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6/19/11 1:32 A

I was shopping at Trader Joes yesterday and one of the girls that works there told me she had really bad acne and when she cut out dairy it cleared up. She said that dairy has hormones in it, since hormones are what causes the cow to produce milk. I don't know if this is true but next week we are going to try it. I already had our menu planned out for the week so went ahead and bought cheese anyway. I will let you know if his skin clears up.

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6/16/11 10:00 P

sorry, I don't know of any connection off hand. maybe a different soap or moisturizer or too much stress in your life? This might sound stupid, but I notice sometimes when I'm stressed out I touch my face a lot or rest my head in my hands, and then I get zits.

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6/11/11 8:34 A

Thanks WRITER_GIRL! I bet your friend smells delicious too!

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6/10/11 4:53 P

Oh yeah, ErikaA05 I just wanted to say that I don't think that is weird at all. I know a lady who uses coconut oil on her skin and she has gorgeus skin. Just wanted to let you know. :)

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6/10/11 4:51 P

My fiance has a mix of acne and rosacea. I looked it up and found a website that suggested a vegetarian diet. Well, I have started buying everything natural, if I read the label and can't pronounce it I don't buy it. He drinks mostly water and milk in the morning, he'll have an occasional soda but I don't keep them in the house. He does get alot of protein from eggs and beans. I only use olive oil, coconut oil or real butter to cook with. In a matter of days his face went from crazy red with lots of splotchy break out to nearly cleared up. He only washes at night too, like another member suggested. I think the additives and chemicals in alot of foods today really add to it. Cutting that stuff out has really helped. But when he sneaks an occasional burger I know because he breaks out like no tomorrow. lol

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6/9/11 1:38 P

It's funny, I had the opposite experience. I grew up in a vegetarian household, and didn't really eat meat until I went to university and met my husband. Once we moved in together and I started eating meat almost every day, I found my skin was blotchy and super pimply. I also noticed changes in my hair (coarser and oilier) and in my energy level. I think that any time you make a major dietary change like that, there can potentially be some effects on your body - everyone's metabolism is different, and some people probably just weren't meant to eat either meat-heavy (me) or meat-less (my husband) diets. I think it's less about protein per se than about a different nutritional make-up in a larger sense - different fats, different proteins and different metabolic pathways required to break them down and use them. At the very least, making a dramatic transition quickly (like I did) probably doesn't do your body any favours in terms of adjusting.

We tried to convert to vegetarianism as a household a few years ago, but my husband just really doesn't do well without meat - cranky, lethargic, and... pimply! That's where the whole 'flexitarian' thing has become a lifesaver. 4/7 days we eat veggie, with meaty meals on alternate days, and I usually only take a half or quarter portion of the meat.

One thing that really helped my husband with his skin woes at the time was to get a lot of water, drink hot water with lemon a couple of times a day, take a Vitamin E supplement, and wash his face only at night and not in the morning. Cutting meat out of your diet gets rid of a lot of the lipids your body would ordinarily turn into sebaceous oils and replaces it with plant oils, which tend to be absorbed directly, so your breakouts may actually be caused by the skin on your face not getting enough natural moisture. A good hydrating moisturizer could help - I use good quality extra virgin olive oil on a cotton pad with a bit of water. Sounds weird but works.

I hope you'll find something that works for you!

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6/9/11 11:02 A

I've noticed that my skin breaks out when I drink a lot of fruit juice. Are you a juice drinker? Do you drink plenty of water each day?

I know that's only partially related by the carbs you consume can affect break outs. :)

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6/8/11 10:57 P

i just read a thread on some other forum where someone said there skin cleared up when they went on the atkins diet (high protein, low carb)....sorry i don't know where that thread was.

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6/8/11 9:49 P

Okay, I feel silly even asking this as the too-low protein and acne connection seems extremely unlikely, but I'm at the end of my rope trying to find reasons why I've been so severely breaking out the past 6 months, so anyway: Did anyone here experience particularly bad acne flare-ups when they stopped eating/drastically reduced their meat consumption?

I'm guessing most people haven't, but I have no other explanation for it, I feel like I've tried everything else. I tried gluten-free, dairy-free, contraceptives that help with acne, skin products, and of course, healthy eating and exercise, but no luck. The only other connection I can make, is that at the start of these flare-ups back in the fall (which primarily happen on my cheeks/jawline, leaving scars EVERY TIME I get a new pimple), I reduced my meat intake from nearly every day to once a week. I still get protein other ways, but I find most days I fall short.

I googled this, and didn't find much, just a few tenuous connections, but I thought I'd go on people's personal experiences.