Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Acne

pellegrino

Recommended Posts

Linda 60609 Newbie
Linda 60609
Posted

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....

Thank you so very much for mentioning this. I found your post by searching for "cystic acne celiac," because my cystic acne (which I have had for 30 years) defied most treatments (I did 2 courses of accutane) but I am now left me with huge boxcar and icepick scars on my cheeks. The former cysts still fill up with pus all the time and nothing including antibiotics every gets rid of it. I am finally getting some answers from a doctor who thinks I have celiac, so I am searching to see if maybe celiac was the cause of the cystic acne. I will look into going casein free too.

  • 4 months later...
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Lud Newbie
Lud
Posted

Hi my name is Ludwig and I want to tell you my quick story about my acne connection with gluten.

I had acne during the end of college and I thought it was one of those things that everybody goes through. I always assume that my face was going to clear up sooner or later but it didn't. Although my acne was consider minor I always had troubles with my nose, from time to time I would get pimples and sometimes it would turn red. At the first time it happened I knew acne was caused by my diet because I felt that after I ate certain food I would feel the adverse effects after. So I stopped eating everything and start from square one and one of the foods I came across was quaker oatmeal. I ate this several times because oatmeal to which I thought was healthy but my nose didn't get any better. So I searched "oatmeal acne" and came across acne dot org and one of those topics mentioned that quaker oatmeal contains gluten and it can cause acne. I then searched "gluten acne" on google and sure enough there were many results that came up. Then the rest is history. I ordered several non gluten products such as NOW protein whey, bobs red mill no gluten oatmeal and pancake mix. I will have these by next week and I will give these a try to confirm that I have this gluten intolerance problem. I will report back.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Hi my name is Ludwig and I want to tell you my quick story about my acne connection with gluten.

I had acne during the end of college and I thought it was one of those things that everybody goes through. I always assume that my face was going to clear up sooner or later but it didn't. Although my acne was consider minor I always had troubles with my nose, from time to time I would get pimples and sometimes it would turn red. At the first time it happened I knew acne was caused by my diet because I felt that after I ate certain food I would feel the adverse effects after. So I stopped eating everything and start from square one and one of the foods I came across was quaker oatmeal. I ate this several times because oatmeal to which I thought was healthy but my nose didn't get any better. So I searched "oatmeal acne" and came across acne dot org and one of those topics mentioned that quaker oatmeal contains gluten and it can cause acne. I then searched "gluten acne" on google and sure enough there were many results that came up. Then the rest is history. I ordered several non gluten products such as NOW protein whey, bobs red mill no gluten oatmeal and pancake mix. I will have these by next week and I will give these a try to confirm that I have this gluten intolerance problem. I will report back.

I would hold off on the oatmeal for a bit. Some of us react to even the gluten free oats.

Lud Newbie
Lud
Posted

I would hold off on the oatmeal for a bit. Some of us react to even the gluten free oats.

That is quite interesting, can you tell me why is that?

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

That is quite interesting, can you tell me why is that?

the protein in oatmeal is similiar to the protein in the gluten grains. There are quite a few of us who do react to all oats, even the certified gluten free ones. If you are one of them it could make things confusing. If you avoid them for now you can add them back in after you have healed to see if you are someone who tolerates them.

curlyfries Contributor
curlyfries
Posted

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.

Thank you so very much for mentioning this. I found your post by searching for "cystic acne celiac," because my cystic acne (which I have had for 30 years) defied most treatments (I did 2 courses of accutane) but I am now left me with huge boxcar and icepick scars on my cheeks. The former cysts still fill up with pus all the time and nothing including antibiotics every gets rid of it. I am finally getting some answers from a doctor who thinks I have celiac, so I am searching to see if maybe celiac was the cause of the cystic acne. I will look into going casein free too.

Most of my acne issues have been cystic. I saw some improvement after going gluten-free, but then got worse again. Now that I am totally sugar free, my face is acne free :D

munchkinette Collaborator
munchkinette
Posted

My acne was crazy before I went gluten free. I mainly had the really deep painful ones, and they took weeks to heal. It took me 20 minutes to put on concealer every morning. It almost totally cleared up after being on the diet for a few months, and stayed that way for a few years.

Then it came back. I then realized I had to eliminate dairy, and later soy. It turned out that my flaky skin patches were from the dairy as well. Now that I've gotten rid of all three, my skin is almost always clear. The main reason I avoid dairy and soy now is because of the crazy acne (deep painful, or the blistery kind) that I get when I eat either one, although I'm sure that equally bad things are happening to my insides. If I get glutened I get all that acne plus little red dots all over my stomach.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Chakra2 Contributor
Chakra2
Posted

Dropping gluten definitely improved my complexion, but it took dropping dairy and soy to get it 100% clear. Even soy oil in vitamins makes me break out (i stopped taking some of my favorite supplements, including fish oil, for that reason). I also switched to using baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and Calfornia Baby products on my face and that seemed to help too. I discovered that all of my other face soap and cream had either gluten or soy in them.

  • 1 year later...
kafree Newbie
kafree
Posted

I realise this is an old post but thought I'd reply anyway.

For people going gluten free for the first time, I'd advise you to hang in there. After having stubborn acne for 20 years (I'm now 35) and trying all sorts of regimes/antibiotics/contraceptive pills, I became convinced it was the result of my body reacting to certain food through an inflammatory response. I also had really bad dandruff that refused to respond to anything I tried.

After trying elimination diets on and off (and not very restrictively), and becoming so paranoid about everything I ate, I had IgG blood testing for 370 different foods. THe results came back as being reactive to gluten and eggs (among other more obscure foods). I eliminated these from my diet and had some really big breakouts before I finally became clear after about 6 weeks for the first time in years. Dandruff and itchy skin disappeared too! It seemed that my body went through a detox process in clearing out my skin and it took a while. I've also noticed, differently to other people on these forums, that my body reacts very slowly to gluten and eggs, as it may take 2 weeks or longer before the effects of ingestion show in my skin. Which made it very hard when I was undertaking an elimination diet to determining what was causing my symptoms. Interestingly too (as opposed to other contributers) my main symptoms of intolerance are skin problems. I experience some digestion and mood issues from these foods, but not to the extremes that others seem to. Nowadays I can have sml bits of gluten and egg on occasion without any adverse effects but if I have them regularly for a couple of weeks, I get a reaction. Different to allergies, my body seems to cope with small amounts of the intolerant food, until a threshold level is reached and a reaction occurs through an inflammatory response in my skin. ITs difficult being gluten-free combined with being egg-free as normally gluten-free foods in restaurants come in the form of frittata or other egg dish. Be careful you're not replacing gluten with something else that is causing a reaction.

Another suggestion - when trying out elimination diets to tackle acne, lay off the suppliments until you have established that certain foods aren't(or are) the cause. I was taking fish oil for months before I realised it was causing me to break in cysts really badly. Its always promoted as a treatment for acne/inflammation so it took me a while to figure out. I moved house, lost my suppliments and my skin cleared up!

Good luck and hope this helps.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. SilkieFairy
      - SilkieFairy replied to SilkieFairy's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      IBS-D vs Celiac

      Thank you both for the replies. I decided to bring back gluten so I can do the blood test. Today is Day #2 of the Challenge. Yesterday I had about 3 slices of whole wheat bread and I woke up with urgent diarrhea this morning. It was orange, sandy and had the distinctive smell that I did not have when I was briefly gluten free. I don't know if it's a...
    2. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens. I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium. I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells. When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly. This is safe...
    3. Jane02
      - Jane02 replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency. I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently...
    4. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Hello, @Jane02, I take Naturewise D 3. It contains olive oil. Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets. Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking. Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the...
    5. Scott Adams
      0

      Penobscot Bay, Maine: Nurturing Gluten-Free Wellness Retreat with expert celiac dietitian, Melinda Dennis

      until
      Hello! Join me and treat yourself to a four-day, three-night restorative gluten-free retreat in a peaceful, private coastal retreat setting near Penobscot Bay in Maine. Dates: April 10-13, 2026 Enjoy engaging classes...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,336
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Jeffrey Yeres
    Newest Member
    Jeffrey Yeres
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • SilkieFairy
      IBS-D vs Celiac

      By SilkieFairy · Posted

      Thank you both for the replies. I decided to bring back gluten so I can do the blood test. Today is Day #2 of the Challenge. Yesterday I had about 3 slices of whole wheat bread and I woke up with urgent diarrhea this morning. It was orange, sandy and had the distinctive smell that I did not have when I was briefly gluten free. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but the brain fog is back and I feel very tired.   
    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Jane02,  I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.   Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system. I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list. I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy.  I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine. Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.   Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.   It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.   If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Have you seen a dietician?
    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.