The KInd Life Community Forum

Hey everyone! I noticed that a LOT of you guys suffer from acne of some sort. I did to and I found out why... I had been a vegetarian for years and I'm now a vegan. This past year after I got off birth control, I started getting really bad cystic acne (not so much with huge white tops, but big painful and really embarassing red bumps under the skin on my cheeks, some the size of a pencil eraser). It would make me really upset, to the point where I wanted to go back on birth control (but didn't) or else try acutane (which I also didn't do... I wanted to cure it all natural.) So I went to a natural health doctor and told her my issue (which at the time, I was just a vegetarian eating eggs and dairy and soy).

The first thing she did (she knew what was up) was check my blood levels (thyroid, vitamins, etc) and also my food intollerances. You see, it turns out that I was severely intollerant to dairy, caesin (a protein in dairy) and... SOY. I would have never guessed because I never got an upset stomach or felt bad after eating those products... just my skin broke out with cysts. She put me on a special diet regime w/ no soy or dairy plus other allergens (that I wasn't intollerant to) like peanuts, wheat, corn, etc (I only had to give these things up short-term while my intestines healed themselves).

Now I eat a healthy vegan diet w/ no soy (which is difficult at times). I may or may not take back eggs and a little fish (sparingly for both) because it can be difficult to be a soy-free vegan while dining out... but it's better to know. I'm happy to say my skin is MUCH better than it was a few months ago when all of this happened. If you are dealing with acne, cut out the soy for a couple of weeks and see what happens. Other bigs ones to cut out would be wheat and corn, peanuts, eggs, dairy... then add each one in slowly.

Hope this helps!

I have been getting a lot of acne lateley and never thought it may be linked to an increase in soy consumption. Soy would be hard for me to give up b/c I consume it in so many different forms: soy milk, soy sauce, edamame, etc. (I guess this didn't add to much to this blog)..

I still get some zits but not nearly as bad as what was going on before. My best advice from my nutritionist was to eliminate processed sugars, wheat and things that I am intollerant to (so eggs, dairy and soy). She also had me give up coffee (which is difficult, at times I still have a cup)... coffee is high in acidity and throws your body's PH off, leading to acne. Stress also causes acne so try relaxation techniques like meditation and yoga. I use natural beauty products now, she recommended Dr. Bronner's 18 in one castile soap and it's amazing as a body wash. If you use a lot of harsh face products, they'll dry up your face and cause more oil which will cause more acne. Usually acne is an issue from the inside so the topical stuff won't always cure it.

Try giving up soy and see what happens. I have a ton of soy-free recipes on my website as well as gluten-free recipes and I'm always updating it with new tips/trick and recipes.

www.thatcutelittlevegan.com

Good luck!

I am glad I read this forum because I have been a vegan for almost two years now and have just recently started suffering from cystic acne. I found out that I am hypoglycemic too. I think cutting out the wheat and highly processed foods may be a good way to help with the acne but I did not realize soy may cause it too.

Stay away from soy! It really interferes with hormone and estrogen levels.I use VEGA portein powder and hemp powder,but there are a myriad of reasons why I'd NEVER touch soy products again with a 1,000 foot pole!