7 replies to this topic

[jp22]

I've found very noticeable connections between diet and my acne. The most recent (re)discovery was potential reactions to coffee consumption in the way of acne cysts that are very deep and long-lived (i.e. weeks or months). It seems that some varieties of coffee are worse (i.e. Starbucks), while tea and other forms of caffeine do not cause a problem at all.

I discovered this because I've been fairly deliberate about what I eat for the past 5 years. Gluten and sugar were the first things to go about 4 years ago. I stopped eating legumes shortly after that and dairy about 2 years ago. I never eat legumes anymore and expose myself to gluten, dairy and sugar every 3-4 months. I noticed a dramatic improvement in two decades worth of acne problems (I'm 34 now) from these changes. However, I still needed to use strong benzoyl peroxide cream every day to keep my skin relatively clear. It wasn't until I cut out coffee and switched to tea that I've had clear skin without acne medication. I had switched to black coffee long before, so I'm confident it was the coffee and not anything I'd added to it.

I quite frankly forgot about the reaction to coffee about 8 months ago and started drinking it again on a regular basis. I don't recall having any problems for the first couple months, when I was mostly drinking cheap, weak stuff. I really enjoy coffee though, and eventually starting drinking better, stronger stuff. I started having very deep, painful acne cysts that would persist for weeks or months at a time. Some of them would break open every few days and release a lot of blood and puss. It dawned on me that the only thing that had snuck back into my diet was the coffee. After cutting myself off (but still drinking tea) the problematic cysts went down in less than a week.

[marissa8161]

Hmm... weird, its the opposite for me! I drank coffee regularly for about 3 years (started when I was 13 or 14), usually about half a pot a day (~ 6 cups). I LOVE the taste of coffee and cuddling up with a hot mug is the ultimate comfort food for me.

This past summer I stopped drinking it because it was just TOO hot outside, and I hate iced coffee. About 2-3 months after I had my last cup, I had my tremendous breakout. I started drinking coffee again when the weather got cooler, and my face has just gotten better and better!

I don't think my coffee consumption had much of an effect on my acne (other factors were definitely more influential), but drinking coffee definitely hasn't hurt me!

[alternativista]

We've had many people that break out from any amounts of caffeine. Even the little bit in decaf green tea. One way would be it's affect on stress/cortisol and the adrenal glands (which impact the thyroid) which causes inflammation. There's some good coffee substitutes in the Drink recipe thread.

Edited by alternativista, 19 January 2012 - 03:50 PM.

[dejaclairevoyant]

Not only does coffee cause me to break out, but it gave both me and my friend a lump in our breasts... which was scary. I stopped any coffee consumption and a lot of things got better for my health overall. I never realized how horribly stressed my adrenal glands were from my constant coffee habit. I feel way healthier now, and the scary lump is gone too.

(note-- like you, tea does not have this effect on me. I drink 1-3 cups of green tea per day)

[soysauce]

When I went to jail I drank massive amounts of coffee while I was in there, the only kind of stimulant I had so I downed that shit! I started breaking out horribly and didn't realize it was the coffee until I got out. What is it in coffee that breaks you out?

[chunkylard]

Never broke out once from coffee or caffeine itself (or any stimulant) but there are some people that are quite sensitive to it.

[jp22]

chunkylard, on 19 January 2012 - 01:12 PM, said:

The Cure for Acne:
-Avoid the Acne Trifecta: Soy, Gluten, and Dairy like the plague.
-Eat a Low-GI diet and avoid Sugar.
-Eat lots of protein and healthy fats (ANTIBIOTIC FREE/NO HORMONES ADDED/FREE RANGE/HUMANELY SLAUGHTERED)
-Get lots of green vegetables and sunshine.
-Supplement whenever possible. Due to how much we've ruined food in the past 60 years, the amount of nutrients found in food nowadays is lower than it was decades ago.
-Exercise, get sunshine, and avoid stressful situations.
-Don't fear food. Go out & eat. It's not good for the skin, but it's good for the soul.

Great signature.

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

[ohsailor]

I think I have an incredibly bad reaction to caffeine.

I used to have a big Red Bull habit and when I stopped drinking it my skin calmed down dramatically, although I did have a bit of an addiction to it!!

Now I have cut out caffeine in my tea and other drinks which means no Coke, Pepsi or Red Bull which is very difficult for me but its worth the pain

I've also cut out gluten which has also really helped. I always thought that people who cut out gluten were "hippy dippy" and hypochondriacs!