Better diet = Worse skin ??

[CaribbeanQueen]

Sorry this is kinda long...

Okay, so here is the situation. Several years ago I found myself suffering from extreme fatigue, dizziness, weakness, skin allergies and acne. Over the course of 3 years, I went to 2 different naturopaths who suggested various changes to my lifestyle/diet.

The general consensus was that I should eliminate dairy, nuts, white bread, white rice and most nightshade vegetables from my diet. I tried this out for a couple of months and lost loads of weight and had more energy BUT I didn’t stick with the plan for very long.

At the time, I wasn’t ready for such a drastic change and was tired of feeling left out on social occasions. So slowly but surely I crept back into my old eating habits.

And yes, the fatigue returned. I also found that when I ate tomatoes and any anything remotly containing dairy, I would break out in hives.

So recently, I decided to take charge of my health and wellbeing and started making major changes in my diet. For the past month, I have pretty much been eating a vegan diet...no meat, no eggs, no nuts, no dairy or wheat. I have only been drinking water, freshly squeezed juice and the occasional cup of green tea.

I figured I would eat like this for few months, then slowly reintroduce fish and maybe a bit of poultry here an there. The first few days were rough however, my energy increased and I found myself feeling satisfied with smaller portions of food.

BUT MY SKIN LOOKS EVEN WORSE! I am breaking out like crazy! I am getting lumps, and bumps all over my face. And not little whiteheads either.. CYSTS! Usually I only get one or two right before my period.

I have stopped wearing foundation, limiting myself to a bit of concealer and translucent powder but it is getting worse by the day.

Has anyone experienced a major breakout after changing their diet? What did you do?

Could it be that I may be allergic to some of the fruits and veg that I have now started consuming?

Should I run to the dermatologist?

Should I start eating KFC and Micky Dee’s again to save my skin? HEELP!

[Ivonnovi]

Bumping, and
Agreeing with your plan to tackle the problem from the inside out but, suggesting a 29-day waiting period to see how your skin reacts. (it takes about that long for the skin to rejuvinate) Also try drinking distilled water for about 48 hours, this enables better cell hydration and will aid in detoxifying your system.

[~~HoneyComb~~]

It sounds like your you're detoxifying and with detoxification with some individuals the skin will get worse before it gets better.

If you stick with it a little longer you should start seeing results.

Be careful that your juices are not all fruit juices--the sugar from that could aggravate the skin--stick to more vegetable juices.

[gmw]

Sounds like a rapid cleanse to me. You have lifted the load on your system and it is throwing things off pretty fast. Like HoneyComb said fruit could aggravate the situation.

When I fast, drinking more fruit juice than veggie juice sends me into a fasters crisis via headaches and such. The best way to balance that is to load up on veggie juice and cut back on fruit juices. Skin issues are also things experienced for some during a fasters crisis. Some fasts are simply eating vegan, and it sounds like your body is just throwing off toxins pretty fast, and as our skin is one of the biggest eliminative organs we have, you experiencing pimples.

Also like Ivonnovi said distilled water is best at this time while you are cleansing. It may not be what you set out to do, but in changing your lifestyle via eating vegan, you are cleansing.

Give it time, it should clear up. And you should be glowing when you come out on the other side of this.

[CaribbeanQueen]

It sounds like your you're detoxifying and with detoxification with some individuals the skin will get worse before it gets better.

If you stick with it a little longer you should start seeing results.

Be careful that your juices are not all fruit juices--the sugar from that could aggravate the skin--stick to more vegetable juices.

Thank you for this information.. I will try drinking more veggie juice and see what happens.

[Butterfly08]

I agree. When I finally turned around my eating habits I had to tough out a bad stretch with my skin. It gets better. :-)

[NappyMD]

Does sound like a transition but make sure you are getting enough protein and vitamins, ie beans and brown rice, multivitamin so your skin can heal. Also use a mild soap like evoo or cetaphil/purpose and don't scrub out of frustration.

An allergy is still a possibility, so I would start a food diary if I were you :yep:

[authenticitymanifesting]

I agree. When I finally turned around my eating habits I had to tough out a bad stretch with my skin. It gets better. :-)

Hi butterfly08. I was just curious because your skin is gorgeous in your siggy pic. What is your skin care regimen?

[Butterfly08]

^ Thank you! I cleanse twice a day. In the morning I use CO Bigelow clay cleanser, it's like a mini mask and pulls out all of the oils. I then use CO Bigelow oil free moisturizer. This helps to keep my face from getting so greasy.

At night, I use a foaming spray cleanser by Aveda, and then an Aveda moisturizer (in a green glass bottle, I'll come back later and post the names). This is to restore moisture after using products that were a little drying in the morning.

I exfoliate 2 - 4x a week with an Aveda exfoliant, or now I got a CO Bigelow sugar scrub (which somebody broke and didn't tell me! They just sat it back on the shelf all cracked and caved in like nothing happened! :mad: I just found out!) :mad: We have contractors in our home so it could've been anybody. :mad:

Anyway, I got all the CO Bigelow stuff during B & B W's sale.

The main tip is to drink tons of water and eat well - limited fried foods with lots of fruits and veggies. Also work out! All of this will really give you a glow. :)