31 replies to this topic

[crevin]

I'm a 25 yr old male and have had acne since I was 15. I didn't get it real bad until maybe 19-20 or so, and then I was plagued with red marks/acne until the age of 25.

I used to think the diet/holistic approach was a joke-- but it really isn't. There is a reason why pretty much only Americans have acne. Go to google and type in "acne diet" and read some stuff.

I completely eliminated grains, breads, pasta, high sugar foods, and dairy from my diet, and after three weeks, I haven't had ONE new zit. This has never happened before. Now, don't get me wrong-- my complexion is far from perfect due to red marks and some shallow scars, but my face has lost its redness and I haven't had one new zit. I normally get a new zit every couple days, let alone none in almost a month .

I tried this approach before and discredited it after a week or so. Why? I didn't wait long enough. But more importantly, I didn't take it serious enough-- I still had the occasional candy bar or Gatorade or potato or loaf of bread. DO NOT TOUCH THEM AT ALL! If you really care about your face looking good, please give this a shot. Do not spike your blood's sugar levels. Live off of vegies/meats (I used to never eat vegies-- but they are an acquired taste-- the more you eat, the more you like them. I actually love broccoli now-- three weeks ago I couldn't stand the sight of it).

But people... please, please, please, go to google and do some research on "diet" and "acne" and give it a shot. If you can't give up chocolate chip cookies or gatorade or macaroni, then I guess you will just have to live with acne.

[benwolves]

If the diet thing is true then surely more people would have acne? How about builders who go down the cafe every morning for a fry up and then straight in the pub for 5 pints after work? How about chocaholics? How about these 50 stone americans who live off macdonals but have no acne? Surel only really healthy eaters like vegetairians would be the only people acne free/

Some people may have an intolerance to a certain food, this can cause head ache, ear ache, digestion problems and acne. Acne is neve the sole symptom of a diet problem. Ive really looked into diet and paid for 2 food intolerance tests that both came back negative.

[duane]

it's a proven medical fact that processed grains are bad for people's health.

however, whole grains are ok.

[benwolves]

Bad for things like blood pressure and general health but I do not know of a direct link between food and acne.

[JR86]

If the diet thing is true then surely more people would have acne? How about builders who go down the cafe every morning for a fry up and then straight in the pub for 5 pints after work? How about chocaholics? How about these 50 stone americans who live off macdonals but have no acne? Surel only really healthy eaters like vegetairians would be the only people acne free/

because those people don't have acne, so why would diet make their acne worse if they don't have it to begin with? acne is genetic. for some people with acne following a strict diet can help, although there are many factors that contribute to acne flare ups, not just diet. and in many cases diet may not even make a difference. (for me it really did nothing when i eliminated many foods from my diet)

But people... please, please, please, go to google and do some research on "diet" and "acne" and give it a shot. If you can't give up chocolate chip cookies or gatorade or macaroni, then I guess you will just have to live with acne.

or just treat it. i eat whatever and don't have acne because it is treated appropriately.

here is a reason why pretty much only Americans have acne.

that's not true at all actually. acne occurs in all parts of the world. not just in america. it's also been around for a very, very long time. there are records of acne and acne treatment from the ancient greeks and egyptians.

[pause/break]

somewhat agree with crevin. i guess it's different for everyone but for me- it's beer, soda, junkfoods(potato chips/candy), and coffee.

month ago, i stopped eating/drinking those craps and i had no break outs for a week and my face started to clear up. it was awesome.

i still havent figured out if it's sugar or caffeine that causes acne because diet coke gave me huge zit on my forehead. since then i slipped back to bad eating habits so i cant really complain.

i never really had acne problem in my teen years and i ate those junk foods all the same. it's only last year of august that i started to have this problem. i'm suspecting coffemate and excessive amount of alcohol consumption because those are the only 'big' changes i made..

[willow569]

moving this to the diet/holistic section.

[DeAntonio]

you should leave this in the other forums

alot of people dont visit this forum, ive been on here for a while and didnt visit this forum until later

i think people in the mild section should be aware there is a connection

[alternativista]

you should leave this in the other forums

alot of people dont visit this forum, ive been on here for a while and didnt visit this forum until later

i think people in the mild section should be aware there is a connection

I agree. We on the nutrition forum already know there is a connection between diet and acne.

[Laurayne]

that's not true at all actually. acne occurs in all parts of the world. not just in america. it's also been around for a very, very long time. there are records of acne and acne treatment from the ancient greeks and egyptians.

I agree, that statement you replied to was wayyy off and does not make sense. I've been to many countries and have noticed not everyone has beautiful skin. I've also noticed that in bigger cities people tend to have worse skin than in smaller cities(I bet you can guess why). Ethnicity has another major part in in, as does genetics and things like that. Yea diet may have to do a alot with zits, but there are also other factors as well. Man there are even people from other countries on this very forum, so I don't see how someone could say something like that.

[Elsewhere]

The reason why this post stays in this forum is because diet and holistic news is of interest to those who use the diet and holistic approach. Putting it anywhere else would be spamming the other forums, of whom see the diet and holistic link in the main page everyday, and choose to come in here if they like and choose NOT to come in here if they don't want to.

It would be similar to someone having great success with Accutane then introducing multiple topics in every forum telling people that they should go on Tane.

But for this section, I think this is a great thread!

[Danny©]

Here we go again.
Acne needs two things to develop: "a predisposition" and "a trigger"
This expains everything without contradictions.

The predisposition doesn't mean that "acne is genetical and you can't make anything about it" it means that you have a predisposition that given a specific trigger will make you 20 or 40 or 60 times more likely to develop acne INSTEAD of something else.

The trigger is lifestyle (so body care, diet and others) which creates those mechanisms (inflammation, infection, hyperkeratinization ...) which in those predisposed are likely to become acne.

To make a visual analogy think of making many little deep holes in the soil.
Then someone puts a short candle in one of the hole.
Then you pour alcohol over all the holes.
Clearly the flame flare will come up from just one hole, the hole with the candle in it.

Keeping this analogy in mind and consider the hole in which the candle is as the "predisposition" and the candle being in a different hole as having a different predisposition (diabetes, hypoglycemia, allergies, migraines) and the alcohol as the trigger without which no flame flare process is started, no matter therefore in what hole the candle is.

So if you keep this in mind you can see why people can eat poorly and have no acne and why indeed the modern world (or the modern worlds in the ancient times ... i.e. those with more chances to manipulate lifestyle and nutrition for the worse) are/were the one with the highest incidence in acne. So while it's not true that acne is only in American its incidence is way highre in the rich america-like countries.

Add to that that many people wrongly believe that acne-diet means elimination diet, but removing this or that food just do little to nothing for a lot people because only the long-term nutritionally adequacy of the diet really matters. Just because you remove this or that food it doesn't mean that your nutritional intake and nutritional physiological influence is better ... in fact done carelessly removing foods may just results in even less nutritients especially those required to keep acne-triggers at a bay and to nourish skin renewal and cleansing processes.

[Elsewhere]

I know I'm rarely in diet and holistic, but I just wanted to say Danny....the science talk is hawt. Continue.

[Iliad]

I completely eliminated grains, breads, pasta, high sugar foods, and dairy from my diet, and after three weeks, I haven't had ONE new zit. This has never happened before.

GRAAAHH!!!
How do people have so much success with this?! I have been of dairy and grains and sugar for three months and haven't had any breakthroughs yet! Maybe I was never allergic to them at all? Or maybe I'm doing something else wrong...

[elfgirl]

I think it depends on the individual, if you were born with great skin and good metabolism, you will probably have it for life no matter what you eat or drink. Elf

[alternativista]

I completely eliminated grains, breads, pasta, high sugar foods, and dairy from my diet, and after three weeks, I haven't had ONE new zit. This has never happened before.

GRAAAHH!!!
How do people have so much success with this?! I have been of dairy and grains and sugar for three months and haven't had any breakthroughs yet! Maybe I was never allergic to them at all? Or maybe I'm doing something else wrong...

What about hydrogenated oils/trans fats? Some people have a problem with those. I started watching out for them about the same time I cut out the sugar, so that might have had an impact on my now clear skin too.

Not everyone has a problem with grains and dairy. I don't. But we just plain should not be eating the kind of sugar in the average diet, whether or not you have acne.

And have you tried getting an allergy test? What about supplements?

[30-going-on-13]

crevin - are you insulin resistant??

i've been reading a lot about diet & acne lately too. i also used to think it was a myth, but i'm pregnant now and recently started eating healthier - this is the first improvement i've seen in the last year and a half. and i don't think it's the hormonal changes i'm going through, because not until i changed my diet did my skin start to improve. there is a link between diet and acne-causing hormones - read this article >

acne and diet - insulin, insulin resistance and hormones

[jrmorris]

I am really going to give this a go, like you said, I have tried it before and eaten the odd bar of chocolate, and it really doesn’t work if you do that.

[stardancer]

I completely eliminated grains, breads, pasta, high sugar foods, and dairy from my diet, and after three weeks, I haven't had ONE new zit. This has never happened before.

GRAAAHH!!!
How do people have so much success with this?! I have been of dairy and grains and sugar for three months and haven't had any breakthroughs yet! Maybe I was never allergic to them at all? Or maybe I'm doing something else wrong...

Maybe it's time for you to go to the allergist and have a skin test done. That would be faster than guess and check.

[dejaclairevoyant]

I know I'm rarely in diet and holistic, but I just wanted to say Danny....the science talk is hawt. Continue.

True. LOL. I heart Danny's posts..and the fruit and veggie pic at the bottom always makes me happy. Hehe..