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Back in December 2010, I started getting really depressed about my acne. I started having acne problems the previous year, and it was only getting worse. I noticed I was also having notable issues with headaches, muscle aches, and digestion.
In 2009, I also worked at a health department and was began doing research on nutrition. During this time, I stumbled upon some sources about food intolerances and how they might contribute to acne. I started keeping a food journal and taking pulse tests before and after meals. I found it interesting that my pulse would race up to 50 beats/minute within 15 minutes of consuming a good number of foods... and this is while at rest! At one point, I limited my dinners to steamed carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower and noticed that my pulse remained unchanged after consuming these. Because keeping a food journal, doing pulse tests, and taking the elimination approach was so taxing (and also since acne was a delayed effect, so it was a little difficult to pin-point certain foods without eating the same food for a week), my progress came to a halt.
Things got busy, and I started a new job and classes in a new city. During this time, I was trying out new, healthy recipes using ingredients like tomatoes, lentils, beets, avocados, garlic, citrus fruits, almonds, etc. I ate VERY healthily during this time. But then, I noticed my face started getting significantly worse, and by December 2010, I was in tears many nights due to acne. Finally, I thought back to my research on food intolerances and decided to take action. I made appointments to get blood tests and have those samples sent to a lab for a 200+ food panel.
I found out that I had HIGH REACTIONS to the following foods: TOMATO, AVOCADO, GRAPEFRUIT, PUMPKIN, cola, wax beans, safflower oil.
I also had mild reactions to egg whites.
Immediately, I eliminated these foods from my diet. It was recommended I eliminate the mild foods completely for 3 months and the high foods for 6 months, and then start reintroducing the foods little by little.
I also started taking birth control during this time to address cystic acne that I was getting along my jawline.
Within a couple of months, my skin changed drastically. Additionally (this is VERY important), my headaches, muscle aches, and digestive issues improved and eventually went away.
Until this day, I am grateful for stumbling upon this information. I wanted to share this in hopes that this may be the answer for many of you!
Here is my gallery documenting my progression of acne starting in December 2009:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php/gallery/album/11482-face-the-facts
If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask! Best of luck to you all.
What birth control are you on? Many women clear 100% on birth control regardless of diet.
I am using Caziant and have been using it since January 2010. I noticed that the birth control helps with certain types of acne (e.g. cystic, along jawline). Even so, I know that food plays a role, because even when I was on birth control for a few months prior to starting food elimination, I would still get major outbreaks. Even now, when I eat a lot of foods I shouldn't be eating, I not only have stomach issues, headaches, and muscle tension, but I will also get occasional outbreaks to go along with those symptoms. I noticed that when I do rarely have outbreaks now, they heal VERY quickly (usually within a day) unlike previously, when it would take weeks for acne to heal. I think this speaks to the fact that I have been avoiding offending foods, which has allowed my body to heal and my immune system to function more effectively. Also, when I would get sick in the past, before I even started using birth control, I noticed my skin would clear up when I was sick. I think this largely is related to the fact that I wouldn't eat anything for days during this time. Something interesting to note about the type of acne that occurs when it is food-related--usually, this acne is relatively more superficial, inflammatory, and itchy with pustules. Cystic acne, on the other hand, is usually deeply-rooted in the skin, hard, and very painful. So yeah, I think there are two factors at play here--hormones + immune response.