Adult Acne And Inflammation

[prizm99]

Hi, I'm new here. I don't have Celiac disease but I'm pretty sure I am gluten intolerant. My stomach pains go away when I eliminate gluten. I've done some on and off gluten-free diet over the past few months. I've recently been on a strict gluten-free diet for a couple weeks now. I've been tested for arthritis which came back negative. However, I do have inflammation in the body and is slowly getting worse (I'm only 32 so my tests results shouldn't be that of a 50 year old). I have recently been experiencing acne (sometimes cystic) on the face, scalp, chest and back for many months. It seems to get worse when I eat gluten foods or it could be coincidental. Does anyone know if this is related to being gluten intolerant or something else? Or perhaps I need to give my body more time to heal?

[writer73]

Not saying that acne is dermatitis herpetiformis or not..but there are some postings on that board that might be helpful to you. I think your on to something with the gluten free diet helping your skin but I recommend you seeing your doctor to confirm!! I've struggled with horrible skin rashes & acne for years and am finally finding relief on a gluten free diet. But I wish I had gotten diagnosed prior to going off gluten - I see my MD next month - so I'm hopeful my results/improvement will be proof enough but I'm not sure. Good luck to you.

[mommida]

Most peeps here also eliminate gluten from shampoo and other hygeine/cosmetic products. I will end up completely miserable if wheat has been in any makeup or shampoo I have used.

Some acne can be caused by vitamin defiency. Zinc is one found in water, and associated with acne breakouts when there is a defiency.

If you think the skin eruptions are DH, please get a biopsy ASAP. If gluten really is the problem, you won't want to go back to eating it.

[foam]

I had "acne" all my life on the back, back of the neck, Chest, forehead, Shoulders, and upper arms. Do you know what it was after 20 years of chasing it... It was "Eosinophilic folliculitis". Caused by very high histamine levels and high Eosonphils (allergic reaction). Less that a week on the aniti histamine Zyrtec 95% of my sores were gone, give that stuff a test run and see how you go.

It's not going to cure you quickly and you will need to cut out all your allergic foods, (probably milk protein and grains are the main ones) but if it clears up on Zyrtec you will at least know what you're dealing with.

For me going Gluten free stopped my stomach pain... for a while but the problem runs deeper than that once the damage is done.

[mommida]

Ok that is really interessting because my daughter has Eosinophilic Esophagitus. Guess what there is a connection between Celiac and EE.

[prizm99]

All of my biopsies have been negative. I'm wondering if I should eliminate more than just gluten (like grains and dairy). I am on Claritin but I'm not sure if that is the same chemical in Zyrtec. I am unfamiliar with what ingredients contain gluten that might be hiding in my shampoo, cosmetics, etc. Can I find that out on this forum? Thanks all for your help!

[frieze]

check out "acne inversa" ...

[BelleVie]

Hi prizm, I'm a 25 year old woman who started getting acne, REALLY bad acne, around age 19. It was incredibly frustrating to have had perfectly clear skin all through puberty and then to be hit with acne as an adult! In addition to the acne, my face began taking on a red, flushed sort of look that got worse and worse over the years. Like you, I chased cures, everything from eating garlic to tetracycline to coconut oil to clearasil, and nothing worked. I finally made the gluten connection a couple of years ago, and went completely gluten-free almost a year ago.

 

I want to scream this into a megaphone for every person suffering with acne: My acne cleared up within 24 hours of being off gluten. Seriously. 24 hours. Of course, it took the remaining blemishes another few days to heal themselves, but the flushing stopped, and the new breakouts stopped. I could not believe that all those years of dreading looking in the mirror and feeling bad about myself and wondering "what's wrong here?" could have been avoided had I known just to stop eating gluten. 

 

Early on, I did a couple of experiments (eating a pastry or having a beer) and within an hour I could feel those painful bumps forming under my skin again.

 

Go gluten free for a month and see the difference in your skin (not to mention the rest of your body, if gluten is indeed the cause of your suffering).  

[janpell]

I have to take zinc supplements to maintain a clear complexion. I think I had DH which cleared up after eliminating gluten but to keep clear of acne I have to take zinc somewhat regularly.

I have Psoriatic Arthritis which is diagnosed though symptoms of inflammation markers, skin conditions and the like not like RA where it is up front in a blood test. Look into elimination diets to figure out your trigger foods. I have virtually no joint pain anymore. I know it's a pain to go further than gluten but in time after being gluten free you can start adding more foods later. Now, I only eliminate gluten, oranges, fresh tomatoes and soy and limit sugar, dairy, grain, alcohol and it is working great. Good luck.