakout of food either. I have eaten loads of "crap" the latests weeks. Mcdonalds, icecream, cakes, chocolate..and i actually look very good now, only one or two active pimples.

[ovaltineaddict]

My acne used to be pretty bad and then I cut out cheese, whole milk, ice cream, and really thick sweet creamy foods. Also, I don't eat alot of heavy fats like you would find on meats. It has made a big difference in my acne, but I also use exfoliants like AHA's or salicylic acid and occasionally benzoyl peroxide or sulfur. My skin looks better as a result. I just wish I had've learned this when I was younger. Sometimes acne leaves permanent scars, even when it's just a tiny pimple.

Has anyone else had similar results cutting out these heavy kinds of fats?

[Mark D.]

There are many dietary things that can cause some (not everyone) to react
with acne. Me-Iodine/Flourine/Chlorine/Bromine (halogens) too much salt,
and all partially or fully hydrogenated oils. I've determined this by hearing
about these possible causors from others, and they testing myself, and I
mean testing myself exhaustively and for a period of years, no quickies.



Sorry to say this. But please see: http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/#.

I go organic whenever possible, believe in wholistic health ideals, I'm near
90% vegetarian, avoid dairy when I can, avoid the sun, use the best sun
block I have ever found (in smell and in lack of comedogenic ingredients,
it smells so good you'd want to eat it - but don't do that) Ocean Potion, 50
SPF. Hard to find, Google search for it and order it on line if you must. It's
got the most non-comedogenic line up of ingredients I've ever seen. It did
not say so on the bottle, but they emailed in response to my harrassment.



But I digress. Part of that meat-free and heathy diet WAS Soy, for me. But
that was long ago. I loved the stuff. I'd still eat it today if not finding such a
great website as above, and many others, that talk how Soy blocks the very
important uptake of Zinc (known to be important for Skin Health - BUT ONLY
AT THE RDA - don't take more than 15 mg a day (100% RDA) if you decide
to supplement it. More than that can cause various health problems for you.)

Once I heard about the brain shrinking thing - a 25 YEAR study of Japaneese
men - designed to look for Soy and other possible BENEFICIAL things gave
the researchers what they did not expect - adverse effects - only in those
who ate Soy on a regular basis - at least one meal a week (THAT'S ALL!)



Holy Tofu, Batman! Naturally I don't touch the stuff, I don't even eat those
Power Bars or anything with Soy Protein (which can contain the elements
we should avoid, the phyto-hormones). Amazing though. The Soy Lobby
is so big, it pushes media and others to say how great Isoflavones are
when they and other Soy chemicals are the exact opposite of healthy.



Think about it. Those are natural defenses. Linked to sterilization and to
malnurished animals due to reduced uptake of important nutrients, and
brain shrinkage, the result is dumber/slower, sterile and weak animals,
or 'Soy predators'. If they die off, and don't reproduce much, then they
can't eat the soybeans. It's a natural sort of animal-pesticide for Soy,
those chemicals. When I heard Soy had a decent supply of Iodine in
it too, that wasn't the last straw, I'd already quit, but it did it for me.

Before you hear any other source say 'there is no food / acne link for
anyone'. Do your own research. Dan takes the best stance on this, he
says 'there is none for me'. That's the way to go. He tested it and he
found out there was no link. It's the same as allergies. Some can have
peanuts and no problems. Others go into anaphylactic shock.



I summed up that for acne sufferers who break out with certain dietary
components consumed - we have a 'reaction' of our own, a food type
reaction, I'll even call it 'a mild food allergy' to those I'd care not to
explain I have severe and cystic adult acne to - at near 40 years old.

That since I don't look like it, my skin is almost always 90% or more
normal/clear looking due to my diet and intense regimin topically and
internally with medicine. Combining nature with medicine. When I had
declared war on acne, everything was on the table. Many are amazed
at how little variety I've left to eat, being picky to begin with, then in
my effort to be organic, mostly vegetarian, and health minded, and
finally, taking the acne-linked foods (for me) out of the picture.



I remind those who think the acne foods shouldn't be a big deal, and
how I miss the variety. I do miss certain foods, but I'd rather be a bit
unhappy a few hours a day to have peace of mind the other 22 hours.
If it wasn't working I wouldn't be doing it. And I still have plenty left to
eat. I made a choice, and it was clearer skin, and that was at any cost.

Chocolate doesn't make me break out. It's packed with anti-oxidants, so
if you find it doesn't make you break out either, it's not a bad thing to eat
in proper terms (not too much if you have weight issues, and take care for
the high sugar content that could be bad for your teeth).



Caffeine also does not affect my skin. I also found out coffees (& mid to light
roasts are better, dark roasts have more problems like many things that are
cooked too long) are higher in anti-oxidants than Tea, and yes, even than
GREEN TEA (which actually has lower anti-oxidants than Black Tea.)

Tea grows in a way, and in areas condusive to natural formations of the
mineral flourine. That means Tea has flouride in it. Being in the halogen
family, it's something I thus avoid. But my coffee consumption makes up
for it. I do have a little bit of half/half in it, but not enough to affect me. I
avoid milk, it has constituents related to acne, from hormones to natural
elements that are not found in butter or cheese. The jury is out as to the
reason why, but I've heard this more than once and beleive it is true...



It's a lot to cover but I wanted to cover it all in one post as I'm not going
to be able to post here as often as I'd like, and I like to cover everything.
I also avoid Peanuts and Cashews (which are not actually nuts, but are in
the bean family - legumes - but Peanuts especially have elements that have
been theorized to stimulate androgen production. Great for body builders,
but not for acne sufferers like me. The Aflatoxins Peanuts can cultivate
are another reason to avoid them even if they don't affect you directly.

I also try to follow the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load data (even more
important than the Glycemic Index). It's surprising to find potatoes, white
rice, and white bread are worse than sugar on your blood glucose levels.
I use Frutcose (sugar from fruit sources - sweeter than sugar - but it is
digested more slowly, and causes a much slower blood sugar increase,
so slow it's considered safe for diabetics by some sources). Due to the
Sugar Industry being nearly as big as the Soy Industry, it explains why
white refined sugar (turbindo - unrefined - is barely any better on the
GI/GL indexes) from Cane sources is the first choice to be used, when
Frutcose is better for you. But acne is not why I am careful with that.



I believe general health improvements help your skin in general. High
blood sugar causing diets are thought to lead - after years of that kind
of lifestyle - to not only obesity, but Type II Diabetes (insulin resistance).
That makes sense since the body eventually gets desensitized to insulin,
if it's presented with it too often, as it is in a poor GI / GL type diet. In
summary, Acne is a multi-headed beast for many of is. You have to hit
it from every angle. Much like the little animation fellow in the previous
post and everything he throws at that wall. That's how I fight it too.

Mark D.

[Jill]

Fatty foods have no effect on my skin.  For a while I tried to be very healthy, eating only fruit and low fat organic meat...my skin actually got worse.  My skin also gets noticably worse when I don't get enough to eat.  Bread seems to be bad for my skin, but other than that I can't say I've noticed anything diet related.  On my last holiday I ate and drank very unhealthily and yet had extremely clear skin the whole time.  Why?  I wish I knew. 

I have had the exact same experience. I started buying expensive organic food for me and my kids. I stopped drinking alcohol, coke, and even stopped eating sugar as much as I could. I ate yougurt with cultures in it. Not only did I break out worse, I gained weight. I also tried some colon cleansing products with anti-parasite things in them and still no luck. Finally, I decided to forget about it and eat or drink what I felt like again. Sure enough, my face temporarily cleared up. Like you, I went out drinking after a four month break and woke up with the clearest skin that I had ever had. I wish I knew why too. I don't doubt that diet change helps some people and I'm sure that it is good for things like Cancer prevention. I just know that it didn't work for me. It cost me a lot of time, money and I had to miss out on some fun social events. It might have been worth it if it had worked, but it didn't work at all for me.

[jjcallumx789]

DONT FEEL BAD ABOUT ACNE... theres a fun side to everything and this should start clearing that acne off your face.. it's nothing to purchase it's just a regime i invented that works.

Find out about the Evening primrose oil and vitamin B5, B6 connection to beautiful skin... and also ofcouse the BP and SA and TTO connection.

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php?showtopic=52726

Take a read at this and post if it makes you smile or giggle. or even giggle so hard you shit yourself.

[gogetter]

I have split theories when it comes to diet and acne. I have a pretty good diet which includes plenty of fruit,vegetables. I also drink pure aloe vera juice and about a gallon of water per day. This has not helped my acne problem as far as I can tell. I can say however that when I eat chocolate I tend to break out. I don't know if it is coincidence or not but for some reason it seems to happen all the time. I have done research and read that chocolate supposedly in no way shape or form causes acne. But for some unknown reason I continue to break out from chocolate. On the flip side, my first year in the military I had a horrible diet which consisted of nothing but fast food. During that time my skin was competely clear but now that I have a very good diet my skin is broken out. I don't think that diet and acne are directly related but I do belive that certain foods can aggravate acne in certain people. I don't think that any particular food causes acne; they simple aggrivate the existing condition.

[Shadygrover]

I would just like to add my two cents here, as I feel I may have something to offer. I've had pretty awful cystic acne since I was about 12, and have suffered immeasurably. Awhile back I happened upon this forum and read a post from some knowledgeable person regarding acne and diet, and how wheat gluten may be a factor. Now, my sister has had undiagnosed stomach problems for years, and after a recent trip to the hospital finally discovered that she has something called 'Celiac disease' (I may have spelled this wrong). This disease is actually an allergy, an inability to digest all wheat products and wheat gluten. Celicac disease runs in families, and is especially prevalent in those with Irish ancestry. As may be relevant, my sister and I both are also lactose intolerant. In any case, she stopped eating wheat products, and her complexion has improved immensely... although she still eats dairy. I have eaten neither wheat nor dairy in the last month, and my complexion is awesome. It changed dramatically... I had had so many cysts on my back, and in all the usual places on my face, now it's all clear.
It may be neccessary to add that neither my sister nor I eat meat other than seafood, and only organic eggs, nor do we drink cow's milk, and avoid high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. I also don't eat chocolate, nuts, drink caffeine, or aything with caramel color. Also, it's important to note that avoiding wheat gluten is difficult. Soy sauce contains wheat, which may explain some people's bad reactions to Chinese food. Whole foods stores sell gluten-free baking mixes, which though expensive are pretty tasty.
I feel somewhat cheated that no dermatologist ever suggested this possibility to me... in fact to the contrary, like the person who started this conversation, one suggested that the very idea was ridiculous. I'm 24 years old now and have spent the better part of my life hiding my face. I suppose they can't make money off of you if you cure yourself... I'm just glad I never tried that Accutane madness, and I strongly recommend to anyone with ance that instead of risking your health, your life, you make the effort to change your diet. It's what works.

[applisci]

My experience is that getting plenty of fresh fruits and veggies is a good thing. Drink plenty of water too. I have heard that if you do not have a clean colon it can cause acne. I am not 100% sure of that but I have heard that. So for fun I would try to get about 7 servings of fruits and veggies a day, cut way back on red meat, then drink plenty of water. Also eat a balanced died but just cut back on the junk food and increase intake of fresh foods in natural form.

I found a source for some very good ebooks. I researched the first one listed and it looks promising from what I can tell online:
http://www.applisci.com/cure_acne.html

App