After having acne from the age of 15 to 25 I’ve had my fair share of buying useless products and experimenting with my skin only to end up with tears of frustration and an empty wallet. I want to spare you from the same situation, so here’s my tip #3 for remedies that actually work to control acne!

Tip #3

Hormonally induced acne. I’m not talking about your teenage years I’m talking about when you’re a grown woman or man and still sporting the brail across your forehead like I did. It wasn’t until I put my diet into check that I noticed my deep cystic acne started to dwindle away. This tip is to help you fight that deep cystic acne.

The things I cut from my diet? Milk and its byproducts. Simple as that. The hormones injected into our animals to produce meat and dairy products unfortunately sometimes announces itself on our face. The more natural the diet the better. Cooking with the basics and controlling what goes into our food will improve the quality of the skin so much! Trust me it’s worth the fight! Also, adding spices into your diet can help control the hormones from the inside. Cinnamon, honey, turmeric, basil for inflammation and antibacterial properties. Burdock root, oatmeal, mint, yogurt for intestinal cleansing. Garlic and ginger for antibacterial. You get the point. Getting control on the inside of your body will help you control the outside too. Lastly, cutting back processed foods and drinks are just the way to go. Not completely of course! We should enjoy them, but finding ways to cook a healthier version or eating them in moderation is key.

Not everyone is ‘sensitive’ to milk like I was, but there may be food(s) that are causing acne to act up. So here’s how to catch which food it is without going to a doctor. You may not necessarily be allergic to it, but it can still affect the hormones.

The Process*

Keep a journal and write down what you eat for an entire month. Try not to stray away from your usual foods now that you’re aware of what you’re eating. Eat normally and just write them down. Alongside those notes, write down the progress of your acne. Is it worse today? Are there more or less? Are they deep or on the surface? Where are they coming up most? If it’s worse, circle that day and a few days before within the food journal. Something you ate may be causing it within those days.

Review and Assess*

Now go through the month and the circled days. Eliminate foods that are not usually acne causing and circle the ones you think might be it.

Face friendly foods*

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Grains and nuts
• Fish
• Water

Most people aren’t allergic to these foods and liquids, but the rest should be analyzed carefully including drinks. The reason dairy products and meats are not on the list is because they can be injected with added hormones which cause acne. While meat is unlikely to affect your skin, it’s good to check just in case! If you are allergic to a certain food be sure to completely avoid them. While they may not be the main cause of your acne, they can create hives which have ‘acne like’ traits. They will itch and form into hard lumps which can become cystic acne or whiteheads. Usually they form under the jaw, ears, hairline, and in the scalp. Or in some cases single pimples that are deep and very large.

For example, when I have milk I get acne around my hairline and in the scalp which itches. By eliminating the food and its byproducts, I no longer have acne in that area and during ‘that time’ the deep cystic acne no longer appears.

It is also important to note that not all the “face friendly” foods may be innocent. If you have even a minor allergy to these foods it can still cause acne. All food needs to be analyzed and tested which leads us to this next step!

Experimenting and Elimination*

Create a new month for your journal. Now the new goal is to completely stay away from those foods. Note again what you eat and if your acne is still getting worse or better with the diet change. If it gets better, you can add in one food type per month to see how you react to it. Also, don’t forget to eliminate the byproducts of a product for example milk is connected to yogurt, cheese, cream cheese, ice cream, sour cream, café lattes, cream soups and so on. So be careful what you eat!

If it’s worse or the same, keep journaling for another month. The hormones may be linked to another food at this point. Try eliminating a few more foods and if still no results it may be something topical like makeup, face treatments, or exposure to a dirty environment affecting your skin. Don’t lose hope because there are many factors that play a role in acne and we aren’t done yet! Eliminating things one by one is part of the process to clear skin and this is just one way of doing so.

Special Notes for women*

This is especially important. At least a week before and after your period you should stay away from the hormone injected foods because our hormones are already jacked up. Adding more will make the acne go crazy. What you eat and those extra hormones get stored in the newly developed “area” during and after your period and when its “time” again the hormones are released into your body affecting your skin.

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