63 replies to this topic

[alliask]

I'm about to embark on an experiment to test whether bananas causes me to break out or not. I think I am a good subject because I am someone who eats LOTS AND LOTS of bananas. I've always thought they were just so damn healthy, convenient, tasty, and filling. Unfortunately, I am seriously starting to suspect that they are the culprit for my acne.

A little background info about my skin:

I am a 21 year old female. I started getting acne around my junior year of high school, but only on my forehead because i wore bangs. Pretty much up to my first year in college, I did not have any acne problems except on my forehead. Then in 2002, I am not sure what happened, but my skin began breaking out more, even on my cheek area. My acne was never severe; it's usually mild, but it's very persistent. I usually have 1 or 2 pimples on my face. On bad days, I'll have 3 cysts and a few zits.

I've tried all sorts of topicals. I've done the botchla regimen and I've tried using nothing on my face. My acne remained mild and persistent.

Today I woke up with 2 new cysts and I decided I've had it.

I just finished the last banana at home 2 days ago and I am not going to buy or eat anymore until April. This is gonna be prety hard, because I loooove bananas. I was used to having 2 or 3 a day. Now I'm gonna go 1.5 months without eating any bananas and see if I'll stop breaking out. I'll report the results back in here, if anyone cares.

[dejaclairevoyant]

I dont see why they would cause acne..I think they are good healthy food. Some people say they cause acne though..could they be a common allergy for a lot of people,. like peanuts maybe?

Good Luck clearing your acne, but I kinda hope its not the bannanas since you like them so much!

[alliask]

well bananas are supposed to be high in the glycemic index, and there's this whole theory about how foods that have high glycemic levels affects your insulin which in turn affects your hormones and yada yada yada. the only way i can really know for sure is to do this little experiment. i really hate having to give up bananas, its gonna be hard but if it works and i find my cure then its damn well worth it.

id also like to mention that i BELIEVE oatmeal breaks me out. i remember having the worst breakouts of m life when i started eating lots of oatmeal. oatmeal happens to have a high glycemic level.

[SuzanneHopes]

Good Luck and let us know how it all works out for you!
For your sake, I hope it is not the "Nanners" causing your breakouts...
I heard they were a "perfect" food...
Sheeesh!!! I just dont know what I would do without BANANA BREAD..
in my life..hehe.. YUM! Ooops Sorry.

[SweetJade1980]

Good Luck. I was definately a daily banana eater too and I LOVED Banana Bread, Pudding, and Cream Pie so, but I had to give it up. Hopefully you won't have to. ;-)

[xheatherleighx]

I've found that bananas increase my breakouts - because they are 'inflammatory' and are very high on the glycemic index. Dr. Perricone has a book called 'the acne perscription' and he recommends to avoid bananas as well as several other inflammatory foods. My advice would be to cut them out of your diet for a couple weeks and see what happens!

[SuzanneHopes]

Wow..I never knew all this about banana's ..I am really learning something here...seriously.

[adultAcne]

I did just the opposite. I hardly ate bananas, but I just started eating about 2-3 a day! I mix them with my protein shakes. Been doing it for 1.5 months now and I don't think they cause a problem.

[sinashgh]

I've found that bananas increase my breakouts - because they are 'inflammatory' and are very high on the glycemic index.  Dr. Perricone has a book called 'the acne perscription' and he recommends to avoid bananas as well as several other inflammatory foods.  My advice would be to cut them out of your diet for a couple weeks and see what happens!

you mind just telling us what those several other food are anyways?

[Redsquirrel]

i definatly know certain foods make me breakout - but bananas and not one of them to my knowledge. I usually eat about 5-10 bananas a week, and i have noticed next to know difference in my acne. Infact im quite clear at the moment and ive been munching lots of bananas in the past month.

[antimatter]

Bananas is one of those food where possibly people who eat what looks to be an acne friendly, or at the very least healthy, diet and wonder why they keep breaking out. Not all fruits are created equal.

[blackbirdbeatle]

First of all, don't look at the GI as worth anything because most foods you eat don't have the amount of carbs that were used in calculating GI, the Glycemic Load is a much better measure. Secondly, the age of the banana will make a big difference. I ripe one wil have much more sugar. Don't eat them green, wait until all the green is gone. Last, if you eat bananas with thigns like fiber, protein, fats or other low GL foods, it won't spike sugar nearly as much. They are also great sources of potassium, as is raisins and natural peanut butter, two other things people here seem to avoid(Except that one raisin topic that seems to pop up every once in a while).

All the diabetics I know can eat bananas and they're much more sensitive to fluctuating blood sugar levels than anyone with acne(Note I didn't say more insulin sensitive).

[turnover20]

Banannas definently do not make me break out... if anything, they help my skin.
About two weeks ago my acne was really bad. Not even thinking abotu acne, I began eating a bananna for breakfast instead of my daily cereal. Now, two weeks later, I am 90% clear.

[cd1]

Banannas definently do not make me break out... if anything, they help my skin.
About two weeks ago my acne was really bad.  Not even thinking abotu acne, I began eating a bananna for breakfast instead of my daily cereal. Now, two weeks later, I am 90% clear.

Somehow I doubt that a banana you ate 2 weeks ago has anything to do with how your skin looks now.

[turnover20]

Somehow I doubt that a banana you ate 2 weeks ago has anything to do with how your skin looks now.

I have been eating two banannas for breakfast EVERYDAY for the last 2.5 weeks, and in those 2.5 weeks my skin cleared considerably.

[alliask]

gah, i just realized that the title of the post has an extra "cause" in it and i don't know how to change it. why didn't anyone tell me???!?!

anyway, an update:

it's been 5 days since i stopped eating bananas. i started on 2/14/05. i haven't gotten any new acne since, except for a little soreness (a potential cyst?) on the side of my nose but i'm PRETTY SURE it was cause by my squeezing a blackhead. no more of that!!!

i usually get at least 1 new pimple a week, so if i don't get one by next week... it's a possiblility that not eating bananas is helping my acne. if i go through TWO weeks without getting acne... i'm pretty sure banana causes acne for me because i don't think i've ever gone through two weeks without getting new acne ever since this affliction struck a few years ago!

i'm keeping my fingers crossed!!

[SweetJade1980]

gah, i just realized that the title of the post has an extra "cause" in it and i don't know how to change it.  why didn't anyone tell me???!?!

anyway, an update:

it's been 5 days since i stopped eating bananas.  i started on 2/14/05.  i haven't gotten any new acne since, except for a little soreness (a potential cyst?) on the side of my nose but i'm PRETTY SURE it was cause by my squeezing a blackhead.  no more of that!!!

i usually get at least 1 new pimple a week, so if i don't get one by next week... it's a possiblility that not eating bananas is helping my acne.  if i go through TWO weeks without getting acne... i'm pretty sure banana causes acne for me because i don't think i've ever gone through two weeks without getting new acne ever since this affliction struck a few years ago!

i'm keeping my fingers crossed!!

LOL, I just fixed that for ya. Anyway, so after you go 2 weeks without you are going to go back to eating bananas daily again for 1 - 2 weeks to confirm, right? ;-)

[alliask]

hahah thanks for fixing that for me, sweetjade!

if i dont break out in 2 weeks, im gonna keep going banana free. if my acne continues to significantly improve after a month or two, then i can be pretty sure that bananas were the culprit! perhaps 6 months or so down the road i'll try eating a banana or two and see if i'll break out to confirm my findings.

ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i'm getting way ahead of myself.
i'll be SOO happy if i can be acne free for a month.

[Goody317]

uhm bananas?

[alliask]

okay, it's been two weeks since i've stopped eating bananas and i haven't gotten any new break outs. my skin is looking better.

i still can't say for sure at this point that bananas were contributing to my acne. i'll have to wait another couple of weeks before i can draw any conclusions.

as i've mentioned, i would usually get 1 or 2 pimples a week. so not having any for 2 weeks is a small improvement. i'll keep my fingers crossed and hope i won't break out again soon!

in addition, i'd like to mention that my currently-clear state may be a result of other lifestyle changes. although i haven't made any other notable lifestyle change besides ceasing to eat bananas, i have been refraining from picking my face and washing my face less.

i had this bad habit of going up to the mirror really close to inspect my skin every time after i wash my face. then i'd use my fingernail to attempt to scrape out blackheads and clog pores. i cut back on that. also, i used to wash my face with an acne 3 times a day and sometimes 4. now i try to cut down to 2.

well, i'll report back if anything else happens. hopefully not new acne!