Does fasting cure acne? page

[Gilleh]

Hey guys. I'm suffering from acne for many years now. Although the problem isn't the same as before, since I cut dairy completely, started primal, supplements, sun exposure, dandelion tea and cut back on the soaps, I'm still craving a total clear skin.
I've tried accutane twice and many prescriptions before with no luck.

It's worth mentioning I'm very strict. No veg oils, no wheat etc.
Maybe the occasional beer once a week, but It's hard to believe that's the cause.

I've noticed I get flares if I keep going high carb.
I guess it's related to staying on high levels of insulin all the time, but I'm no expert.

Thing is, I'm trying to gain weight and muscle

I'm looking for advice, plus I've got a question for the fasting guys here. Did it help your acne? Was it 24h or IF?

[dirk41]

Which foods do you think flare up your acne? I've noticed a ton of improvement in my own acne since going primal. If I consume any grains, sugars (from desserts, not necessarily fruit), or vegetable oils, I get flare ups.

Fasting helps regulate your digestive system which should also improve acne. But it may not be ideal if you're trying to gain weight/muscle (I'm in the same boat). Try to figure out your acne-triggering foods and then cut back or eliminate them from your diet.

Edit: I'm wondering...how effective has dandelion tea been in reducing acne? I know there's a poster on these boards who's big on dandelions...

[lissee]

When I gave up wheat, my skin cleared up a lot, but when I gave up potatoes (and other nightshades in a moderate amount) several weeks ago, my acne has vanished. I've had flare-ups twice now. Both times the flare-ups came two days after I ate potatoes.

Perhaps try walking away from potatoes or nightshades and see if it helps. If you're trying to gain, there are other carby things you can turn to. White rice, fruit, etc.

Good luck!

[dirk41]

I also have problems with potatoes. When I eliminated them, my skin improved. I would eliminate all carbs (besides veggies and some fruit) for about a week or two, then reintroduce a certain carb (like potatoes or white rice) and see how you react.

[Paleobird]

Do you use milk products? A lot of people have reported great result from cutting out dairy.

[lissee]

Oh I forgot to answer your question. No, I don't believe the acne can be 'cured' by fasting. I am strongly coming to believe that most acne is an allergic reaction, the body's way of telling us that it's not happy about something that we've eaten.

The trick is that we're all so different. It might be dairy, it might be potatoes, it might be wheat, it might be *insert other food item here*. Only you can figure it out through experimentation.

[Gilleh]

I gave up milk and milk products completely about 1.5year ago.
Potatoes are my carbs.. Sadly.
My only carbs besides fruit

Dirk, the dandelion sucks the redness out and shrink the mess

[Paleobird]

Oh I forgot to answer your question. No, I don't believe the acne can be 'cured' by fasting. I am strongly coming to believe that most acne is an allergic reaction, the body's way of telling us that it's not happy about something that we've eaten.

The trick is that we're all so different. It might be dairy, it might be potatoes, it might be wheat, it might be *insert other food item here*. Only you can figure it out through experimentation.

+1

[Omni]

Do you use milk products? A lot of people have reported great result from cutting out dairy.

I'll second that motion, kill the dairy for a few months if you are using it and see if any improvements.

Don't think fasting will help for acne, but good for plenty of other things, so do it anyway.
If you haven't done any just do the 16/8 for a while before you jump into the 24 hours.

[BestBetter]

Cutting dairy made a huge difference for me. It took a while for me to notice improvements, so it wasn't an instant change - I'd say it took about 2ish months. Every time I tried to reintroduce dairy, the acne came right back, regardless of the type of dairy (raw, goat/sheep, higher fat/lower fat).

When I've fasted for 1-2 days, I did notice that my skin seemed really clear and bright.