Acne

[pellegrino]

Has anyone noticed an improvement in acne on a gluten free, dairy free diet?

I've always broken out, have used lots of topical products, and used to go on antibiotics every so often to clear up my acne. I was actually on Ampicilin for a couple months before my celiac symptoms began four months ago, and stopped taking them.

I've been gluten and dairy free for about a month and I'm breaking out like crazy. Lots of small bumpy type acne on my forehead and on the sides of my face. And large, cystic acne on my chin, cheeks and forehead. My naturopath says it could definitely be a result of the big time detox I'm going through. I'm also taking a bunch of supplements (fish oil, vitamin D, calcium, protein powder, etc.), but she said it was unlikely that these would be causing the acne.

Obviously I know acne is also hormonal. I was on birth control for a while, because it helped, but chose to stop taking it for various reasons. I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced acne flare ups when starting a gluten free and dairy free diet. Did your acne ever improve or did it get worse on a gluten free, dairy free diet.

When I was diagnosed I decided I was done putting all sorts of chemicals in and on my body, so I stopped using my Brevoxyl face wash full of mineral oil, sodium lauryl sulfate, and all sorts of other chemicals. I've started using Aubrey Organics line of sensitive skin face products (cleansing lotion, toner and moisturizer). My face does feel less oily, but I don't think it's really improved my acne any. I just refuse to go on any more antibiotics or use chemical filled products.

Does anyone have any other all natural product recommendations to treat acne? Nothing with mineral oil, petroleum, parabens, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, or any of that bad stuff. Just all natural.

[Buttercup]

I've been gluten free for two months now and have noticed a major improvement in my skin. Not as oily, more even skintone and much fewer breakouts. My hair has also improved, it's softer and not falling out as much as before.

I use Burt's Bees Garden Tomato bar soap and toner. They are both about as natural as you can get and seem to work well for me. I have not yet found the perfect moisturizer.....

[ravenwoodglass]

Has anyone noticed an improvement in acne on a gluten free, dairy free diet?

I've always broken out, have used lots of topical products, and used to go on antibiotics every so often to clear up my acne. I was actually on Ampicilin for a couple months before my celiac symptoms began four months ago, and stopped taking them.

I've been gluten and dairy free for about a month and I'm breaking out like crazy. Lots of small bumpy type acne on my forehead and on the sides of my face. And large, cystic acne on my chin, cheeks and forehead. My naturopath says it could definitely be a result of the big time detox I'm going through. I'm also taking a bunch of supplements (fish oil, vitamin D, calcium, protein powder, etc.), but she said it was unlikely that these would be causing the acne.

Obviously I know acne is also hormonal. I was on birth control for a while, because it helped, but chose to stop taking it for various reasons. I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced acne flare ups when starting a gluten free and dairy free diet. Did your acne ever improve or did it get worse on a gluten free, dairy free diet.

When I was diagnosed I decided I was done putting all sorts of chemicals in and on my body, so I stopped using my Brevoxyl face wash full of mineral oil, sodium lauryl sulfate, and all sorts of other chemicals. I've started using Aubrey Organics line of sensitive skin face products (cleansing lotion, toner and moisturizer). My face does feel less oily, but I don't think it's really improved my acne any. I just refuse to go on any more antibiotics or use chemical filled products.

Does anyone have any other all natural product recommendations to treat acne? Nothing with mineral oil, petroleum, parabens, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, or any of that bad stuff. Just all natural.

My entire family saw acne disappear within a very short time gluten-free. The only time we have a serious breakout now is when we come into contact with something with gluten. I would suggest that you call the maker of any and all supplements and any other meds you take. Many herbal preperations may say gluten free but some may contain barley and wheat grass which will cause problems for us. Also check your toiletries and shampoos etc.

You also may want to discontinue the supplements for a bit and see if your skin calms down then add them back one at a time to check for a reaction. Many of us once the D is over do not need the extreme supplementation that many naturopaths push on us.

[mattj]

My entire family saw acne disappear within a very short time gluten-free.

How long is a very short time?

[alamaz]

Have you eliminated soy? I eliminated soy and my skin cleared up immediately. I use a basic tea tree oil soap to cleanse and then tone and moisturize (I use the toner and moiturizer from Suki). I notice that if I exfoliate too much (more than once a week) my skin breaks out also. Even if it's a mild exfoliant it's too much for my skin.

[mftnchn]

I am a bit over 2 months Gluten-free Casein-free. My skin is more oily right now, and several breakouts which I haven't had for years.

[xxndnromeoxx]

I signed up here just because of this issue. Two weeks ago I stopped eating gluten, my acne was getting less and less and I attrtibuted it to the digestive enzymes I was taking and then added wheat and all the gluten products back in. The next two weeks got worse and worse till I almost reached in between mild to moderate acne. I had literally 30 zits on my forehead and it was too much of a coincidence. I stopped taking gluten products and slowly it's going down again.

I am going to see what happens over the next few days, because I really feel this is causing it!

[xxndnromeoxx]

I wonder how long am I to wait to know if it will totally go away because of gluten? Will it almost be instant, or will it take weeks, or months?

[DebNC84]

Does anyone have any other all natural product recommendations to treat acne? Nothing with mineral oil, petroleum, parabens, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, or any of that bad stuff. Just all natural.

I've been gluten free for two weeks and no new blemishes, something that has been plaquing me for 12+ years

I must say that I was using RetinA when I went gluten free - but I quit using it and no new pimples AT ALL! This is an amazing "find" for me.

I've just started using a pure olive oil soap on my body AND face - - three days now and no pimples or reaction anywhere. It doesn't make my face greasy or anything... just clean.

[ravenwoodglass]

How long is a very short time?

We saw fresh breakouts of acne stop within a couple of weeks. My DH however took a bit longer. I would get blisters frequently for the first few months, mainly due to CC from mainstream foods and toiletries. For a couple years the blisters would be the first sign of a glutening of CC. Now after 5 years gluten-free I have to have a lot of gluten before the first one even appears. True acne however seems to be gone completely for both myself and my young adults.

[zarfkitty]

I went gluten-free first and then casein free later. My skin cleared up when I went CF. This was quite a surprise to me (don't you love good surprises?) because I've done two strong courses of accutane in my adult life that made my skin beautiful while on the drug but the effects didn't last. I've been through every medical and alternative acne treatment on the planet and the only two that have worked well are accutane and casein-free. Wow, I wish I had known about casein-free before the expensive poisonous accutane....

[EmmaQ]

My skin cleared up quite a bit gluten-free, not perfect as I was having hormal surges from just giving birth.

I think detoxing is a good explaination as to the why you are now breaking out and I would encourage you to have faith it will clear.

I've been using ProActiv since May of 06 and it took nearly 6 months for it to be 99.5% clear all the time. Then I went gluten-free and that did the other .5% and then I went back on Gluten for testing and the acne is back amoung other things and ProActiv isn't cutting it this time... Of course my gluten content was lower than what it was for the testing, so that might be one reason the ProActiv appeared to work prior.

When acne is bad, it does need more than just diet help to get it cleared up quickly. I googled ProActiv today and found several other products and read about a few. I'm still reading to make a decision if I want to try something new. I'm allergic to the "salysictic acid" stuff that is in all the OTC acne things these days.

[Mango04]

I think it depends on what kind of acne you have, and what has been causing your acne. I have cystic acne (it seems to be largely genetic in my case). It has not gone away (I've been gluten-free for about 4 years now). Soy does make my acne much worse though.

[bklynfit]

What kind of protein powder have you been using? THere's a good chance that's what the problem is.

Has anyone noticed an improvement in acne on a gluten free, dairy free diet?

I've always broken out, have used lots of topical products, and used to go on antibiotics every so often to clear up my acne. I was actually on Ampicilin for a couple months before my celiac symptoms began four months ago, and stopped taking them.

I've been gluten and dairy free for about a month and I'm breaking out like crazy. Lots of small bumpy type acne on my forehead and on the sides of my face. And large, cystic acne on my chin, cheeks and forehead. My naturopath says it could definitely be a result of the big time detox I'm going through. I'm also taking a bunch of supplements (fish oil, vitamin D, calcium, protein powder, etc.), but she said it was unlikely that these would be causing the acne.

Obviously I know acne is also hormonal. I was on birth control for a while, because it helped, but chose to stop taking it for various reasons. I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced acne flare ups when starting a gluten free and dairy free diet. Did your acne ever improve or did it get worse on a gluten free, dairy free diet.

When I was diagnosed I decided I was done putting all sorts of chemicals in and on my body, so I stopped using my Brevoxyl face wash full of mineral oil, sodium lauryl sulfate, and all sorts of other chemicals. I've started using Aubrey Organics line of sensitive skin face products (cleansing lotion, toner and moisturizer). My face does feel less oily, but I don't think it's really improved my acne any. I just refuse to go on any more antibiotics or use chemical filled products.

Does anyone have any other all natural product recommendations to treat acne? Nothing with mineral oil, petroleum, parabens, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, or any of that bad stuff. Just all natural.

[Mango04]

Does anyone have any other all natural product recommendations to treat acne? Nothing with mineral oil, petroleum, parabens, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, or any of that bad stuff. Just all natural.

Burt's Bee's blemish stick is really effective for me (the Dr. Burt's one, not the parsley one).

[Eriella]

For me, my breakouts were my first sign that something was wrong. I was one of those lucky teenagers who took horrible care of her skin and had one zit, at most. After the year from hell, I broke out like crazy in college. It was my first sign that something internally was wrong and that I had a toxin in me. After 3 years we connected it to celiacs. When I went gluten free, I noticed improvement within days. When I get glutenated or lots of milk, I get pepperoni pie faced again. It is reason enough for me to avoid bread!

[jesscarmel]

my skin is terrible now, since i went off the pill

i did find a great line at whole foods called mychelle that is all natural

i also use retin a, benzol peroxide wash....nothing really working right now

[dara]

Has anyone noticed an improvement in acne on a gluten free, dairy free diet?

Hi,

First time poster. I am a 44 year female and a self diagnosed celiac. I have been on a gluten free diet for approximately 10 years. Recently I was searching the internet and found information about the relationship between vitamin b5 and acne. I have been taking b5 since and have found a dramatic improvement in my skin. I am wondering if an inability to metabolize b5 and resulting shortage is linked with celiac disease.

Here is a link to the information on b5 and acne including a medical study.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

I am interested if others have any experience with taking b5.

Sincerely,

dara

[Mango04]

Hi,

First time poster. I am a 44 year female and a self diagnosed celiac. I have been on a gluten free diet for approximately 10 years. Recently I was searching the internet and found information about the relationship between vitamin b5 and acne. I have been taking b5 since and have found a dramatic improvement in my skin. I am wondering if an inability to metabolize b5 and resulting shortage is linked with celiac disease.

Here is a link to the information on b5 and acne including a medical study.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

I am interested if others have any experience with taking b5.

Sincerely,

dara

I tried the b5 thing several years ago. I remember it helping a bit, but I eventually felt that taking such huge quantities just wasn't good for my body. The whole vitamin b connection is interesting though. I do always feel better overall when I take a vitamin b complex. Just one vitamin b capsule a day however seems to have a similair effect as massive amounts of b5 pills.

[celiac-mommy]

My daughter started getting very bad, large whiteheads on her cheeks and chin, I started looking at the lotion and shampoo I was using on her, and it did have gluten I switched immediately and started washing her face really well right before bed and then using Clinique toner, within 2 days it had improved significantly. The only time she breaks out now is when we use Coppertone baby sunscreen-I think it's too oily, so we switched to the Neutrogena cooling sunscreen mist-no more problems!

[dara]

I tried the b5 thing several years ago. I remember it helping a bit, but I eventually felt that taking such huge quantities just wasn't good for my body. The whole vitamin b connection is interesting though. I do always feel better overall when I take a vitamin b complex. Just one vitamin b capsule a day however seems to have a similair effect as massive amounts of b5 pills.

Hi Mango,

Thanks for responding. I'm going to have to read more about how the digestion system works. I've been on the gluten free diet thinking that was all I needed to do.

I read the following about b5 deficiencies:

Vitamin B5 deficiencies are rare but may occur in people with alcoholism, malabsorption conditions, or serious illnesses.

Celiac disease certainly qualifies as a "malabsorption condition".

dara

[KristaleeJane]

Well I just read over your post and It sounds like exactly whats going on with me in many ways, for starters I went gluten free just over a month ago and I thought if anything my acne would improve but It has gotten worse than its ever been in years and I have tried to think of what may be causing it and the only thing that I have changed is going gluten free. Most people say their skin clears up so I am patiently waiting for that to happen. I though about maybe the detox thing from the gluten could be the cause but I am really not sure.

I recently switched my skincare line to Proactive, which I have heard a lot positive feedback on this site about, considering its gluten free, I a have only been using it for about 1-2 weeks and I do see an approvement. I also was on birth control for many years (13) and am no longer using it so that is also a factor.

Hopefully we'll see the results soon. I also stopped using all hair products because I think they were making me break out as my hair touches my face alot.

Good luck and consider giving Proactive a try.

Krista

[Amanda C.]

Yes! It's great to finally find the problem with my acne.

[Loriann]

I've been on the gluten-free diet for little over a month now. It seemed that right after I started the diet my face broke out like crazy and has not stopped yet......especially on my forhead. I had changed nothing else but the diet. Has anyone else had this problem? If so, does it clear up and is it a detox symptom?

Well I just read over your post and It sounds like exactly whats going on with me in many ways, for starters I went gluten free just over a month ago and I thought if anything my acne would improve but It has gotten worse than its ever been in years and I have tried to think of what may be causing it and the only thing that I have changed is going gluten free. Most people say their skin clears up so I am patiently waiting for that to happen. I though about maybe the detox thing from the gluten could be the cause but I am really not sure.

I recently switched my skincare line to Proactive, which I have heard a lot positive feedback on this site about, considering its gluten free, I a have only been using it for about 1-2 weeks and I do see an approvement. I also was on birth control for many years (13) and am no longer using it so that is also a factor.

Hopefully we'll see the results soon. I also stopped using all hair products because I think they were making me break out as my hair touches my face alot.

Good luck and consider giving Proactive a try.

Krista

[Ashley26]

I have the same exact problem! I have always had problem with acne since I was a teenager - used Proactiv for years and it helped a lot, but never fully cleared everything up. Stopped using Proactiv since it gets pretty pricey, but I am thinking of going back to it because my face has never been this bad! It seems like almost every pore on my face is clogged. Tons of small blackheads, then larger "underground" pimples on my cheeks and chin, some on my jawline too. Then I get random cystic type ones...owww. Has anyone noticed their skin clearing up after going gluten-free and on Proactiv? Maybe it's my body detoxing still, if so how long does it take for the body to fully detox? Gosh, this is such hard work haha....I feel great otherwise, but wish my skin would clear up