Dairy & Acne

[YoursTruly*Ashleigh 3]

Has anyone noticed a difference in their skin due to dropping dairy from your diet? I feel like my inflammation has gone down; just want to see if anyone else' has?

[chelslaw 14]

i removed dairy for 3 weeks as a trial, during that time my skin still sucked (i have inflammed hormonal acne on my chin) so this week i am eating dairy to see if my skin gets worse.

The only dairy I consume is cheese.

[SendMeAngels 40]

I've tried cutting both white flour and dairy out of my diet, and it had absolutely NO effect on my acne.

[alternativista 1243]

Yes, many people. I notice little difference but as there are so many ways it affects the factors that lead to acne, I limit it. Especially un fermented dairy. You should in particular avoid the pasteurized unfermented dairy from grain fed cows. In other words, the typical milk in the typical American supermarket. Cow is more problematic than from goat and other animals. Fermented is better than un fermented. Pastured is better than grain fed. Etc.

[Binga 150]

If constipation is an issue cutting out dairy should help.

[o Havoc o 165]

Has anyone noticed a difference in their skin due to dropping dairy from your diet? I feel like my inflammation has gone down; just want to see if anyone else' has?

Doesn't affect me to be honest. Gluten was a big factor of mine. Cutting that out made big improvements

[chelslaw 14]

its so different for everyone that its definitely worth a shot!

im not sure how long you have to remove it to see a different but ive read a few things that saw complete removal for 3-4 weeks then you can add it back in and see if its a trigger.

[tritonxiv 83]

Cutting out dairy did nothing for me.

[whoartthou1 44]

Same. But if i OVERLY consume dairy, it gives me more acne.

[thereisalwayshope 184]

I have also noticed no difference after cutting out diary for about 4 months straight. My acne actually got worse :/

[dabowez 5]

Cutting out dairy made a BIG difference for me, I went from 8 to 10 major cysts especially on my back and chest at a time, to 1 to 2. That's at least a 75% improvement which I'd say is significant. You just need to try it and be patient

[scampb22 1]

You can check out my blog to find out the science behind dairy and acne

[69tattoo_goddess 0]

Hello. I had 18 cystic acne breakouts on my chin and cheeks when I had decided to FINALLY cut out dairy like my derm had advised. He said about 65% of his patients get positive feedback, but it’s not a cure all answer. About 2-3 weeks prior to cutting dairy, I had started Differin and noticed an improvement. But my monthly visit from Aunt Flo caused this cystic uproar I was experiencing at the time.

So when I cut out dairy, I remained abstinent for 4 days and got SO EXCITED to see the swelling and inflammation disappear with the majority of spots gone, and only 3 still raised but no where near how they were in the beginning with dairy. I had no more white heads either!

 

SO-  I started craving milk and did research on lactose free milk since 2/3 of my kids drink that anyways, and I think it tastes great. I read that the hormones they give cows to make them grow big, strong, and produce more milk is still present in lactose free milk, and that it would make no difference. I sometimes drank soy milk as a kid bc of my parents always having it on hand for my baby brother and figured I’d try that. Well I found out that soy isn’t that good either. I can’t remember why though, sorry. But in that same article, it said that goats and sheep are still often given those hormones as well, not the same exact kind, but hormones to say the least. The hormones that cause these animals to grow big and strong, also cause inflammation in our bodies and acne is essentially inflammation. So is joint pain, headaches, etc. 

That very same day, I went out and purchased a milk alternative that I believed would help: ALMOND MILK. I bought two original (not unsweetened, yuck!) cartons, and two vanilla. The milk was so good that I was chugging it, eating it with cereal, and other sweets that I usually consume around that time of the month, so nothing new except the almond milk. Well, 2-3 days after starting on the almond milk, I noticed I was getting more cystic breakouts along with some smaller whiteheads on my cheeks, forehead (where I’m usually clear) and upper lip! I was devastated and thought to myself, how could this be?! Well after a few minutes of researching on google, I found that almonds contain high amounts of estrogen and if you already have hormonal acne, this can make it worse! My world was crashing down. How could this be?! Agh the article didn’t warn me about that stuff! Plus, I still had a carton and a half in my fridge that I couldn’t waste. I had to limit my intake and push through to get rid of the rest, and then I could make another switch. 

After that, I went and bought coconut, cashew, rice, and oat milk. All of them being good, but the rice being my favorite. I am starting to clear back up, as in no cystic acne at this point, but it has taken me almost 3 weeks since the almond flare up. I am no where near where I was before Aunt Flo brought me those 18 cystic nightmares. But I do look much better with no cystic acne. I have figured now that the rice milk should be eliminated since there is some anecdotal evidence claiming low gycemic diets help reduce acne, and rice is a very high glycemic food. And I’m assuming that is why my skin isn’t completely clear since I had a bunch of big whiteheads up towards the top of my face where I rarely ever get acne, even with my period.

So I’ll go to just coconut and cashew milk as soon as I rid myself of the remainder of this yummy rice milk, and pray that these spots will go away. At least the acne that I’m getting with the rice milk is only whiteheads varying from medium to large, but not cystic acne. And I am confident that when I settle on coconut and/or cashew milk, along with my regular regimen, that my skin will be acne free! 
It was really hard for me to cut out milk, but in my case this experiment has been so worth it. Im going to incorporate a low(er) glycemic diet into my routine a month after making the final milk switch just to see if it has any further positive effects on my skin. Also, if my skin isn’t completely clear (1 or 2 breaks outs are okay around that time of the month), then I’ll feel forced to eliminate gluten out of my diet like my derm also mentioned. But he said to cut out only one thing at a time so I can learn what my skins triggers are.

Sorry to write a novel, I just really hope I can help someone with this information. I had to learn the hard way, and I’m still learning!

I’m sending lots of love, warm wishes, and clear skin vibes your guys’ way!

-Shia Santana

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Edited August 5, 2020 by Ishayat
Removed personal information

[christinevfarrer 0]

yeah, I also noticed the difference. I try to avoid using dairy products but sometimes it's hard.

[aloewell 0]

There is a direct link between dairy and acne. Research has shown this: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6115795/

[LifesWaitingToBegin 5]

Almond milk is the best

[thousandflowerfarms 0]

I cut out dairy in November 2019 and it has helped so much with calming down my acne. Sugar is also a big part of causing it so I've tried to eat less of that too. I'm slowly starting to eliminate wheat from my diet too and I'll see how that goes. Cutting out dairy seems to have different effects on everyone. 

[hannahdavids 3]

Dropping dairy from my diet as well as significantly lowering my sugar and carb intake has made such a dramatic difference in my acne. It's why I advocate for natural and holistic solutions to fighting acne. Eating foods high in antioxidants also really helps when it comes to calming down my skin

[gutskinaxis 17]

Going dairy free for many people makes a difference, but for others it makes no difference at all

I've found legumes, eggs, gluten can also cause breakouts as well