PPS 'Veganism is the future' http://veganismisthefuture.com/ is a great resource that examines the health benefits of a wholefood, organic, fresh, mostly raw vegan diet. It also shows the immorality of eating "tortured" animals with a right to life & the ill-effects of eating industrialized dairy "foods" & rotting flesh/ meat.

Yes, I doubt diet has much to do with scars or acne at all. Take your average college hunk, he parties and bangs all the young women in their prime, meanwhile he drinks hard and doesn't even know what vitamin supplements are. He is naturally muscular and lean without even knowing what nutrition means.

This stuff is all genetic. If you have scars, you will have to learn to live with them to some extent. You are lying to yourself every day that you try to believe that full improvement is out there. Our goal should be trying our best, and accepting any improvement we can get.

I think that in many cases it's most likely to be a combination of genetics and environmental influences like diet. A person may have a genetic predisposition to acne but it will only express itself if certain environmental factors are present. I read somewhere that acne is more or less unheard of among Papa New Guineans who subsist on a traditional diet. Similarly, things like diabetes, heart disease, obesity and tooth decay were virtually unheard of among primitive people until they adopted a western diet. Increasing rates of cancer among people in their 30's and 40's have also been attributed to modern environmental factors.

Most people, like your college hunk, can adopt a poor diet and not suffer from acne because they are not genetically predisposed to it. Others who do have that predisposition may, like the Papa New Guineans, be able to avoid acne by eating well. I know this isn't established scientific fact but it make some sense given that in many other respects environmental influences acting on our genes make us what we are. For myself I believe that a diet high in sugar, dairy and processed foods was at least a contributing factor to my problems with acne and may have pushed me from moderate non-scarring acne to cystic acne.

All people detox through their skin. It's the body's secondary detox route (the first route is the digestive system). If you don't detox effectively through your skin, you'll put your liver & kidney through hell... acne is your body telling you it is allergic to something toxic/ artificial you ate/ absorbed/ inhaled etc...people with clear skin that don't have leaky gut syndrome or detox mainly through their digestive tract will instead be susceptible to heart-attacks, heart disease, cancer & other diseases if they choose to eat junk/ drink junk. The lesson is, if you put toxins, vaccines, heavy metals, GMO, aspartame & other junk food/ junk drinks into/onto your body, you will eventually pay for it later, whether it shows up on your skin or in your deteriorated, rotting organs.

I think anyone that thinks nutrition isn't key to good health/ clear skin (as well as using key topicals & needling etc), is kidding themselves & just loves junk food/ lazing about more than having clear healthy skin.

PS I know when I ate terribly (i.e, junk food/ typical western diet high in meat/ dairy etc) I had severe acne and when I used harsh acne cleansers/ benzoyl peroxide etc, I got acne scars. However, when I become a healthy vegan/ used mild cleansers (rarely), drank fresh veg/ fruit juices/ super juice, exercised, skin needled & used key topicals, my acne scars disappeared. If you can't see the connection between healthy diet/ healthy body/ healthy lifestyle/ clear skin then you're either in denial, like your junk food comfort zone or are intellectually challenged.

PPS 'Veganism is the future' http://veganismisthefuture.com/ is a great resource that examines the health benefits of a wholefood, organic, fresh, mostly raw vegan diet. It also shows the immortality of eating "tortured" animals with a right to life & the ill-effects of eating industrialized dairy "foods" & rotting flesh/ meat.

I don't even know where to begin. This feels extremely condescending and is full of dangerous misinformation. This upcoming information is from a dermatologist - a doctor whose entire career is to learn about the skin and treat skin problems. Another quote on detoxing from Dr. Anne Chapas: "This theory is false. The skin's job is to keep things out, not to release impurities from the body. That's why we have a liver and kidneysthey are the organs responsible for detox." If your body could not rid itself of "toxins" then you would be on dialysis right now.

And NO, it does not have to do with being unclean/unhealthy or...using vaccines? Again, that is incredibly insulting to the millions of people who have suffered from acne when it is entirely NOT their fault. Simple proof? Children. They don't break out. Some truly unhealthy adults never break out either. Why? Because acne is hormonal and genetic.

I cannot even begin to tell you how enraging this is to me. There was a post on here a while ago about a girl who, as a teenager, stopped eating anything but (if I'm remembering correctly) spinach and she ended up severely malnourished. I've personally tried a paleo diet and many, many people have tried diet changes to no avail. To say that people who don't believe nutrition is the "key to...clear skin" "love junk food/lazing about more than having clear skin" is so wrong it's not even funny to me. This condition (acne), if severe enough, can cause severe depression, BDD, anxiety disorders, and even suicide. It's not something people take lightly and most are beyond desperate to rid themselves of it - if diet changes worked 100% of the time for everyone, it wouldn't even be just an option.

You stopped eating bad and your acne went away. When you used BP, you scarred. That's nice and I'm happy you have good skin now, but this is a clear example of why finding acne treatments can be so difficult - correlation doesn't equal causation. There could be other factors at play here and it's not always easy to pinpoint why it went away.

Yes, I doubt diet has much to do with scars or acne at all. Take your average college hunk, he parties and bangs all the young women in their prime, meanwhile he drinks hard and doesn't even know what vitamin supplements are. He is naturally muscular and lean without even knowing what nutrition means.

This stuff is all genetic. If you have scars, you will have to learn to live with them to some extent. You are lying to yourself every day that you try to believe that full improvement is out there. Our goal should be trying our best, and accepting any improvement we can get.

I think that in many cases it's most likely to be a combination of genetics and environmental influences like diet. A person may have a genetic predisposition to acne but it will only express itself if certain environmental factors are present. I read somewhere that acne is more or less unheard of among Papa New Guineans who subsist on a traditional diet. Similarly, things like diabetes, heart disease, obesity and tooth decay were virtually unheard of among primitive people until they adopted a western diet. Increasing rates of cancer among people in their 30's and 40's have also been attributed to modern environmental factors.

Most people, like your college hunk, can adopt a poor diet and not suffer from acne because they are not genetically predisposed to it. Others who do have that predisposition may, like the Papa New Guineans, be able to avoid acne by eating well. I know this isn't established scientific fact but it make some sense given that in many other respects environmental influences acting on our genes make us what we are. For myself I believe that a diet high in sugar, dairy and processed foods was at least a contributing factor to my problems with acne and may have pushed me from moderate non-scarring acne to cystic acne.

I agree with your intelligent post Hiddy Cheeks!! Yes, sugar/ refined carbs/ gluten/ dairy/ processed foods etc can also lead to acne.

Btw, the reason that I'm so skeptical of the 'genetic causes arguments' is because my dermatologists feed me this 'theory' crap for years, and so I had acne / acne scars for years, as I continued to eat a junk/ western diet & use toxic chemical harsh acne topicals, over wash my face, wondering all the time why the hell was I still getting acne and acne scars! I was following western science for goodness sakes! So why wasn't my skin improving???!!!

The fact is, most medical doctors are pimps/ salesmen of big pharma. They're not trained in nutrition. And it is the cornerstone to good health. Essentially, we are made to eat & drink natural foods/ clean water/ fruit/ veg juice. Our body does not recognize chemicals/ processed toxins/ artificial foods/ plastics etc. It will reject these "bioweapons"and secrete them through our skin and organs and cause chronic inflammation, the common cause of disease, infection, scarring etc.

You are going to write off years of research by thousands of people on the causes of acne because of your one, single case study and feel ok saying anyone who doesn't believe a bad diet causes acne is "intellectually challenged"?

Jfiligree, you are blinded by your immoral lust for the blood, flesh, fat, bones & pus of tortured animals. My acne free/ scar free skin results speak for itself. And there is a plethora of research showing that dairy & meat cause disease/ acne/ cancer etc. Just examine the wealth of info at www.naturalnews.com & other medical/ nutrition journals.

PS Doctors previously told pregnant women for years that x-rays did not harm the unborn baby. They now admit it is lethal and damaging to the baby. Ditto to ultrasounds. They increase the chance of miscarriages, learning difficulties, arrested brain development. Therefore, don't place all your faith in "science"/ mainstream "medicine" and "studies". It is a manipulated field and open to corruption like any other industry.

Jfiligree, you are blinded by your immortal lust for the blood, flesh, fat, bones & pus of tortured animals. My acne free/ scar free skin results speak for itself. And there is a plethora of research showing that dairy & meat cause disease/ acne/ cancer etc. Just examine the wealth of info at www.naturalnews.com .

My aunt-in-law's sister grows all her own food on her farm in Iowa. That's all she eats. She has acne. My cousin is vegan. She has acne.

By the way, you're passing a pretty strong judgement on literally 93% of the population (including me).

You reap what you sow & eat!

So, if your cousin abstains from processed junk "vegan" foods, (i.e. hot chips with processed sauce is vegan too), eats mainly raw, organic,vegan wholefoods/ superfoods & drinks clean spring water/ fresh juice/ veg juices, exercises moderately, lives a wellness-centered life, (doesn't over wash her skin and uses a mild natural vegan celanser once in a while and a natural zit zapper like lavender oil/ tea tree oil/ thyme tincture/ lemon juice or niacinamide for more extreme acne infections), then she will have clear skin. It's that simple.

PS Direct sunlight/ vitamin d (which is really a hormone btw, so don't wash after a day in the sun), on exposed skin is also VITAL for clear, healthy skin and a healthy body. Just don't burn.

And my aunt-in-law's sister? I found out about this because we met her when I took a trip to meet her family. Rural Iowa - they are practically the definition of "natural." They live entirely off the land, supposedly washes her face once every morning with spring water. Fourty years old. Still has acne (nevermind the sun damage). It is not that simple and I guarantee if she just incorporated lemon juice (which is an improper pH for the skin and will cause damage), her acne will not just poof away.

If you do believe acne is caused by your diet/"health" choices, then I am curious as to why you think so many things related to hormones cause/treat acne? Spironolactone and birth control can clear some women up. Men (or women) who take steroids are known to get big acne flare ups.

PS What about the sun breaking down collagen? Have you seen construction worker's faces? Even without a sunburn, the sun will cause severe wrinkling, melasma, liver spots and cancer.

Yes, eating junk can overstimulate your hormones/ glands which in turn cause you to produce an excess of hormones (which these medications help turn off or sublimate). But over time, if you keep eating junk, your body will simply produce more excess hormones and these meds won't work anymore. Or if you decide to get off them, your acne will return if you're still eating junk. Otherwise, you'll inherit another set of health issues (far worse!) if you continue to eat crap & take these strong, dangerous medications long-term.

The point is, hormone production can be negatively impacted by a bad diet/ lack of exercise/ nutritional deficiencies / pollution/ stress etc. Moreover, if you fail to address the underlying cause of your acne and only treat the symptoms, you will not get longterm, healthy, clear skin. Attaining clear skin requires a HOLISTIC approach. Not a targeted approach that centers on ONE area (i.e. hormones, oil sebum production, diet, topicals, exercise, nutrition, vitamins, hygiene, managing stress etc) to exclusion of other important health areas. Such an approach leads to disease & other MAJOR health problems (just look at the thread related to accutane use!!).

Yes, eating junk can overstimulate your hormones/ glands which in turn cause you to produce an excess of hormones (which these medications help turn off or sublimate). But over time, if you keep eating junk, your body will simply produce more excess hormones and these meds won't work anymore. Or if you decide to get off them, your acne will return if you're still eating junk. Otherwise, you'll inherit another set of health issues (far worse!) if you continue to eat crap & take these strong, dangerous medications long-term.

I'm not advocating eating crap - at all. An unhealthy diet is horrible for your body. But I think we have two definitions of "crap" here (I don't believe something has to be vegan, etc. to be healthy). I noticed you mention at the beginning that you are implying the association between diet and acne is because you believe your diet affects your hormones. What about the fact that people have different hormone levels naturally - not related to diet? Some men and women produce more androgens genetically. Androgens=oily skin. Oily skin can potentially cause acne. What about the fact that 90% of teenagers have acne but that number is vastly reduced when people reach adulthood? What about the fact that both dogs and cats can get acne and it's usually at their pubescent ages?

And, again, what about the girl who only ate spinach? Is it because she uses "dangerous western medication"? Or my aunt-in-law's sister? Is it because she forgot to use lemon juice? Or the people who use BP for years with success and keep a poor diet? Or people who go on accutane (reduction of oil) and never see another pimple again? There are many different treatments that can be successful, and they don't all revolve around living off the land.

Some of the most unhealthy people (horrible diet, morbid obesity, no exercise, medical problems) I know have BEAUTIFUL, clear skin - why don't they have acne?

You reap what you sow & eat!

So, if your cousin abstains from processed junk "vegan" foods, (i.e. hot chips with processed sauce is vegan too), eats mainly raw, organic,vegan wholefoods/ superfoods & drinks clean spring water/ fresh juice/ veg juices, exercises moderately, lives a wellness-centered life, (doesn't over wash her skin and uses a mild natural vegan celanser once in a while and a natural zit zapper like lavender oil/ tea tree oil/ thyme tincture/ lemon juice or niacinamide for more extreme acne infections), then she will have clear skin. It's that simple.

PS Direct sunlight/ vitamin d (which is really a hormone btw, so don't wash after a day in the sun), on exposed skin is also VITAL for clear, healthy skin and a healthy body. Just don't burn.

And my aunt-in-law's sister? I found out about this because we met her when I took a trip to meet her family. Rural Iowa - they are practically the definition of "natural." They live entirely off the land, supposedly washes her face once every morning with spring water. Fourty years old. Still has acne (nevermind the sun damage). It is not that simple and I guarantee if she just incorporated lemon juice (which is an improper pH for the skin and will cause damage), her acne will not just poof away.

If you do believe acne is caused by your diet/"health" choices, then I am curious as to why you think so many things related to hormones cause/treat acne? Spironolactone and birth control can clear some women up. Men (or women) who take steroids are known to get big acne flare ups.

PS What about the sun breaking down collagen? Have you seen construction worker's faces? Even without a sunburn, the sun will cause severe wrinkling, melasma, liver spots and cancer.

What the cancer industry doesn't want to tell you is that there are thousands of natural cures for cancer. Whereas chemotherapy causes cancer!!!

Also, sunlight/ vitamin d is VITAL for protection against cancer, arthritis, MS, bone deterioration etc.

And I did not say burn in the sun. Just go a little pink in the sun.

Btw, I have no under eye wrinkles (which I attribute to using pure vitamin e around my eyes and not squinting), and I exercise light-moderate in the sun.

But of course, if you sunbathe all day in the sun, day after day, you can damage your skin...you just need a little sunlight daily, (depending on the time of year, location & skin type, this can be 15 minutes to 1 hour or more of direct sunlight daily). Please research.

PS Lemon juice works wonders for my skin. And so too for many other people (just read the positive reviews on this website). But if it's not agreeable with your skin. Don't use it!! Simple

I agree with your intelligent post Hiddy Cheeks!! Yes, sugar/ refined carbs/ gluten/ dairy/ processed foods etc can also lead to acne.

Btw, the reason that I'm so skeptical of the 'genetic causes arguments' is because my dermatologists feed me this 'theory' crap for years, and so I had acne / acne scars for years, as I continued to eat a junk/ western diet & use toxic chemical harsh acne topicals, over washing my wash, wondering why the hell I was still getting and getting acne scars! Most medical doctors are not trained in nutrition. And it is the cornerstone to good health. Essentially, we are made to eat natural foods. Our body does nor recognize chemicals/ processed toxins/ artificial foods/ plastics etc. It will reject these "bioweapons"and secrete them through our skin and organs and cause chronic inflammation, the common cause of disease, infection, scarring etc.

You are going to write off years of research by thousands of people on the causes of acne because of your one, single case study and feel ok saying anyone who doesn't believe a bad diet causes acne is "intellectually challenged"?

Actually, the science in this area is far from settled and there is a significant school of thought to the effect that there is a relationship between diet and acne. See for instance the comments in the article at the link below about acne and the western diet and the criticisms it makes of the now very old studies on which the no diet-acne relationship theory is based.

Also, I don't see why anecdotal accounts can't be useful, especially if there a lot of them. In my case neither my parents nor their parents have / had acne scars. Scarring only appeared in my generation, out of 4 siblings me and my sister have them. Why then if 3 generations of a family share common genes does acne scarring only show up in the youngest generation? Could it be that the older generations were young at a time when junk food and highly processed foods were not as ubiquitous as they are now (by the way, my scar free siblings eat well whereas me and my scarred sister are not so good). And ask any derm and they will tell you that adult acne is becoming more prevalent than it once was. To my mind the most obvious cause of this is environmental factors, most likely diet. But as I said in my previous post this doesn't mean that everyone with a poor diet will develop acne (and vice versa). Diet is only one factor, genetic makeup is the other.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2836431/

If they eat crap, they might still have beautiful skins (perhaps their bodies don't detox well; NB I personally see acne as a sign that a person has a very good detoxification system!!) , but I can tell you with certainty, that if they continue to eat crap, their livers, kidneys, hearts, digestive system (and even their skins will start to age considerably too over time), their organs will continue to rot & they will become just another cancer, heart disease, diabetes etc statistic!

What the cancer industry doesn't want to tell you is that there are thousands of natural cures for cancer. Whereas chemotherapy causes cancer!!!

Also, sunlight/ vitamin d is VITAL for protection against cancer, arthritis, MS etc.

And I did not say burn in the sun. Just go a little pink in the sun.

Btw, I have no under eye wrinkles (which I attribute to using pure vitamin e around my eyes and not squinting). Yes, if you sunbathe, you can damage your skin, you just need a little sunlight daily, depending on the time of year and location & skin type, this can be 15 minutes to 1 hour of more of direct sunlight. Please research.

PS Lemon juice works wonders for my skin. And so too for many other people (just read the positive reviews on this website). But if it's not agreeable with your skin. Don't use it!! Simple

...why are you playing Russian roulette with your health like this? Melanoma is not to be taken lightly: according to one study, about 86 percent of melanomas can be attributed to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun (Parkin DM, Mesher D, P Sasieni. Cancers attributable to solar (ultraviolet) radiation exposure in the UK in 2010). And just because you don't have any wrinkles (yet) doesn't mean that the sun doesn't cause wrinkles. Really. I showed you this before but you seemed to ignore it: a truck driver who had one side of his face exposed to the sun. The difference is dramatic. Please don't write it off as "well he got burned from the sun, otherwise he'd have youthful glowing skin." If you want to rid yourself of scars as much as possible, take vitamin D supplements - don't risk your life.

I agree with your intelligent post Hiddy Cheeks!! Yes, sugar/ refined carbs/ gluten/ dairy/ processed foods etc can also lead to acne.

Btw, the reason that I'm so skeptical of the 'genetic causes arguments' is because my dermatologists feed me this 'theory' crap for years, and so I had acne / acne scars for years, as I continued to eat a junk/ western diet & use toxic chemical harsh acne topicals, over washing my wash, wondering why the hell I was still getting and getting acne scars! Most medical doctors are not trained in nutrition. And it is the cornerstone to good health. Essentially, we are made to eat natural foods. Our body does nor recognize chemicals/ processed toxins/ artificial foods/ plastics etc. It will reject these "bioweapons"and secrete them through our skin and organs and cause chronic inflammation, the common cause of disease, infection, scarring etc.

You are going to write off years of research by thousands of people on the causes of acne because of your one, single case study and feel ok saying anyone who doesn't believe a bad diet causes acne is "intellectually challenged"?

Actually, the science in this area is far from settled and there is a significant school of thought to the effect that there is a relationship between diet and acne. See for instance the comments in the article at the link below about acne and the western diet and the criticisms it makes of the now very old studies on which the no diet-acne relationship theory is based.

Also, I don't see why anecdotal accounts can't be useful, especially if there a lot of them. In my case neither my parents nor their parents have / had acne scars. Scarring only appeared in my generation, out of 4 siblings me and my sister have them. Why then if 3 generations of a family share common genes does acne scarring only show up in the youngest generation? Could it be that the older generations were young at a time when junk food and highly processed foods were not as ubiquitous as they are now (by the way, my scar free siblings eat well whereas me and my scarred sister are not so good). And ask any derm and they will tell you that adult acne is becoming more prevalent than it once was. To my mind the most obvious cause of this is environmental factors, most likely diet. But as I said in my previous post this doesn't mean that everyone with a poor diet will develop acne (and vice versa). Diet is only one factor, genetic makeup is the other.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2836431/

Great post & thanks for the link!

PS Once upon a time, I too so loved my junk food. I was so relieved to hear the "experts" say my acne wasn't due to my diet; so for years and years, I chomped away at McCrapalds, Kentucky Fried Crap, meat galore, artificial deli cold meats, plastic cheeses, processed sauces, potato chip 'bioweapons', toxic aspartame coca-rocket-fuel etc, pure acid vinegars, coffee, teas, fried foods, processed cardboard foods, microwave foods etc. I also diligently used the "experts'" toxic, chemical-based topicals & toxic meds & my skin got MUCH worse (as I over washed & over processed my sorry face).

I found out about the diet link to clear skin by accident. I loved animals and made a moral choice to go vegetarian. To my surprise, I noticed it helped my skin. I then got into natural health. I then went "healthy" (mostly raw) vegan as my commitment to the plight of animals increased. And to my utter amazement, my skin started to clear! I researched more into natural therapy and discovered needling. It took years of trial and error, but I finally tackled my scaring. I sincerely hope this information helps others. Sooner rather than later. Even if you choose not to become vegan (initially), please look into minimizing meat products, eating only organic, humanely raised meat/ not processed meat/ not deli meat or only eating free range organic eggs & lots of fresh organic vegan wholefoods like salad, nuts, seeds, green leafy greens, kale, fresh fruit/ veg juices, virgin cold pressed organic coconut oil, vegetables, lentils, beans, peas, quinoa, brown rice, hummus, chia seeds, red onion, garlic, tahini, cayenne pepper, mushroom, turmeric, fresh coriander, fresh mint, fresh flat leafed parsley etc, flat bread (on occasion if you love bread), rice noodles, sea vegetables, avocado, kiwi fruit, oranges (if you're not allergic to it), tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, red cabbage, asparagus, superfoods like chlorella, spirulina, barley grass - even baked potato (with the jacket)/ sweet potato/ pumpkin etc

PS Also use lots of fresh lemon juice on your salads & grapeseed oil, flaxseed oil (but avoid flaxseed oil if you're pregnant - instead use a vegan DHA/ EPA/ Omega 3 supplement instead and chia seeds etc).

PPS B12 supplementation is vital for vegans. Even non-vegans are often lacking in this vital vitamin.

PPPS IF you have to cook, then STEAM, BAKE, GRILL, BOIL OR POACH. DON'T FRY OR USE A MICROWAVE!!!

Sigh, why are you guys even arguing about this in this thread.

Seriously, it is a simple Nature Vs Nurture.

Everyone knows everything has both nature and nurture so it is impossible to argue that acne can only be caused by one factor like diet or genetics. It is a mixture of both. Now, a valid arguement would be, which one has more influence, nature or nurture?

You guys are both right.

Genetics will make you predisposed to acne

And

Diet may cause acne depending on how predisposed you are to acne.

Anyways, now that that is clear.

Let's go back to the topic.

Jfiligree, you are totally ignorant about the importance of vitamin d from sunlight. Please research for your own benefit!!!

Sigh, why are you guys even arguing about this in this thread.

Seriously, it is a simple Nature Vs Nurture.

Everyone knows everything has both nature and nurture so it is impossible to argue that acne can only be caused by one factor like diet or genetics. It is a mixture of both. Now, a valid arguement would be, which one has more influence, nature or nurture?

You guys are both right.

Genetics will make you predisposed to acne

And

Diet may cause acne depending on how predisposed you are to acne.

Anyways, now that that is clear.

Let's go back to the topic.

You're very right and I am sorry for letting myself get so far off from topic (...again, lol).

Jfiligree, you are totally ignorant about the importance of vitamin d from sunlight. Please research for your own benefit!!!

No, I will not cease from making my point. This isn't a minor point to be swept under the carpet. The genetic argument causes people much pro-longed suffering because they feel dis-empowered to help themselves! When in fact, they can clear / heal their skin by addressing their diet/ lifestyle/ using key topicals/ trialing effective, yet safe scar revision therapy!!! It might take years to recover (1 to 5 years), but your skin heals every 3 months. So what are YOU doing TODAY to maximize your healing potential???

No, I will not cease from making my point. This isn't a minor point to be swept under the carpet. The genetic argument causes people much pro-longed suffering because they feel dis-empowered to help themselves! When in fact, they can clear / heal their skin by addressing their diet/ lifestyle/ using key topicals/ trialing effective, yet safe scar revision therapy!!! It might take years to recover (1 to 5 years), but your skin heals every 3 months. So what are YOU doing TODAY to maximize your healing potential???

That's alright. I will continue to debate but only through private message. This is a very important topic.

I agree with your intelligent post Hiddy Cheeks!! Yes, sugar/ refined carbs/ gluten/ dairy/ processed foods etc can also lead to acne.

Btw, the reason that I'm so skeptical of the 'genetic causes arguments' is because my dermatologists feed me this 'theory' crap for years, and so I had acne / acne scars for years, as I continued to eat a junk/ western diet & use toxic chemical harsh acne topicals, over washing my wash, wondering why the hell I was still getting and getting acne scars! Most medical doctors are not trained in nutrition. And it is the cornerstone to good health. Essentially, we are made to eat natural foods. Our body does nor recognize chemicals/ processed toxins/ artificial foods/ plastics etc. It will reject these "bioweapons"and secrete them through our skin and organs and cause chronic inflammation, the common cause of disease, infection, scarring etc.

You are going to write off years of research by thousands of people on the causes of acne because of your one, single case study and feel ok saying anyone who doesn't believe a bad diet causes acne is "intellectually challenged"?

Actually, the science in this area is far from settled and there is a significant school of thought to the effect that there is a relationship between diet and acne. See for instance the comments in the article at the link below about acne and the western diet and the criticisms it makes of the now very old studies on which the no diet-acne relationship theory is based.

Also, I don't see why anecdotal accounts can't be useful, especially if there a lot of them. In my case neither my parents nor their parents have / had acne scars. Scarring only appeared in my generation, out of 4 siblings me and my sister have them. Why then if 3 generations of a family share common genes does acne scarring only show up in the youngest generation? Could it be that the older generations were young at a time when junk food and highly processed foods were not as ubiquitous as they are now (by the way, my scar free siblings eat well whereas me and my scarred sister are not so good). And ask any derm and they will tell you that adult acne is becoming more prevalent than it once was. To my mind the most obvious cause of this is environmental factors, most likely diet. But as I said in my previous post this doesn't mean that everyone with a poor diet will develop acne (and vice versa). Diet is only one factor, genetic makeup is the other.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2836431/

Great post & thanks for the link!

PS Once upon a time, I too so loved my junk food. I was so relieved to hear the "experts" say my acne wasn't due to my diet; so for years and years, I chomped away at McCrapalds, Kentucky Fried Crap, meat galore, artificial deli cold meats, plastic cheeses, processed sauces, potato chip 'bioweapons', toxic aspartame coca-a-rocket fuel etc, pure acid vinegars, coffee, teas, processed cardboard foods, microwave foods etc. I also diligently used the "experts'" toxic, chemical-based topicals & toxic meds & my skin got MUCH worse (as I over washed & over processed my sorry face).

I found out about the diet link to clear skin by accident. I loved animals and made a moral choice to go vegetarian. To my surprise, I noticed it helped my skin. I then got into natural health. I then went "healthy" (mostly raw) vegan as my commitment to the plight of animals increased. And to my utter amazement, my skin started to clear! I researched more into natural therapy and discovered needling. It took years of trial and error, but I finally tackled my scaring. I sincerely hope this information helps others. Sooner rather than later. Even if you choose not to become vegan (initially), please look into minimizing meat products, eating only organic, humanely raised meat/ not processed meat/ not deli meat or only eating free range organic eggs & lots of fresh organic vegan wholefoods like salad, nuts, seeds, green leafy greens, kale, fresh fruit/ veg juices, vegetables, lentils, beans, peas, quinoa, brown rice, hummus, chia seeds, tahini, cayenne pepper, turmeric, fresh coriander, fresh mint, fresh flat leafed parsley etc, flat bread (on occasion if you love bread), rice noodles, sea vegetables, avocado, kiwi fruit, oranges (if you're not allergic to it), tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, red cabbage, asparagus, superfoods like chlorella, spirulina, barley grass - even baked potato (with the jacket)/ sweet potato/ pumpkin etc

PS Also use lots of fresh lemon juice on your salads & grapeseed oil, flaxseed oil (but avoid flaxseed oil if you're pregnant - instead use a vegan DHA/ EPA/ Omega 3 supplement instead and chia seeds etc).

PPS B12 supplementation is vital for vegans. Even non-vegans are often lacking in this vital vitamin.

Yes, good advice. I like the idea of eating well and I am getting better, but am prone to relapses. My niece is a vegetarian and she serves as a good example for me. I doubt I'll ever give up meat for good but I think there is merit in reducing your meat intake by eating vegetarian several nights a week.

When it comes to food I like the ancient wisdom of Hippocrates quoted in the article: "Let food be your medicine and let medicine be your food". Anyway, I'll quit now as people are getting tired of this, but it is an interesting topic not least of all because we've been sold the "diet does not affect acne" meme for so long.

Yes, Hiddy Cheeks, if you eat natural foods and drink spring water/ fresh veg/ fruit juices, it will greatly help your skin health/ overall health. Avoiding junk/ artificial foods & topicals is also vital for healthy skin. Natural food is indeed good medicine!!

Btw, I posted this info below elsewhere and thought you and others would benefit from it:

The importance of sunlight/ vitamin D http://www.naturalne.../Vitamin_D.html

The diet acne link:

http://www.webmd.com...s-for-your-skin

http://www.dailymail...50-years-resear

http://www.theveganw...thy-vegan-glow/

I'll try to add to the list later...

Cheers

What the cancer industry doesn't want to tell you is that there are thousands of natural cures for cancer. Whereas chemotherapy causes cancer!!!

This comment probably made me angrier than anything else I've read on this forum, even including EagerMiner's claim that he'd want to kill his mother.

Most of what you write makes no sense and is downright erroneous. I only agree on moderate amount of sunlight/vitamin D being good for you and some diets (not veganism since it's likely to cause vitamin deficiencies) potentially having a positive effect on acne and of course health.

Yes, chemotherapy can increase the risk for cancer but when you have cancer and need to beat it, it's the risk you have to take. There are no natural cures for cancer. The closest thing would probably be a low-carbohydrate diet since cancer is dependent on glucose and based on this theory there have been some experiments on terminally ill cancer patients who have tried low-carb diets (I don't actually know if they helped in the end or not), but that alone is very unlikely to "cure" cancer.

What the cancer industry doesn't want to tell you is that there are thousands of natural cures for cancer. Whereas chemotherapy causes cancer!!!

This comment probably made me angrier than anything else I've read on this forum, even including EagerMiner's claim that he'd want to kill his mother.

Most of what you write makes no sense and is downright erroneous. I only agree on moderate amount of sunlight/vitamin D being good for you and some diets (not veganism since it's likely to cause vitamin deficiencies) potentially having a positive effect on acne and of course health.

Yes, chemotherapy can increase the risk for cancer but when you have cancer and need to beat it, it's the risk you have to take. There are no natural cures for cancer. The closest thing would probably be a low-carbohydrate diet since cancer is dependent on glucose and based on this theory there have been some experiments on terminally ill cancer patients who have tried low-carb diets (I don't actually know if they helped in the end or not), but that alone is very unlikely to "cure" cancer.

Ignorance should not warrant as much anger as placing your (beyond minor) scars over the life of your mother...Just sayin' lol. EagerMiner's comment about his mother was the most indecent comment I've seen by far on these boards.