So I just finished my freshman year at university and I'm home for summer break. I've always suffered from acne, but it was always a few blemishes here and there or a patch of blackheads on my nose. I was on a regimen about two years ago where I took antibiotics and used a medicated topical wash and moisturizer. It made my skin look great and my dermatologist said that I was free to use whatever face wash that I wished as long as it was oil controlling and that my moisturizer was non comedogenic, so I switched to the coalface cleanser from LUSH cosmetics and the Cetaphil daily moisturizer. My skin was fairly decent when I was away at school, which was surprising because the stress and disgusting junk food that you're supposed to eat are huge triggers for blemishes.
Now that I'm back from school, my skin completely betrayed me and broke out in this disgusting cystic acne all along my jawline, chin, and cheeks (pictures below for reference). I only ever drink water, but I thought that I wasn't drinking enough so I upped my intake to around 100 ounces a day. I did that for around a week and my skin only seemed to be getting worse, and I read that my skin "purging" is a total myth, so I decided to try cutting dairy and high sodium foods out. I drink organic soy milk and very rarely eat high sodium foods like canned foods or chips. I went dairy free almost two months ago and my skin gets worse literally by the day.
I no longer use the coalface cleanser because it is so drying my skin actually hurt from using it. I'm now using a very gentle cleanser from clean and clear because it is the only thing that doesn't make my acne actually throb from pain. I wash my skin twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. These past couple of weeks I haven™t even been wearing makeup, which is a big deal for me because I spend hundreds on makeup all the time lol. According to all of the fashion magazines, I™m technically doing everything right, so why is my skin getting more disgusting by the day?
The redness and irritation is worse than the actual acne itself, but that doesn™t mean that the acne isn™t bad. This is the first time in my life where I've actually had cystic acne with multiple blemishes lining my entire chin and jaw. I occasionally pick at it- it™s a really bad habit of mine- but not to the point where everything is bleeding and it could be causing my skin get three times as worse. At this point I™m begging for help because I don™t know if I need to cut more out of my diet, need to buy more expensive face wash or moisturizer, or if I need to just suck it up and go back on my regimen that wasn™t necessary for the past year and a half.
Any advice or routines from people with a similar problem will be much appreciated.
Hi there, I read your post and I'm going to suggest your acne is hormonal. Mine is too, I spent two years trying to cut out foods and whatnot and it didn't help much. Dairy and too much sugar are bad for skin but cutting them out won't get rid of hormonal acne. Certain birth control and other meds can help a lot.
Im sorry you're going through this. I took tax that controlled mine but I stupidly went off it about 10 months ago . I went back on but it's only been 2 months... I also added spironolactone. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome so I know that's the cause of mine. I would ask your gyno for testing. Since your acne came on so fast maybe it's a growth or cyst. Ovarian cysts or or even pituitary tumors can cause suddenly increase in acne.I plan to get some ultrasounds done too and get my hormones tested.
Topically I suggest sticking to gentle cleansers as well. Maybe Tea tree pads or witch hazel? Turmeric and mil and honey mask is soothing, so is cucumber and oatmeal mask.
I hope you you can find some answers. In my opinion foods can sometimes worsen acne but often cutting out. Specific foods can help but not completely get rid of acne. I'm going to do a lot with green tea also. Keep on trying and don't blame yourself! Its easy to get obsessive with cutting out foods to the point of being scared to eat( trust me I know).
Hi,
I decided to cut dairy out of my diet and tried soy milk but it broke me out so maybe try another milk alternative.
I use almond milk but I think too much breaks me out, like I can have it in tea but I can't have a bowl of cereal. Maybe I should try coconut milk ( I'm currently at the obsessed with cutting out food stage lol)
hope your skin clears up soon.
4 hours ago, dramafan0 said:Hi,
I decided to cut dairy out of my diet and tried soy milk but it broke me out so maybe try another milk alternative.
I use almond milk but I think too much breaks me out, like I can have it in tea but I can't have a bowl of cereal. Maybe I should try coconut milk ( I'm currently at the obsessed with cutting out food stage lol)
hope your skin clears up soon.
hey I like rice milk. Coconut milk doesn't bother me skin wise but I dislike the flavor. With all these milk alternatives, some have more sugar than others so maybe its a factor? Almond and cashew milks tend to have the most sugar. There's hemp milk too.
I have celiac disease. You can read about all the negatives regarding celiac diseaseHere.
I really miss being normal and not having to cook every meal and make everything from scratch. But every time I eat out at a restaurant my skin erupts from the cross contamination so it's not worth it.
I still make amazing food even with my limited diet but it's so time consuming and I do not have freedom to just wake up and eat whatever I feel like. It takes planning and dedication. I also have PCOS. And thyroid issues. And auto immune disorders. Which one came first? Right?! I've been blind sided by health issues and sometimes it's just too much.
I hope you can zero in on what is causing your skin to break out. Positivity coming your way everyone.
It really wouldn't hurt to try an elimination diet. Google has some great information on how those work. You said you consume Soy. That can be a big trigger of hormonal acne in women. You might want to eliminate it and see how that affects your skin. Gluten can also be another trigger in someone with acne. I also recently learned that nightshades can trigger acne as well(tomatoes, chili peppers, paprika, white potatoes, eggplant etc), and I've cut them out a few days ago. Now, I'm not saying diet "causes" acne, but I 100% believe that it can trigger breakouts in someone predisposed to acne. For instance, I have Epilepsy, and I have certain triggers than WILL give me a seizure. However, these triggers(lack of sleep, caffeine, stress etc), would not cause a seizure in a "normal" person. Make sense? I've been looking more closely at my diet, and I see a lot of potential triggers present that I am slowly phasing out.
12 hours ago, tofugirl101 said:If cutting dairy is not seeing any changes, I would slowly add it back to your diet - why deprive yourself? I would still do a balance of dairy and non-dairy mills though. See how your body feels when you reintroduce it.
But, have you considered that wheat could be a cause? I had the exact type and severe level of acne you have, and cutting out wheat/gluten made a huge difference. Literally, once I eat something with wheat in it, an hour later, I get big throbbing whiteheads and little small ones, and sore angry cysts - just like what you have.
Tell me how this goes!
yeah for everyone its different...I think coffee, dairy and nightshades bother me a lot.
11 hours ago, Siddhartha N said:I have celiac disease. You can read about all the negatives regarding celiac disease Here.
I really miss being normal and not having to cook every meal and make everything from scratch. But every time I eat out at a restaurant my skin erupts from the cross contamination so it's not worth it.
I still make amazing food even with my limited diet but it's so time consuming and I do not have freedom to just wake up and eat whatever I feel like. It takes planning and dedication. I also have PCOS. And thyroid issues. And auto immune disorders. Which one came first? Right?! I've been blind sided by health issues and sometimes it's just too much.
I hope you can zero in on what is causing your skin to break out. Positivity coming your way everyone.
You sound like me...ever since age 30 ive been a mess, I have terrible allergies, either PCOS or post tubal ligation syndrome ( who knew?!) and chronic fatigue following mono.
It irritates me when others don't take you seriously or respect your issues. Like the relative who gives you food with allergic ingredient cause " its only a little".
4 hours ago, snarkygirl said:yeah for everyone its different...I think coffee, dairy and nightshades bother me a lot. You sound like me...ever since age 30 ive been a mess, I have terrible allergies, either PCOS or post tubal ligation syndrome ( who knew?!) and chronic fatigue following mono.
It irritates me when others don't take you seriously or respect your issues. Like the relative who gives you food with allergic ingredient cause " its only a little".
I've come to the realization that I can't go out to eat with family members. It's easier to avoid situations like that. But one good thing is there are tons of health conscious people that don't necessarily have these diseases (yet ;P) but don't eat gluten for various health concerns. There is so much research that proves gluten is NOT GOOD for human consumption, or animals for that matter.
Positivity coming you way!!! 
3 hours ago, Siddhartha N said:I've come to the realization that I can't go out to eat with family members. It's easier to avoid situations like that. But one good thing is there are tons of health conscious people that don't necessarily have these diseases (yet ;P) but don't eat gluten for various health concerns. There is so much research that proves gluten is NOT GOOD for human consumption, or animals for that matter.Positivity coming you way!!!
Its kind of funny, I was driving g past some wheat fields and I looked at it and thought... " that doesn't really look edible". They have to pound it down and make it into flour to eat it...ypu can't just eat a mouthful of wheat! Our ancestors probably only learned to use it cause they were starving not cause its the ideal food.