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Well my acne and oily skin started when I was 13, I'm 30 now and over the years I have been on many different diets and never I have seen any effects on my skin with diet. Three years ago I suddenly got birch allergy, never before I had any effect on birch before that. And my forehead has cleared on it's own, I get no acne on forehead now.
I'm not an expert on this but it would make sense that IF you would have some sort of food intolerance the "acne" from that would be just some hives or some sort of rash not really the original acne, like papules and pustules.
Not necessarily. IgE, yeah, but that's allergy. There's a lot more to immune reactions. Contact dermatitis is a good example - you can get pustules from something like detergent or poison ivy, and they look slightly different depending on the antigen. But that's when a concentrated antigen comes into contact with a patch of skin. What if you were to eat an antigen and have fragmented bits of it cross into your blood, thus diluting the antigen? You would get a more random distribution of spots. Since sebaceous glands are a necessary condition for acne, those spots are restricted to certain areas of the body.
It's certainly more complicated than that. There are lots of immune factors involved, and scientists are just now realizing that inflammatory events begin before colonization with P. acnes.
>Once a day.
Three days in, you should see fewer new spots. If you're not, I would consider other potential offenders.
I feel like I've eliminated so much food already. My meals pretty much consists of pork, avocado, quinoa, kale, sweet potatos, broccoli, cucumbers, lentils, coconut oil (to fry), tamari sauce, and fruits (canteloupe, apples, pears). I also drink a protein shake that has blueberry, blackberries, flaxseed, chia seeds, fish oil omega d3, l-glutamine, and hemp protein.
None of these came up as something I'm intolerant to on my IgG blood test.
I might try cutting out sweet potatos for now too, but really, I'm at a loss ... since I still got a couple new pimples these last couple days.
What kind of acne do you have/where on your skin is it, out of curiosity? And do you use any medicines?
I have both whiteheads, smaller pimples, and some cystic acne. And mostly on my face.
And I don't use any medication anymore. Was on tetracycline for about three months last year and it worked rather well, but I feel all the antibiotics ruined my gut, hence part of the reason why I have leaky gut now. So no acne medication at the moment.
I feel like I've eliminated so much food already. My meals pretty much consists of pork, avocado, quinoa, kale, sweet potatos, broccoli, cucumbers, lentils, coconut oil (to fry), tamari sauce, and fruits (canteloupe, apples, pears). I also drink a protein shake that has blueberry, blackberries, flaxseed, chia seeds, fish oil omega d3, l-glutamine, and hemp protein.
None of these came up as something I'm intolerant to on my IgG blood test.
I might try cutting out sweet potatos for now too, but really, I'm at a loss ... since I still got a couple new pimples these last couple days.
I think it's important to note that food intolerances are just one of the myriad causes of acne. If it's a bad bacteria, for example, the fiber in lentils could be allowing it to proliferate, resulting in an increase in the waste products of that bacteria, which could potentially be absorbed and react as a food antigen might.
That being said, of the things you listed tamari sauce stands out as the most potentially antigenic, being soy and all. Flax seeds are also potentially antigenic. But these are guesses. You could try doing 3-day elimination tests; don't eat a particular food for 3 days, and monitor your acne closely. Food usually takes around 48 hours to leave your system, so if it works with a particular food, I would expect nothing new on the 3rd day, but potentially new spots on the 1st and 2nd.
Depending on your type of acne, it could also be hormonal (usually cystic for women). If it's around your mouth, it could be toothpaste. Acne is sort of like cancer; it's a manifestation of something gone awry, but that cause could be many things, and the manifestation of that cause could differ in a number of ways. A group of diseases, and not just one problem - which means there almost certainly won't be one solution.
I have both whiteheads, smaller pimples, and some cystic acne. And mostly on my face.
And I don't use any medication anymore. Was on tetracycline for about three months last year and it worked rather well, but I feel all the antibiotics ruined my gut, hence part of the reason why I have leaky gut now. So no acne medication at the moment.
Ah okay. Yeah that does sound like food intolerances or potential dysbiosis.
You could get a stool test to see if the offending agent is a microbe. Do you have any gut symptoms?
I feel like I've eliminated so much food already. My meals pretty much consists of pork, avocado, quinoa, kale, sweet potatos, broccoli, cucumbers, lentils, coconut oil (to fry), tamari sauce, and fruits (canteloupe, apples, pears). I also drink a protein shake that has blueberry, blackberries, flaxseed, chia seeds, fish oil omega d3, l-glutamine, and hemp protein.
None of these came up as something I'm intolerant to on my IgG blood test.
I might try cutting out sweet potatos for now too, but really, I'm at a loss ... since I still got a couple new pimples these last couple days.
I think it's important to note that food intolerances are just one of the myriad causes of acne. If it's a bad bacteria, for example, the fiber in lentils could be allowing it to proliferate, resulting in an increase in the waste products of that bacteria, which could potentially be absorbed and react as a food antigen might.
That being said, of the things you listed tamari sauce stands out as the most potentially antigenic, being soy and all. Flax seeds are also potentially antigenic. But these are guesses. You could try doing 3-day elimination tests; don't eat a particular food for 3 days, and monitor your acne closely. Food usually takes around 48 hours to leave your system, so if it works with a particular food, I would expect nothing new on the 3rd day, but potentially new spots on the 1st and 2nd.
Depending on your type of acne, it could also be hormonal (usually cystic for women). If it's around your mouth, it could be toothpaste. Acne is sort of like cancer; it's a manifestation of something gone awry, but that cause could be many things, and the manifestation of that cause could differ in a number of ways. A group of diseases, and not just one problem - which means there almost certainly won't be one solution.
>I have both whiteheads, smaller pimples, and some cystic acne. And mostly on my face.
And I don't use any medication anymore. Was on tetracycline for about three months last year and it worked rather well, but I feel all the antibiotics ruined my gut, hence part of the reason why I have leaky gut now. So no acne medication at the moment.
Ah okay. Yeah that does sound like food intolerances or potential dysbiosis.
You could get a stool test to see if the offending agent is a microbe. Do you have any gut symptoms?
Hm ok, I use tamari very sparingly to marinate or cook. In my IgG test, i was somewhat low in reacting to soybeans. But I will try and cut that out for three days and see what happens. Flax seed was also low reactive too, while lentil was "0" as in didn't react at all. But maybe I'll do away with flax seed for now and see how that goes. And then lentils as well.
I also did a hormone test which I will get result on Monday. Hope that might shed some light on something as well.
As for gut symptoms, maybe sometimes I feel more gassy than other times but nothing significant. My naturopath says it's leaky gut but I think my biggest "symptom" is acne.
Also forgot to mention that I drink a bone broth as well (from pork bone). Heard it helps with healing the gut.
Been about one week since I started this. For a while there, my skin showed significant improvement but I'm getting smaller breakouts. I'm assuming that's just my body getting used to the diet. No big cystic ones which is good. But hoping for these smaller ones to go away soon.
I'm not an expert on this but it would make sense that IF you would have some sort of food intolerance the "acne" from that would be just some hives or some sort of rash not really the original acne, like papules and pustules.
Not necessarily. IgE, yeah, but that's allergy. There's a lot more to immune reactions. Contact dermatitis is a good example - you can get pustules from something like detergent or poison ivy, and they look slightly different depending on the antigen. But that's when a concentrated antigen comes into contact with a patch of skin. What if you were to eat an antigen and have fragmented bits of it cross into your blood, thus diluting the antigen? You would get a more random distribution of spots. Since sebaceous glands are a necessary condition for acne, those spots are restricted to certain areas of the body.
It's certainly more complicated than that. There are lots of immune factors involved, and scientists are just now realizing that inflammatory events begin before colonization with P. acnes.
>>Once a day.
>
Three days in, you should see fewer new spots. If you're not, I would consider other potential offenders.
I feel like I've eliminated so much food already. My meals pretty much consists of pork, avocado, quinoa, kale, sweet potatos, broccoli, cucumbers, lentils, coconut oil (to fry), tamari sauce, and fruits (canteloupe, apples, pears). I also drink a protein shake that has blueberry, blackberries, flaxseed, chia seeds, fish oil omega d3, l-glutamine, and hemp protein.
None of these came up as something I'm intolerant to on my IgG blood test.
I might try cutting out sweet potatos for now too, but really, I'm at a loss ... since I still got a couple new pimples these last couple days.
From that list, sweet potatoes would e about the last thing I'd try eliminating. Flax, soy & protein shakes are more likely culprits.
And I'd add foods back. Such as other brassicas. Do it methodically to watch for changes. What about your lifestyle?
I'm not an expert on this but it would make sense that IF you would have some sort of food intolerance the "acne" from that would be just some hives or some sort of rash not really the original acne, like papules and pustules.
Not necessarily. IgE, yeah, but that's allergy. There's a lot more to immune reactions. Contact dermatitis is a good example - you can get pustules from something like detergent or poison ivy, and they look slightly different depending on the antigen. But that's when a concentrated antigen comes into contact with a patch of skin. What if you were to eat an antigen and have fragmented bits of it cross into your blood, thus diluting the antigen? You would get a more random distribution of spots. Since sebaceous glands are a necessary condition for acne, those spots are restricted to certain areas of the body.
It's certainly more complicated than that. There are lots of immune factors involved, and scientists are just now realizing that inflammatory events begin before colonization with P. acnes.
>>Once a day.
>ockquote>
Three days in, you should see fewer new spots. If you're not, I would consider other potential offenders.
I feel like I've eliminated so much food already. My meals pretty much consists of pork, avocado, quinoa, kale, sweet potatos, broccoli, cucumbers, lentils, coconut oil (to fry), tamari sauce, and fruits (canteloupe, apples, pears). I also drink a protein shake that has blueberry, blackberries, flaxseed, chia seeds, fish oil omega d3, l-glutamine, and hemp protein.
None of these came up as something I'm intolerant to on my IgG blood test.
I might try cutting out sweet potatos for now too, but really, I'm at a loss ... since I still got a couple new pimples these last couple days.
From that list, sweet potatoes would e about the last thing I'd try eliminating. Flax, soy & protein shakes are more likely culprits.
And I'd add foods back. Such as other brassicas. Do it methodically to watch for changes. What about your lifestyle?
I switched to a flax oil but might take it back out. Although I got tested for it on my IgG and it was low reaction. Why would protein shakes be a culprit? Is it the protein? I'm using hemp protein. Also have cut out soy.
Lifestyle is good, sometimes stressful. But trying to control that.
Been on this rather strict diet for about two weeks now and I'm still getting new breakouts. Not as many as before but I thought it would stop completely. It was going great for a bit but then this weekend I just got quite a few new ones on the lower jay/chin so I'm not sure what happened, or what changed.
I was told that when balance to my small intenstine is restored from eliminating my food sensitivities and taking probiotics, the "bad bacteria" is outnumbered and killed off. Which means they release toxins into the digestive tract, and then processed trhough the liver which creates an exacerbation of existing skin symptoms, aka. acne. So I'm not sure if this is exactly what is happening and how long this "exacerbation will last." It's frustrating. Anyone know how long this usually lasts??
Also, I caught a cold this weekend so went on some cough/cold medicine and not sure if that affects the leaky gut as well. I also introduced flax oil, but I'm scared that was causing it so took it back out even though my blood tests said I am low reactive to flax seed.
Just an update. Been at this for about four weeks now. Been very strict on my diet, haven't really strayed. The only thing was I got sick and had to take tylenol for a few days, so not sure if there was a set back with it affecting the leaky gut. Anyways, I'm still getting breakouts after four weeks, which is frustrating. Sometimes it seems it's improved and then somedays it seems like days of old. I know my gut is pretty bad over the years of antibiotics, and accutane, and stress, and what not, but should I be seeing massive improvements after four weeks, or is this still normal as I know leaky gut takes a while to fix?
It could also be my liver getting rid of all the gunk through my skin, but not sure how long that will last either.
My current diet (no milk, no sugar, minimal whole grains, no processed grains) took several weeks before I saw real results, but once my skin started to clear, it just got better and better. In theory, a pimple is the end result of a process that can take days or even weeks or months. If you've changed your diet for the better (avoiding high GI foods and milk like the plague) and haven't seen results yet, give it time. If you're still eating high GI foods (yes, whole grains are still high GI), then stop and wait another couple weeks to see if the situation improves. Once my skin cleared up, I've been able to add small amounts of whole grains back into my diet. However, that was only after my insulin response/acne had been under control for several months without change. If you're still breaking out, keep omitting foods (cutting carbs and grains first) until it gets better. No joke, at one point I ate steamed fish with brocolli for an entire week because I wasn't sure what was breaking me out. It takes a while to figure yourself out.
Edit: I should also note that it's not just about what you don't eat. Including LOADS of anti-inflammatory foods like broccoli, leafy greens, fish, beets, carrots, coconut milk, and turmeric (curried fish with bamboo shoots, anyone?), can vastly improve the outcome of elimination diets. Getting rid of foods is just the first step. You have to eat for health if you really want to see an improvement in your skin.
My current diet (no milk, no sugar, minimal whole grains, no processed grains) took several weeks before I saw real results, but once my skin started to clear, it just got better and better. In theory, a pimple is the end result of a process that can take days or even weeks or months. If you've changed your diet for the better (avoiding high GI foods and milk like the plague) and haven't seen results yet, give it time. If you're still eating high GI foods (yes, whole grains are still high GI), then stop and wait another couple weeks to see if the situation improves. Once my skin cleared up, I've been able to add small amounts of whole grains back into my diet. However, that was only after my insulin response/acne had been under control for several months without change. If you're still breaking out, keep omitting foods (cutting carbs and grains first) until it gets better. No joke, at one point I ate steamed fish with brocolli for an entire week because I wasn't sure what was breaking me out. It takes a while to figure yourself out.
Edit: I should also note that it's not just about what you don't eat. Including LOADS of anti-inflammatory foods like broccoli, leafy greens, fish, beets, carrots, coconut milk, and turmeric (curried fish with bamboo shoots, anyone?), can vastly improve the outcome of elimination diets. Getting rid of foods is just the first step. You have to eat for health if you really want to see an improvement in your skin.
Thanks for this. I've been eating quinoa cause I need carbs, and it's healthy. Should I experiment cutting that out? I don't do milk or really anything that's high GI.
The thing is I have so much food I can't eat because I did a blood test for foods I'm intolerant to. Most fish meals are among them. I've ate pretty healthy with a lot of veggies and fruits, and pork (the only meat I can eat as well). Been also taking supplements to repair the gut and probiotics as well.
By real results, do you mean like no breakouts for several days, or it just stop completely?
You might have a sensitivity to ALL carbohydrates right now. I didn't touch any kinds of seeds or grains for months. Quinoa isn't bad for you, per se, but it is a carbohydrate. I'd give it up and see what happens. I'm surprised that you are intolerant to fish, since fish is very anti-inflammatory and most people tolerate it quite well. It's one of my best foods. When my diet was right, my skin cleared completely. I no longer break out unless I eat one or more of my trigger foods (like having a big glass of milk with graham crackers, for example). It's a myth that you need carbohydrates. Humans can survive quite well on an all-animal diet (not that I recommend that). Make sure you only get carbohydrate from vegetable sources, but minimize white potato. It's very starchy. Sweet potato is okay, but again, not too much of that either. Try to get most of your nutrition from vegetable sources. Vegetables and vegetable juice have really helped my skin. I'd be careful with pork. If it is not organic/uncured, it can be a pretty unhealthy meat (factory farmed pork is filthy). Pork loin and shoulder are fine, but I'd definitely avoid fatty, cured meats like bacon and fatback.
I'm not normally one to advocate a 100% vegetarian diet, but for you, it might be a good thing to try on a temporary basis. I occasionally veg-fast where I only drink vegetable juice or eat vegetables and fruits for a week or two to detox and give my gut a break (like after I've been ill, or if I just feel poorly). A vegetable juice fast might help your liver to detox. It also gives your intestines a break, and feeds beneficial flora. I don't take many supplements, but Borage oil is very beneficial for the skin, as well as vit D.
The difficult thing is that I'm a male and go to the gym often to do weights, so don't want to eliminate carbs. I don't eat bacon and what not. Mostly pork loins, chops, etc. and I grab them from a butcher where the meat is free range and hormone free. I eat a lot of veggies too but is there any you specifically recommend? Everyday I usually have broccoli, kale, avocado, and cucumbers. I also eat sweet potatoes at times too. There's already so many food I can't eat, and I don't want to lose weight. The fish thing sucks. It's weird because I'm not intolerant to shellfish so I can eat those!
What do you put in your vegetable juice during the fast?
Thanks for the help.
The difficult thing is that I'm a male and go to the gym often to do weights, so don't want to eliminate carbs. I don't eat bacon and what not. Mostly pork loins, chops, etc. and I grab them from a butcher where the meat is free range and hormone free. I eat a lot of veggies too but is there any you specifically recommend? Everyday I usually have broccoli, kale, avocado, and cucumbers. I also eat sweet potatoes at times too. There's already so many food I can't eat, and I don't want to lose weight. The fish thing sucks. It's weird because I'm not intolerant to shellfish so I can eat those!
What do you put in your vegetable juice during the fast?
Thanks for the help.
I drink vegetable juice throughout the day made from carrots (cal-organic juicing carrots are the best), beets (great for skin), celery (good for weightlifters because it prevents you from retaining water = muscle definition), and sometimes I add powdered wheatgrass or juice Kale (but kale is kindof expensive to juice everyday and I usually skip it). I also sometimes add an apple to my juice (don't add commercial fruit juices to homemade juice because they are pasteurized sugary crap). For a fast, I usually rotate between my usual juice with carrots, beets, celery etc with green juices made with spinach, kale, celery, and an apple for taste. I often add ginger to my juice because it's good for digestive health. In the morning, I add 1 Tbsp psyllium husk powder to a glass of my juice for additional fiber, but juice does already have a lot of fiber, so it's probably overkill. If you are drinking only juice (like on a fast), I do recommend the added fiber as it will help clear you out quicker (sorry, gross).
If you need carbs, get them from sweet potatoes, white potatoes, and other starchy vegetables. Just try not to get your carbs from grains. I highly recommend sweet potatoes for skin health in general, so eat a couple of those throughout the day with a little butter and see if that helps. Or if you want, you could eat your carbs all at once. However you like to load up. I'm not into weight training, so I don't know how it works.
I have the same problems as you dskully. I am 23 yr old male with same cystic acne cause by food. Pretty much the only "safe" foods for me are:
bell peppers
plain baked chicken
lettuce
root vegetablees
broiled salmon / tuna
steamed quinoa
blue agave nectar
extra virgin olive oil
I usually stir-fry those things together and eat that for maybe 2 meals out of the day. I also have been using pumpkin seed protein and sacha inchi protein .Brown rice and pea seem to bother me too much 
It's not about what you are "allergic to". It's more than that. I think there is something wrong with our internal digestive systems. I just ordered some pills called "Seacure" that supposedly helps heal a leaky gut. I'll let you know how it goes...