80 replies to this topic

[Giselle23]

I probably shouldn't be posting here since I resorted to the dark side of pharmaceuticals, but has anyone here seen an improvement in their acne by going vegan? I am already a vegetarian but I am seriously considering taking the leap. Anyone's experience would help, thank you!

[Haruka]

I probably shouldn't be posting here since I resorted to the dark side of pharmaceuticals, but has anyone here seen an improvement in their acne by going vegan? I am already a vegetarian but I am seriously considering taking the leap. Anyone's experience would help, thank you!

Sigh... Yes. I have been vegetarian for upwards of four years now, and even before I had gone vegan, my skin was manageable.


I was vegan for exactly ONE YEAR (November 1st 2006 - November 1st 2007) in honor of the Pagan New Year, and it was the most wonderful thing I ever could have done for my body, mind, spirit, and so on. My skin was simply lovely (although I would sometimes experience a sugar pimple after making a vegan cake; I would eat the entire thing - I was a runner and had no shame) and I didn't even bother maintaining it. Going back to being a lacto-ovo vegetarian was a precursor to the return of my acne.

[Giselle23]

That sounds promising!! Did you make the switch back to vegan after the acne returned? Did you buy premade vegan food at health food stores, or did you cook meals? It seems expensive and time consuming, but I am willing to give it a try if it is worth the effort.

[rakbs]

Search "vegan" in this forum and you should find a few threads about people who found success through a vegan diet.

[alternativista]

It would still depend on what you eat. You can be vegan and still eat a lot of crap or foods you can't digest or have an intolerance too.

[Daniel J]

That sounds promising!! Did you make the switch back to vegan after the acne returned? Did you buy premade vegan food at health food stores, or did you cook meals? It seems expensive and time consuming, but I am willing to give it a try if it is worth the effort.

There is dermatology journals showing a link between acne and dairy in particular.

But, I like pizza too much to have it without cheese, lol.

Mainly since drinking milk ups your IGF-1 (Insulin Growth Factor 1) hormone which increases one's risk of cancer & oil production in the skin. But, oddly enough things made from milk like: cheese, ice cream, yogurt don't raise IGF-1, just not drinking the actual milk.

[Namaste]

But, I like pizza too much to have it without cheese, lol.

you can buy vegan cheese at any health food store. actually, nutritional yeast has a cheesy taste and you can make your own cheesy substitute with it. google it and you'll find loads of substitutes. i spent the first 4 months of my veganism googling basically everything i wanted to eat; you can even find vegan meatloaf recipes lol

i've been a vegan for 9 months and my skin still gets angry at me but its waaaay better than before.

[alternativista]

But, I like pizza too much to have it without cheese, lol.

you can buy vegan cheese at any health food store. actually, nutritional yeast has a cheesy taste and you can make your own cheesy substitute with it. google it and you'll find loads of substitutes. i spent the first 4 months of my veganism googling basically everything i wanted to eat; you can even find vegan meatloaf recipes lol

i've been a vegan for 9 months and my skin still gets angry at me but its waaaay better than before.

I'd be careful about eating a lot of faux foods as they are processed foods by definition and very likely to be full of chemicals. Read the labels. And many people breakout from soy, which is what they are made from. Whether from allergy, difficulty digesting legumes, or their phyto-estrogen content.

[Namaste]

But, I like pizza too much to have it without cheese, lol.

you can buy vegan cheese at any health food store. actually, nutritional yeast has a cheesy taste and you can make your own cheesy substitute with it. google it and you'll find loads of substitutes. i spent the first 4 months of my veganism googling basically everything i wanted to eat; you can even find vegan meatloaf recipes lol

i've been a vegan for 9 months and my skin still gets angry at me but its waaaay better than before.

I'd be careful about eating a lot of faux foods as they are processed foods by definition and very likely to be full of chemicals. Read the labels. And many people breakout from soy, which is what they are made from. Whether from allergy, difficulty digesting legumes, or their phyto-estrogen content.

oh yes soy is a common allergen. the ingredient list is lengthy but i generally don't mind it cause i don't have vegan dairy replacements too often. making your own is the best way to go. usually a recipe will call for soy or legumes, but as long as you're not allergic it's very good i've seen recipes calling for soy milk, corn starch (or agar agar, which is better but i can never find it), ground cashews, nutritional yeast, i think that's about it.

[kate_the_valkyrie]

I'm a vegetarian, going strong for almost a year now. I've done lots of research and went vege for many reasons, my acne being one of them! I love cheese way too much to go vegan.. Its definitely proven that vegetarians/vegans do get healthier skin. Not everyone is the same, and it does get expensive and time consuming. The thing to remember, there is way to be healthy, and there is a way to be unhealthy about it.. just like everything else in life.

There are TONS of vegan/vegetarian websites. I love answers.yahoo.com and in the food and drink section, there is a vege/vegan section where you can ask lots of other animal-free people that can give you lots of advice, answer any question, and are quite knowlegable.

There are always tons of yummy recipes online. Just google things like VEGGIE FOODS Or Meat substitiue Recipes, etc etc.

I strongly suggest vitamins and supplements. And make some calls to your local health food/grocery stores to see what kind of procuts they carry in YOUR area and what they are for cost.

Good luck!

[Daniel J]

I'm a vegetarian, going strong for almost a year now. I've done lots of research and went vege for many reasons, my acne being one of them! I love cheese way too much to go vegan.. Its definitely proven that vegetarians/vegans do get healthier skin. Not everyone is the same, and it does get expensive and time consuming. The thing to remember, there is way to be healthy, and there is a way to be unhealthy about it.. just like everything else in life.

There are TONS of vegan/vegetarian websites. I love answers.yahoo.com and in the food and drink section, there is a vege/vegan section where you can ask lots of other animal-free people that can give you lots of advice, answer any question, and are quite knowlegable.

There are always tons of yummy recipes online. Just google things like VEGGIE FOODS Or Meat substitiue Recipes, etc etc.

I strongly suggest vitamins and supplements. And make some calls to your local health food/grocery stores to see what kind of procuts they carry in YOUR area and what they are for cost.

Good luck!

I'm practically vegetarian now. I just eat chicken or eggs is all. I don't eat any red meat.I eat like 3 or 4 eggs max a week which is ok.

Vegetarians do live longer but these same studies consider chicken & eggs still vegetarian. Only red meat is unhealthy (beef, pork, or any other mammal). Red meat is just a polite way of saying mammal meat or livstock. Chicken is poultry.

You just shouldn't go over 5 or 7 eggs a week. Otherwise, your risk of death goes up. But, eggs, have lecithin, choline, and lutein for your eyes.

[kate_the_valkyrie]

I'm a vegetarian, going strong for almost a year now. I've done lots of research and went vege for many reasons, my acne being one of them! I love cheese way too much to go vegan.. Its definitely proven that vegetarians/vegans do get healthier skin. Not everyone is the same, and it does get expensive and time consuming. The thing to remember, there is way to be healthy, and there is a way to be unhealthy about it.. just like everything else in life.

There are TONS of vegan/vegetarian websites. I love answers.yahoo.com and in the food and drink section, there is a vege/vegan section where you can ask lots of other animal-free people that can give you lots of advice, answer any question, and are quite knowlegable.

There are always tons of yummy recipes online. Just google things like VEGGIE FOODS Or Meat substitiue Recipes, etc etc.

I strongly suggest vitamins and supplements. And make some calls to your local health food/grocery stores to see what kind of procuts they carry in YOUR area and what they are for cost.

Good luck!

I'm practically vegetarian now. I just eat chicken or eggs is all. I don't eat any red meat.I eat like 3 or 4 eggs max a week which is ok.

Vegetarians do live longer but these same studies consider chicken & eggs still vegetarian. Only red meat is unhealthy (beef, pork, or any other mammal). Red meat is just a polite way of saying mammal meat or livstock. Chicken is poultry.

You just shouldn't go over 5 or 7 eggs a week. Otherwise, your risk of death goes up. But, eggs, have lecithin, choline, and lutein for your eyes.

Vegetarian means NO ANIMAL MEAT. Basic Vegetarians do eat dairy and eggs, but not chicken.

[Glass Danse]

Its definitely proven that vegetarians/vegans do get healthier skin.

If I were to go strictly by what I read in this section, I would say the opposite...

[Daniel J]

Its definitely proven that vegetarians/vegans do get healthier skin.

If I were to go strictly by what I read in this section, I would say the opposite...

You know the definition of a vegetarian. Just like many 10-year old children would.

I said many studies relating to the benefits of being a vegetarian just exclude red meat. Meaning they allow for poultry, fish, & eggs.

[kate_the_valkyrie]

Its definitely proven that vegetarians/vegans do get healthier skin.

If I were to go strictly by what I read in this section, I would say the opposite...

You know the definition of a vegetarian. Just like many 10-year old children would.

I said many studies relating to the benefits of being a vegetarian just exclude red meat. Meaning they allow for poultry, fish, & eggs.

No need to be rude... we're supposed to be teaming up together on this problem.

Sorry

[Namaste]

It has a lot to do with your personal metabolic typing. Everybody's body is different and functions better on different things. I personally work much better eating lots of fruits, veggies, nuts, etc., going light on carbs, and avoiding all meat and dairy; Other people function better eating lots of meat, cheese, carbs, etc. and not much produce. There are people on this board that swear by the Paleo diet and others that swear by a vegan diet. Pay attention to what your body gets the most benefit from. Good luck guys

[treefeet]

I developed horrible acne after becoming a vegan, which I am still trying to recover from. I could give you a list of reasons why not to become a vegan, like it causes insulin resistance because it is high carb / high sugar, or it causes vitamin deficiencies because its low in fat and generally requires one to eat a lot of wheat/grains. But I think any intelligent person should research for themselves before they make a major decision like that.

I should add that the only way I've been able to get myself clear is by eating lots of eggs, red meat, butter, bacon, heavy cream, and vegetables.

[Glass Danse]

Its definitely proven that vegetarians/vegans do get healthier skin.

If I were to go strictly by what I read in this section, I would say the opposite...

You know the definition of a vegetarian. Just like many 10-year old children would.

I said many studies relating to the benefits of being a vegetarian just exclude red meat. Meaning they allow for poultry, fish, & eggs.

I know what vegetarian is, obviously, I was simply giving my observation that what I have read is that it is not "proven" they get healthier skin or that it even helps half the time.

[Namaste]

i think that the reason some people say vegans/vegetarians have nice skin is because they are much more conscientious about what they put in their bodies than most. limit sweets and refined foods. avoid fast food. try to stick to homemade, healthy dishes. just take care of yourself. if you think eating meat and eggs are benefiting you then eat up. if you think they may be contributing to your problems, cease them. if you take care of your body, your skin will show improvements over time.

[*`*~ABG Fairy~*`*]

I've been eating mostly (never 100%!) vegan for quite a while, but my skin didn't clear up until I added ample amounts of leafy greens to my diet, which help balance hormones and are full of nutrition, so if you're not yet doing green smoothies, I can't recommend them more highly! There's a link about them in my signature. Also, dairy is a big acne contributor, so limiting that in your diet would also be a great idea. I don't think it's necessary to limit all animal products 100%, as long as you limit them. I try to eat under 12 oz (animal products) a week. I can't say I stuck to that rule over the holidays though! I "did" do a green smoothie everyday though.