How I Cleared Up My Acne
When I went vegan, I was on the pill, and acne wasn’t really an issue for me. In fact, after only two weeks of being vegan, people were beginning to ask, “What is going on with you? You look amazing!” I was still eating junk food like fries and white pasta, but I’d given up meat and dairy. That alone gave me a vegan glow.
Acne and the Pill
When I went off the pill, my skin broke out. At that time, I was experimenting with a raw diet. I was eating tons of fruits, nuts, and other cool, uncooked delicacies, but I wasn’t feeling great, and I was dealing with really bad cystic acne. I even had to reshoot a scene for a movie because of it.
Acne and Macrobiotics
Simultaneously, my husband got interested in macrobiotics. I went with him to see a macrobiotic counselor in New York - she’s the first person who suggested that trying a macrobiotic diet could clear up my skin. She also pointed out that eating tropical fruits in the middle of winter in NYC was neither good for my body nor eco-friendly. She convinced me to try macrobiotics, which I combined with a vegan diet to create what I now call the superhero diet. That’s what really made my skin turn around. Within just a week of eating superhero, my skin had significantly improved.
Here are five major changes that made the difference:
1. I started eating whole grains at every meal.
2. I had miso soup once a day and cranked up my consumption of vegetables.
3. I chose local and seasonal produce (apples instead of pineapples for example) instead of eating the non-indigenous fruits I’d been eating on the raw diet.
4. I cut out white sugar, white flour and all processed foods. Of course, I continued to avoid all meat and dairy.
5. In general I cut way down on fruits and nuts.
These changes made my cystic acne go away. I was still getting minor breakouts around my period, but nothing like before. Next, I’ll share how a facialist helped me to completely clear up those smaller breakouts.
What else would you like to know about diet and acne?
Ask me in the comments below.
Category
Kind Beauty
34 comments
-
ClearPores Acne Treatment - http://www.clearpores.com/ct/99781 great results in quick time. this helped me reduce the signs of my acne in time for my brothers wedding! -
Thank you so much for this article!
At the end you said "Next, I’ll share how a facialist helped me to completely clear up those smaller breakouts."
Did you post this part yet?
Thanks!! -
Alicia: are there any foods that make acne worse or cause breakouts? and are there foods that help clear skin?
By the way, I love your beauty line for Juice Beauty, I just bought the cleanser, lipstick and blush stick. They are so pretty and easy to use. Do you think your face moisturizer would be OK for acne prone adult skin?
D. -
You have to be careful with rise hip oil. The bottle says specifically not to use it on acne prone skin. It heals scars, but it also makes breakouts worse. Maybe if you're not into common acid or retinol exfoliant a, you can try one of those natural vitamin a creams in the store? I also find that clay masks help with my acne marks, for some reason, as does just having well moisturized and calm skin. -
@ Georgia, my tip for skin wound healing is not food based but if you can get your hands on rosehip oil and put it on your skin once or twice a day,(morning and evening) it will help. Rosehip is great for the skin and aids in healing and you will love how it feels. Only a little though as it is an oil. You can use it as a moisturiser before you put on make up too but wait a few minutes for it to seep into the skin or your make up will run. hope that helps. Sarah :) -
After being on the road for business for several weeks, then getting hit by Thanksgiving meals that aren't typically in my diet regimen, I usually clean out my digestion system with a simple cleanse consisting of going green i.e. dark leafy greens, clear veggie broth soups (my Mom makes a simple kale and cannellini bean soup), lots of water, and a "fat flush" drink of 100% cranberry juice, ground flax seed, and water. I also use some of the recipes from Alicia's Kind Diet book that I bought for myself when it first came out. So many gems in there! For additional help, I used a new anti-aging night treatment called NeriumAD. I got introduced to it about a year ago and have used it religiously ever since. It has changed the tone and texture, also reduced fine lines and faded discoloration from past use of Western meds to treat my lupus symptoms. I love the product so much, I now rep it and just share it with friends. If anyone is interested, you can check it out for yourselves at www.poigirl.nerium.com. No pressure. Just love it love sharing it. Living here in Hawaii with the fierce sun, I need all the help I can get. Mele Kalikimaka to all!! -
I get acne all the time! Since starting the vegan diet, my acne has become worse..maybe it's the stress. I'm not sure, but I would love for it to go away! Will try to cut back on fruit, though I love it and up my vegetable intake. All the whole grains I've been eating have made me gain a little weight. =/ Maybe I'm doing horribly on this whole balanced and healthy diet planning thing.
-
To Tracie B and Georgia Munro
Tracie B: I know this may seem strange but treat the banana masque. I promise it will shrink your pores, clean up a few black heads and make you glow. The following is from my post above. Also try a mud or clay cleaners weekly or biweekly depending on how many blackheads you get. I like the Volcanic Mud Cleanser followed by the Clarifying Camphor Masque from Dragonfly Skin Care. For everyday use, use a simple all natural vegetable soap. I purchase mine from Whole Foods. I can't recall the brand because it does not come in packaging. You can also try the soaps from South of France Natural Body Care.
One other tip for great skin is a natural banana masque. I swear by it. Mash up a small amount of a spotted or brown banana and apply it to clean skin (in this case just use a simple all natural vegetable soap). Leave the masque on for 15 to 20 minutes. Wash it off with warm water. Your pores with shrink and your skin will glow. Try it once a week.
For Georgia: Try Dragonfly Skin Care's Nutriment Blue Oil, which contains a blend of Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and plant oils. You can mix a few drops to your favorite masques, cremes, lotions, etc... It will help with the scars and I would mix it with everything until you start seeing results. Might take a few weeks to a few months depending on how deep the scaring is. Also try an organic Rosehip Oil. It is great for restoring skin.
I hope this helps.
Maria -
My acne improved so much when I eliminated dairy and sugar from my diet and increased my water consumption. However, my skin has very poor wound healing ability (sometimes taking 6 months for skin injuries to disappear). Any advice for getting rid of acne scars, or more generally, for wound healing? I eat lots of greens for iron, and have plant based sources of protein :) Thanks muchly!
-
After cleaning up my diet, I could definitely notice a big difference in my skin. However, I still get blackheads and little bumps under the skin that never really turn into anything but annoys me. Would love some advice!!
-
I would really like to see a post about the effects of birth control and natural alternatives to it. I have read many times that it is good to get off of birth control, but not about alternatives.
As for the comment above about oil cleansers: in my experience oil cleanse make me break out more. I have oily skin, I imagine they might be good for drier skin. To get clear glowing skin I use an all natural vegetable soap (I usually buy them from Whole Foods) followed by a toner or astringent, and a moisturizer. I like to use a collagen cream with a wonderful oil product that you can add to your creams or any lotions or masques. It's Dragonfly SKin Care's Nutriment Blue Oil, which contains a blend of Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and plant oils. If my skin is particularly bad I add a few drops of the oil to a clay or mud masque and apply it to my skin. While I have tried many I really like the Clarifying Camphor Masque from Dragonfly mixed with 2 drops of the oil. Their Volcanic Mud Cleanser is also great when you are experiencing bad breakouts and acne.
One other tip for great skin is a natural banana masque. I swear by it. Mash up a small amount of a spotted or brown banana and apply it to clean skin (in this case just use a simple all natural vegetable soap). Leave the masque on for 15 to 20 minutes. Wash it off with warm water. Your pores with shrink and your skin will glow. Try it once a week. -
I began experiencing skin problems a few months into my vegan diet which began last Jan. I finally was able to narrow down the cause of it. I was breaking out in this weird rash-like acne around my eyes and cheeks. It would go away for a day or two and come right back again. After much trial and error, I found that almond milk was the culprit. I believe I was consuming too much vitamin E. I've not had any problems since I've stopped drinking almond milk daily. I now use soy or on occassion coconut milk. Hope this helps someone who may be experiencing similiar skin problems. -
Miso soup is mentioned a lot in the Kind Life. Is there something you can substitute for that? Every time I have ever tried it, the smell alone makes me nauseated.
-
I definitely agree with no dairy. I was never a milk drinker, but I would eat cheese (like in lasagne or something) about once a week, and now that I've stopped doing that, my skin is way better. Also, of course, alcohol does not help, but I can never tell if it's the alcohol that causes acne or the loss of sleep/probably heavier meal with dessert/etc. But I have to say the biggest difference I've seen in my skin is from drinking powdered green juice. My skin cleared up almost immediately when I started drinking green juice, and when I run out for like a week, I can definitely tell the difference.
I'm curious about why non-local fruit would affect skin. Is it because tropical fruits have more sugar? Is it because local, organic fruits have more available nutrients? Like... say you actually moved to a tropical island, where the local fruits were tropical fruits... would you still not be able to eat them? Does everyone on tropical islands have acne? -
What do you use daily as a cleanser? I've been looking for a new natural cleanser. I've heard good things about cleaning your skin with oil. -
I had to create an account just to comment on this thread. I've been having breakouts on my forehead for the past month, which is not common for me. At least not to the degree these pimples have been coming. I always get one or two zits around my period, but these were worse than that. I'm not a vegan (yet), but I don't eat meat. However, I think ingesting too much sugar through ordering drinks at Starbucks (chai tea lattes are my weakness) is one of the culprits. I'm making the conscious effort to cut back on dairy products, particularly cheese, and avoiding sugar as much as possible. The pimples have cleared up, but I want to try to keep them away, too. Thanks for the advice!
-
Im just curious if certain diet changes would help with enlarged pores and post acne scars? Any suggestions?
-
I recently went to Scarlet Sage in SF.... it's an herbal store.... the good women there told me that all skin problems start in the liver... (I dont know about acne).... I took home a holistic tincture for cleansing and purifying the liver....
<3 -
I have found that making sure I drink enough water each day is key for clear skin and also helps maintain weight.
My husband and I both went raw for a month and while he thrived on it,and continues to eat raw half the time.. I gained a bit of weight and had breakouts. I think it just depends on your body. I still eat fats everyday but no more raw nut burgers for me :) -
Oh how amazing! I also would like to know why you cut back on the fruit and nuts. There is an awesome product line for acne at econaturalsoap.com It has tepezochuite in it which the Red Cross endorses. It's awesome!!
-
It is so interesting how different people react so differently. My skin definitely improved when I got rid of meat, diary and refined flour and sugar. But my skin is SO much better on a raw diet. The day after I eat grains (brown rice, barley, etc) my skin looks instantly less-luminious. However, when I am eating completely raw I have people coming up to me constantly asking if I just had a makeover or facial because I just glow! Any ideas on why different people react so differently to different diets?
-
What is your thoughts on soy? Since miso has a lot of soy and soy is on the no list now. Also, would like your thoughts on nuts as well, the first question by Anne Marie above is definitely one I have in mind!
Thanks!!
Valerie -
What helped me the most is scrubbing with jojoba oil and sugar in the morning and only using a facewash at night (a kombucha one). I had terrible acne after going off the pill too, what really works is lots of exfoliation and using good oils on my face so that I'm not stripping my skin too dry. -
Hey Alicia,
- Why have you cut back on nuts and how do you feel about 'fats' in a diet? According to raw foodism, cold-pressed oils and raw nuts/seeds are necessary for healthy skin.. What's your opinion on this?
- How do you feel about adapted versions of a raw diet, with LOCAL fruits/veg/nuts/seeds rather than tropical? E.g. apples, almonds, etc.
- Is it necessary to have a really strict macrobiotic eating schedule for healing skin?
- What's your opinion of the role of emotional health in clear skin?
- You mentioned that within a week, your skin had improved significantly. When did it completely clear?
I really loved this post!
Annemarie -
Really i admire you. It would help everyone to maintain skin's shine regularly..keep it up
http://drsnooze.com
Available at:
Available at:
Join the Discussion!