No milk/No Dairy : Dairy Free Diet

I stopped eating dairy 2 months ago and it has dramatically reduced my acne and now on the extremely rare occasion when I do eat something containing dairy I get huge & painful cysts. I've also reduced my oil and sugar intake and that alongside of being dairy free has made all the difference. I only have about 5 active breakouts the rest is just mild scaring that will go away on its own and with a lot of water intake. Skin Type: Acne Prone / Combination Skin Skin Routine: This is my current skin routine that has been really working for me, eventually I'm going to transition into more natural products. - Acne.org Cleanser & Spot treatment - THAYERS alcohol- free Aloe Vera Toner - Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture - Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture with SPF - For make up I use Cover Fx which is good for acne prone skin Suggestions: - Drink A LOT of water or tea (green tea and I've heard that Rooibos tea is also good for acne but Ive never tired that) - Substitute cows milk with almond milk or soy (I like almond milk) - If you really want to eat cheese you can buy Vegan cheese (I don't) - When eating outside ask if your meal contains dairy and try to eat fresh foods that don't require a lot (salad, sandwiches, beans etc) or eat at vegan / vegetarian spot.

I've been lurking for 3 years on acne.org but just joined up today. Back story: 34 year old female, 2 kids, moderate acne (not cystic) for 3+ years. Never been overweight, no obvious lactose intolerance GI Issues. I can tolerate dairy just fine but I know it's not meant for regular human consumption. I had bad pregnancy nausea and constipation while pregnant and have always felt that pregnancy damaged my gut. My problems started afterward. Acne began at 31 years of age, 3 weeks after I weaned my 2nd baby. No previous struggles with acne and it came so out of the blue I thought it was a yeast rash. I have tried almost every topical available and have had 6 appointments, 3 of them with a dermatologist. Neither dr ever mentioned that diet could play a part in my acne. All said it was "hormonal". I absolutely cannot tolerate birth control pills so that's not an option. I tried them and was miserable. 2 months ago I decided to drop most dairy from my diet to just SEE what would happen. I used to eat yogurt and cheese sticks every day and would sometimes eat cereal but not regularly. Mostly it was cheese and chobani yogurt. Admittedly I did not go hardcore on the dairy free but I definitely reduced my dairy intake significantly....by about 75%. Maybe 3 times in 2 months I had pizza and twice some feta in a salad. In these last 2 months my acne has gotten worse. The worst it's ever been. So I'm going to say that dairy is not my problem. Reduced dairy showed zero improvement. In the midst of the worst breakout I ate 3 bowls of cereal to feel better. :) Now I'm onto dropping grains too. As of 3 days ago I have gone full paleo. It sucks but the struggle is real. After 30 days I will post if I notice any improvement so look for that in the forums. I'm really trying to go hardcore with this since I'm more and more aggravated, hopeless and depressed looking like an inflamed bumpy mess.

I've had bad acne for 10 yrs now. Last winter it flared up even worse than before around my jaw/neck/chin. I was skeptical of doing the dairy, but I tried it for a week. I didn't notice a difference, but then I was desperate and tried it again and it worked WONDERS. When I cave and have some dairy, my skin flares up in a couple of weeks, and then goes back down again, proving that it is definitely related to dairy! My skin still isn't perfect, but this definitely helps manage my hormonal acne!

For me, this is SUPER important in addition to not eating empty/refined carbs or sugar, taking probiotic and vitamin supplements, and keeping a good topical routine. Without a doubt dairy can cause acne, and everyone who struggles with it should consider eliminating it from their diet and seeing if it helps them.

I started drinking a lot of milk when I tried to gain muscle. It worsened my acne by a lot so cutting dairy is a way to go. But recently I have found out that I am gluten intolerant and when you eat gluten but your body fights it your ability to digest lactose decreases too. So if not eating dairy improves your acne I'd recommend avoiding gluten too as not eating it cleared my acne completely. It is said that once your gastrointestinal tract heals you can start eating dairy again but I don't think I am there yet.

I eliminated dairy for 3 months and I still get acne breakouts, eliminating daiy from my diet didn't do jack sh*t

I used to drink a LOT of chai lattes, cappuccinos, etc. I also used to get a huge, cystic pimple on my chin about once every month. They were so severe and inflamed that they left red indent marks on my skin. It was very frustrating because once one cleared up, another appeared. Even though I typically only had one cystic pimple at a time, they made me very self conscious as they were so huge. It was especially difficult at work where I had to interact face to face with coworkers and clients everyday. At the time I thought my birth control pill was causing acne, but then I read about the milk free diet. I didn't eliminate dairy from my diet (I don't eat much dairy to begin with), but rather I significantly cut down on my milky drinks. Low and behold, I didn't get acne anymore. Now I also use an oil free moisturizer, and I slather an acne gel all over my chin at night. I miss my drinks, but I much prefer having clear skin. Before resorting to medication to clear acne, I highly suggest reducing your dairy intake or eliminating dairy first.

Didn't work. I ended up losing weight that I didn't need or want to. After one year without TOUCHING dairy or dairy products, no significant results in acne. This is overrated, and when started drinking milk again my acne cleared by 66% (2/3).

I've always been drinking sweetened milk drinks & chocolades and always had smaller cysts on my cheeks.Now, after 7 months in which i havent tasted milk ive seen huge improvments on my skin.My face is all smooth and has a bit of hyperpigmentation which is going down. I still get a pimple sometimes but definetly not as before. Remember : patience is key