Alejandro The Vegan Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 I'm 27 years old and ever since I turned 20 or 21 I noticed that I my breakouts went down dramatically. I also started using this facial wash by Gillette in 2003 that worked the best for me. from 2003 to 2008 I rarely experience any breakouts. However Gillette discontinued the product in late 2007. All of 2008 I was a vegetarian and this year a Vegan so far I've noticed that the last 5 months I been breaking out more often than usual. I was wondering if you guys think is because of my vegan diet? Could it be? I am eating more peanuts, cashews, and avocados than usual. I hope I'm not coming off as ignorant, but all my life I heard that peanuts and other nuts make you break out. could this be it? Any ideas? or recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lobsteriffic Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 I had crummy skin my whole life (runs in my family). I didn't notice a difference switching from vegetarian to vegan. I DID notice a difference when I started following Eat to Live - lots and lots of produce, unprocessed whole foods, etc. Now my skin is pretty good and once in awhile I even get complimented on my "glow." Now when my skin starts to look not so good the first place I look is my diet to see if I can clean it up. Another product that I find works for me is Fresh Farmacy soap by LUSH. Also make sure you are drinking lots of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apple Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Have you heard of the detoxification phenomenon? Your skin can tend to freak out a bit because of that. I think it happens when you change your diet drastically, but it's not necessarily the vegan diet that does it--just the changes your body is adapting to. It may die down in a few more months as you get used to your new eating habits. That said, I have had bad skin for about 9 years now, so I feel your pain, man. It's awful stuff to deal with. In January I starting eating a lot more raw fruit (like half of my diet is bananas, apples, and oranges), using Desert Essence Facial Wash (tea tree oil and awapuhi), and moisturizing my skin at night with pure coconut oil. My skin is looking a lot better than it did about 5 months ago. I know the tea tree oil is antiseptic, but I'm thinking the coconut oil has the same qualities to it. I'm not sure if it's the facial wash or the extra fruit that I'm eating. Good luck with this! I know what a real bummer it is to have bad skin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcina Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 I have acne too (hormones) It flares up every once in awhile. Usually once a month.. Lol! When I switched to veganism my skin actually cleared up a lot. I'm the only one I know who had that happen.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MollyMormon Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I second Dessert Essence. It's reasonably priced and vegan. I have had horrible acne forever it seems. When I gave up milk that helped a lot but it still sucked. I did acutane, blue U treatments, antibiotics, facials, skin peals, proactive, murad, acne free, and even a $100 gizmo that is supposed to make pimples disappear with a magic wand. I did everything and more. When I started tanning is when I cleared up. Even on my last period I never had a pimple. I do have some blackheads and clogged pores but no whiteheads. And I was always told I would clear up when I grew up. ;P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alejandro The Vegan Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 thanks for the feedback everybody. I don't have anything severe nor acne. just get the 2 or 3 stubborn pimples every couple of weeks. I didn't have this problem before. I will look into drinking more water and try those products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lobsteriffic Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 One other thing that I just thought of is an aspirin mask. It sounds weird, I know. You take 2-3 uncoated asprin and dissolve those with a few drops of water to make a paste. Put that on your face and let it sit 10 minutes or so. This is also really good for exfoliating. I first read about it on a site and I thought they were crazy but it actually made my skin look great. It is somewhat drying though so if you had ridiculously dry skin I probably wouldn't recommend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikkei Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I second the detoxification comment. I don't particularly remember anything like this when I went vegan, but when I started on 100% raw foods I had some breakouts for a couple weeks. I believed it was my body flushing out some toxins as a result of adopting a cleaner diet. After a couple of months it went away and my skin was fine. So, maybe this is a good thing. Let us know how it turns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alejandro The Vegan Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 Have you heard of the detoxification phenomenon? Your skin can tend to freak out a bit because of that. I think it happens when you change your diet drastically, but it's not necessarily the vegan diet that does it--just the changes your body is adapting to. It may die down in a few more months as you get used to your new eating habits. That said, I have had bad skin for about 9 years now, so I feel your pain, man. It's awful stuff to deal with. In January I starting eating a lot more raw fruit (like half of my diet is bananas, apples, and oranges), using Desert Essence Facial Wash (tea tree oil and awapuhi), and moisturizing my skin at night with pure coconut oil. My skin is looking a lot better than it did about 5 months ago. I know the tea tree oil is antiseptic, but I'm thinking the coconut oil has the same qualities to it. I'm not sure if it's the facial wash or the extra fruit that I'm eating. Good luck with this! I know what a real bummer it is to have bad skin. this stuff feels great in my face! thanks so much! the scent reminds me of the tea we used to wash our eyes with in Mexico, when I was growing up. Do you recommend a good lotion for the face? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYVegan Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 I've personally noticed that the more soy I eat the more I tend to break out. That may just be me though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawaiiDolphin Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 This sounds gross, but I used to break out badly a LOT, until I stopped washing my face immediately after a workout! I learned in cell biology that sweat is naturally antibiotic, and I can see it! I just hold off a few hours until after a workout to use a real cleanser (just a splash of water will do) and it REALLY makes a difference! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommybricks Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I find that cleaning my face with a few drops of olive oil works better than anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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